Saturdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a semi-tragic profile of Huey Lewis.
Quote of the Day
"If you want to summarize the changes in family structure over the past century, the truest thing to say is this: We’ve made life freer for individuals and more unstable for families."
(David Brooks)
Books
- An excerpt from Steven Levy's highly anticipated "Facebook: the Inside Story." (wired.com)
- A big profile of Yuval Noah Harari and how his book 'Sapiens' has spawned a virtual industry. (newyorker.com)
- An excerpt from Robert Frank's "Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work." (theatlantic.com)
The Decadent Society
- Ross Douthat excerpts his book about how American society has become decadent. (nytimes.com)
- Peter Thiel (positively) reviews Ross Douthat's new book "The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success." (firstthings.com)
Longreads
- History is interesting because nothing is inevitable. (collaborativefund.com)
- What is the Mormon Church planning to do with its $100 billion war chest? (wsj.com)
- What happens when small towns lose their only bank branch. (americanbanker.com)
- What Google ($GOOGL) learned in getting its employees to eat more vegetables. (onezero.medium.com)
- Why calling human behavior 'irrational' can backfire. (rationalwalk.com)
- How to haggle like a pro. (artofmanliness.com)