Brainwave

Novel by Poul Anderson, 1956

One day in the mid-1950s, everyone wakes up a little bit smarter. Actually, they wake up A LOT smarter and continue to gain intelligence. This sounds like a great thing for humanity but it actually becomes more of an apocalyptic problem. The world's custodians and factory workers begin to get too bored for work. Foreign relations get even more complicated than usual and not everyone is coping with all the new ideas that are suddenly surfacing in their mind. 

OH YEAH. Not only do humans get smarter, but so does every other sentient being on Earth. For instance, pigs don't really like being harvested for food anymore and take on the offensive against their captors. On a much more neato note though, dogs can understand their masters perfectly and at least some chimps even speak rudimentary English.

I first heard of this novel when it was referenced in Stephen King's "The Tommyknockers". I'm happy I did. While it's not the greatest story-telling ever, sci-fi master Poul Anderson does an awesome job of describing every broad and minute effect a sudden global intelligence boost would have on our world. You can get it crazy cheap on Amazon, too.