“Jackpot” Wins 2022 Axiom Award
Gold medal in the Economics category of business book contest.
Winner, Axiom Gold Medal for Economics, 2022
“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, New Yorker staff writer and author of Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
“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 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
“Jackpot explores the harm that great wealth imposes, not only on society but also, surprisingly, on those who possess it. In ways that bring to mind the late nineteenth century, the United States now faces the consequences of ‘wealth against commonwealth,’ except today’s robber barons are even richer. Do you want to win the lottery? As Michael Mechanic eloquently shows, maybe you don’t. Instead of playing a rigged game, we should be challenging its outcomes and changing the rules.”
ERIC SCHLOSSER, author, Fast Food Nation
“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 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
“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
More Jackpot praise and media reviews
Gold medal in the Economics category of business book contest.
“Jackpot” media coverage, appearances, and author events.
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.
A new essay collection tackles America’s ultimate punishment.