To explain how the world works, authors have to break down complicated systems—without being boring. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty November 10, 2023, 11:04 AM ET This is an edition of the revamped Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. In the summer of 2018, shortly after I’d moved to Washington, D.C., the city’s water utility sent out a widespread boil-water notice. Looking back now, this wasn’t as alarming as it seemed then—I did as I was told, and the advisory was lifted two days later. But as I griped with my friends and roommates in the first hours after the announcement, I didn’t admit that I wasn’t totally sure what the problem actually was. I thought of myself as an educated and civically engaged person, but the exact process by which clean water made it to my home had rarely crossed my mind. Thanks to the local media, I learned what had happened: A valve had been opened, lowering the system’s pressure and making …