Summary of Evan Osnos' Wildland

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Evan Osnos' Wildland in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In search of an explanation for the crisis that reached an unsettling crescendo in 2020—a year of pandemic, civil unrest, and political turmoil—he focused on three places he knew firsthand: Greenwich, Connecticut; Clarksburg, West Virginia; and Chicago, Illinois. Reported over the course of six years, Wildland follows ordinary individuals as they navigate the varied landscapes of twenty-first-century America. Through their powerful, often poignant stories, Osnos traces the sources of America’s political dissolution. He finds answers in the rightward shift of the financial elite in Greenwich, in the collapse of social infrastructure and possibility in Clarksburg, and in the compounded effects of segregation and violence in Chicago. The truth about the state of the nation may be found not in the slogans of political leaders but in the intricate details of individual lives, and in the hidden connections between them. As Wildland weaves in and out of these personal stories, events in Washington occasionally intrude, like flames licking up on the horizon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669342151

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Evan Osnos's Wildland

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Before long, the top twenty-five hedge-fund managers had settled or worked in a single town: Greenwich, Connecticut. One of them was Steven A. Cohen, who ran a firm named S. A. C. Capital Advisors.

#2

In the history of money in America, Greenwich has played a recurring role that is older than the republic. The southern panhandle of Connecticut is cradled between the gray-blue waters of Long Island Sound and the wooded border of New York State. In the Gilded Age, many new arrivals worked on Wall Street.

#3

Greenwich was a wealthy Connecticut town that was home to many executives who sought to escape high income taxes in New York.

#4

While the town has long been known as a haven for wealthy people, it has also been home to many working class families.

#5

The author worked for Jones as a junior executive, and one of the first things he learned was that the most important thing about the job was to perform. If you don’t perform, you’re gone.

#6

In 2003, the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, which is home to many hedge funds, had a boom in hedge fund investment. The wealth that was generated by this investment then trickled down to the local businesses and community.

#7

Eventually, the money began to change the town in ways that were difficult to see. The outside world saw how wealthy Greenwich was becoming, but the town’s moral compass was being affected as well.

#8

Inequality in America reached a new peak in the 2010s, with the top 1% of families earning as much as the bottom 60% of families.

#9

Even some of America's most alert and adept politicians had yet to adjust their views on wealth and success. In a 2012 radio address, Obama stated, This is a country where no matter what you look like or where you come from, if you're willing to study and work hard, you can go as far as your talents will take you. You can make it if you try.

#10

Washington, D. C. , has long been known as the city of brotherly love. But in the twenty-first century, that love has grown at a record pace, primarily due to the private equity industry.

#11

The money in politics had reached a level that even practitioners found hard to deal with. Donors poured unprecedented sums into politics in part because they feared that if they didn’t, someone else would gain an advantage.

#12

Super PACs, which can raise unlimited amounts of money, have become a major contributor to politics.

#13

A political action committee was created by Lessig called