'In the astonishing trajectory of a humble barge, Empty Vessel delivers an ambitious history of the global economy, linking everything from oil-drilling and offshore finance to military deployments and mass incarceration. I've rarely read a book that so deftly entwines a single, accessible story with the broad forces of globalization. A stunningly original history, as phenomenally well-researched as it is eloquently told' (Maya Jasanoff, author of THE DAWN WATCH)

'Kumekawa's tale of the Barge . . . is an imaginative and beautifully written allegory of the decades of globalization and the fugitive wealth it supported. What an eye-opening read!' (Charles S. Maier, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Emeritus, Harvard University)

'A captivating story-I read it like a detective novel-and at the same time a profound contribution to the history of economic, financial and material life in the contemporary globalized world' (Emma Rothschild, Jeremy and Jane Knowles Professor of History, Harvard University)

'Kumekawa brilliantly traces the history of one vessel to make the historical forces of globalization concrete. A riveting and important read that shows the strange ties between tax havens and trade, prisons and ports. Offshore is more than a concept; it is a place. Kumekawa is the ideal guide to that place and its complicated inner workings' (Heidi Tworek, Professor of History and Public Policy and Canada Research Chair, University of British Columbia)