The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us

"Much of the power of the book comes from the discussion of ‘chance and luck’ operating at a far more mundane level in the lives of ordinary people. . . . Whether a person winds up in poverty is largely the result of factors outside their control."—Jacobin

A poverty expert reveals how truly random the world is—including how economic inequality is experienced—and how we can learn to acknowledge chance and appreciate it.

It’s comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard,...