Jackpot

How the Super-Rich Really Live-and How Their Wealth Harms Us All

Michael Mechanic

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Hardback

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English

Simon & Schuster
01 August 2021

Material culture; Poverty & unemployment; Anthropology; Economics & Business

A senior editor at Mother Jones dives into the lives of the extremely rich, showing the fascinating, otherworldly realm they inhabit-and the insidious ways this realm harms us all.

Have you ever fantasized about being ridiculously wealthy? Probably. Striking it rich is among the most resilient of American fantasies, surviving war and peace, expansions and recessions, economic meltdowns and global pandemics. We dream of the jackpot, the big exit, the life-altering payday, in whatever form that takes. (Americans spent $81 billion on lottery tickets in 2019, more than the GDPs of most nations.) We would escape essential day jobs and cramped living spaces, bury our debts, buy that sweet spread, and bail out struggling friends and relations. But rarely do we follow the fantasy to its conclusion-to ponder the social, psychological, and societal downsides of great affluence and the fact that so few possess it.

What is it actually like to be blessed with riches in an era of plagues, political rancor, and near-Dickensian economic differences? How mind-boggling are the opportunities and access, how problematic the downsides? Does the experience differ depending on whether the money is earned or unearned, where it comes from, and whether you are male or female, white or black? Finally, how does our collective lust for affluence, and our stubborn belief in social mobility, explain how we got to the point where forty percent of Americans have literally no wealth at all?

These are all questions that Jackpot sets out to explore. The result of deep reporting and dozens of interviews with fortunate citizens-company founders and executives, superstar coders, investors, inheritors, lottery winners, lobbyists, lawmakers, academics, sports agents, wealth and philanthropy professionals, concierges, luxury realtors, Bentley dealers, and even a woman who trains billionaires' nannies in physical combat, Jackpot is a compassionate, character-rich, perversely humorous, and ultimately troubling journey into the American wealth fantasy and where it has taken us.

By: Michael Mechanic
Imprint: Simon & Schuster
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 569g
ISBN: 9781982127213
ISBN 10: 198212721X
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 01 August 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michael Mechanic is a senior editor at Mother Jones magazine. He lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, two teenagers, and various animals. Jackpot is his first book.

Reviews for Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live-and How Their Wealth Harms Us All

Jackpot skillfully explores the impact of great wealth on people's lives and society; an economic system driven by selfish values; and the urgent need for a more fair, equal, and sustainable capitalism that works for the greater good of everyone and the planet. --Marc Benioff, chair and CEO, Salesforce A nimble exploration of a society obsessed with crowning winners and punishing losers. Jackpot makes me angry but also hits the spot. --Gary Shteyngart, author, Lake Success Mike Mechanic's Jackpot is a rich, well-reported, compellingly told story that is not only a good read but an unsettling reminder of the absurd advantages that accrue to Americans who have won the proverbial lottery. --Gary Rivlin, author, Broke USA