Media & Events
“Jackpot” media coverage, appearances, and author events.
Winner, Axiom Gold Medal for Economics, 2022
“Having spent decades reporting and writing books in this field, I admire Michael Mechanic’s book. His writing is elegant, his storytelling sublime. Well worth the time of anyone who wants to understand the effects of our make-the-rich-richer policies.”
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist/author
“Economic inequality has never been more gaping in the United States, which makes it the perfect time to read Jackpot, Michael Mechanic’s entertaining and eviscerating peek behind the velvet curtains and into the real lives of America’s super-rich. Mechanic provides an eye-opening exposé of the myriad ways in which America’s political system unfairly enriches those at the top at the expense of those at the bottom. His myth-busting conclusion is that everyone loses, even the lucky few who have hit the jackpot.”
JANE MAYER, author, Dark Money
“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
“Jackpot recalls for me the muckraking reporting of America’s first Gilded Age when dogged prophetic journalists exposed the giants of crooked capitalism and—voila!—inspired progressive forces that changed the country. Michael Mechanic, you’ve shown us how to do it. May legions follow your example.”
BILL MOYERS, broadcast journalist
(Also => Mastodon)
“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
“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
“Jackpot is such great fun to read—so inside the heads and lives of its subjects—that its vital insights sneak up on you: how America’s most fortunate, often despite the best intentions, perpetuate class advantages; how African Americans and women of all races are systematically excluded from wealth-building; and how rethinking certain cherished myths could help us survive as a nation.”
PEGGY ORENSTEIN, author, Girls & Sex
“Jackpot” media coverage, appearances, and author events.
Gold medal in the Economics category of business book contest.
Savings plans supposedly meant for the middle class have been a gold mine for the wealthy.
A cultural bias with real-life consequences.
Taxing the rich is highly popular, but politically difficult.
Federal lawmakers lack the fortitude—and the votes—to really address the wealth gap.