Borrowed in Brooklyn

BPL · Book · 2026

Inside the box : how constraints make us better

David Epstein

How to do more with less and use limits to achieve greater creativity, innovation, and success, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Range We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be, and how to spend our time. All that choice is wonderful; it is also overwhelming. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don't necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal satisfaction. David Epstein argues that all of us-individuals, businesses, institutions, even societies-can benefit from narrowing our options. He dives into the science and practice of constraints, exploring exactly when and how guardrails can be beneficial, whether we're working with limited resources or using self-imposed boundaries to tap unexpected wells of focus and innovation. Original, galvanizing, and deeply researched, Inside the Box tells absorbing stories of people and organizations that embraced constraints to transform themselves, and the world-as well as a few that struggled from a lack of limits. Epstein celebrates the surprising potential of hard deadlines, boring goals, and unexpected obstacles. He reveals how boundaries create breakthroughs, and how setting the right constraints can help you become

Demand pressureiDemand pressure: composite score across the 12 tracked branches — rewards low availability, branches all out, recent drops, and (when exposed) public hold counts. Higher = harder to get borough-wide.

370

Available

5/10

Branches all out

4/9

Public holdsiPublic holds: BPL exposes 'people waiting' at the bib (record) level — one number per work for the entire 60+ branch BPL system, NOT just the 12 tracked branches. We capture the number when it's there. 'Not exposed' means BPL didn't expose it on this scrape — we never substitute zero for missing data.

not exposed

ISBN 9780593715710