Psychologists, economists, advertising and marketing mavens—for decades, they failed to register the power of narrative. Most scientists considered stories frivolous. Economists were knee-deep in theory. Marketers wanted to cut to the sales pitch. Yet stories are key to how we comprehend the world and our place in it.

In The Sea We Swim In, Frank Rose leads us to a new understanding of storytelling and its role in our lives. Building on insights from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, he shows us how to see the world in narrative terms, not as a thesis to be argued or a pitch to be made but as a story to be told. Leading brands and top entertainment professionals already understand this way of thinking. From Warby Parker to The Walking Dead, Rose shows how they design and implement complex narrative ecosystems for interconnected digital worlds—and how you can do the same.