99% Perspiration

Description

99% Perspiration
by Adam Chandler

ISBN: 9780593700570
Hardcover, new
Publication Date: 1/7/2025

Brief Description:
An enlightening and entertaining interrogation of the myth of American
self-reliance and the idea of hard work as destiny “Genius is one percent
inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” This phrase, arguably
Thomas Edison’s most famous quote, has been drilled into the minds of
generations of Americans. A fairly straightforward iteration of the idea
that innovation, discovery, and ingenuity are the result of drive and grit
above all, it has also come to represent much darker myths: that hard work
always leads to success and that achievement is the product of individuals
and not communities. In this model, those who come out on top are there
because they earned it, and everyone else needs to buckle down, glove up,
and, maybe one day, they’ll get there too. As the wealth gap widens,
communities crumble, and Americans work more for less, Adam Chandler raises
the question: What happens when perspiration isn’t enough? To answer it, he
crisscrosses the country interviewing mayors, teachers, generals, pastors,
construction workers, and entrepreneurs, to reveal just how untenable
relying on “perspiration” as a strategy has truly become. He also delves
into America’s past to reveal how our government, education system, and
culture at large have woven the idea of meritocracy deep into the fabric of
American society and how some of history’s most famous so-called
bootstrappers really built their wealth. From George Washington to
Seattle,Washington, Jay Gatsby to Bill Gates, 99% Perspiration unpacks the
misguided obsession with hard work that has come to define both the
American dream and nightmare, offering insight into how we got here and
hope for where we may go.