Prologue: "The world has fallen apart."
Part I: The great supply chain disruption. "Just get this made in China." : the origins of the factory floor of the world
"Everyone is competing for a supply located in a single country." : the pandemic reveals the folly
"No waste more terrible than overproduction." : the roots of just in time
"The lean Taliban" : how the consulting class hijacked just in time
"Everybody wants everything." : the epic miscalculation of global business
"An entire new way of handling freight" : how a steel box shrunk the globe
"Carriers are robbing shippers." : the floating cartel
Part II: Across the water. "The land of the forgotten" : how farmers got stuck on the wrong side of the water
"I think I've heard of them." : the new sheriff on the docks
"Everything is out of whack." : floating in purgatory
"Crazy and dangerous" : life on the docks
"Is it worth even getting up in the morning?" : the unremitting misery of the dray
"Building railroads from nowhere to nowhere at public expense" : how investors looted the locomotive
"The almighty operating ratio" : modern-day pillaging of the rails
"Sweatshops on wheels" : the long, torturous road
"Thank you for what you're doing to keep those grocery store shelves stocked." : how the meat industry sacrificed workers for profits
"We do not have a free market." : how monopolists exploited the pandemic
Part III: Globalization comes home. "We just need some diversity." : the search for factories beyond China
"Globalization is almost dead." : bringing factory jobs home
"Okay, Mexico, save me." : how the global supply chain turned its back on the water
"People don't want to do those jobs." : robots and the future of shareholder gratification
Conclusion: "A great sacrifice for you" : redrawing the false bargain

In 'How the World Ran Out of Everything,' . . . journalist Peter S. Goodman reveals the fascinating inner workings of our supply chain and the factors that have led to its constant, dangerous vulnerability. His reporting takes readers deep into the elaborate system, showcasing the triumphs and struggles of the human players who operate it--from factories in Asia and an almond grower in Northern California, to a group of striking railroad workers in Texas, to a truck driver who Goodman accompanies across hundreds of miles of the Great Plains. Through their stories, Goodman weaves a powerful argument for reforming a supply chain to become truly reliable and resilient, demanding a radical redrawing of the bargain between labor and shareholders, and deeper attention paid to how we get the things we need.