Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at why America’s roads are so dangerous for cyclists.
Quote of the Day
"Rituals don’t actually accomplish anything. But without them, life is ghostly hollowness."
(Eric Barker)
Books
- An excerpt the forthcoming “When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World’s Most Powerful Consulting Firm” by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe. (nytimes.com)
- A Q&A with Beth Macy author of "Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis." (daily.jstor.org)
- An excerpt from "The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy" by Anand Giridharadas. (theatlantic.com)
- An excerpt from "The Benefits of Friends: Inside the Complicated World of Today’s Sororities and Fraternities" by Jana Mathews. (slate.com)
Longreads
- Why Warren Buffett is an investing unicorn. (neckar.substack.com)
- A history of the many ups and downs at Softbank. (readthegeneralist.com)
- The Covid pandemic exposed a lot of systematic problems in the U.S. (theatlantic.com)
- China's property bust is spreading through the economy. (on.ft.com)
- A brief history of the UK including why the industrial revolution started in England. (unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com)
- Choice deprivation trumps choice overload for consumers. (behavioralscientist.org)
- We are swamped with text on a daily basis. (thenewatlantis.com)
