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xi Acknowledgments I am grateful for the support that enabled this project, including from my agent Sara Camilli and the team at Praeger . Without the consumers who trusted me with their stories, this book would not exist. Th anks to the many friends who said “You should!” when I wondered aloud about writing a book and specifi cally to Kate Novack, Lexie Olm- sted, Lauren Sandler, and Dolma Tsering for their help. Every fi rst-time author should be so lucky to have writer friends like Emily Franklin and Michelle Icard, who each generously off ered me tangible advice and moral support throughout this process. At Provincetown’s Fine Arts Work Center, Lacy M. Johnson and Sarah Green helped me conceptualize and start this book. Th e Provincetown Commons and countless cafés provided white-noise havens in which to fi nish it. Th anks to Professors John Haigh, Joseph Newhouse, and Richard Zeck- hauser for giving me a home base at the Harvard Kennedy School and to the senior fellows for friendship and camaraderie. Special thanks to Scott Leland and Susan Gill for their support John Della Volpe for the RealClear Politics collaboration and my outstanding research assistants Joemma Berberich, Julie-Ann Hutchinson, Akshaya Kannan, Gwendolyn Lee, Ihsaan Patel, Amelia Pellegrini, William Tran, Natalie Triedman, and especially Anna Ford—my thought partner throughout. Th anks, too, to Dana Ellis, Catherine Leslie, and the MIT AgeLab. Th anks to my parents Alice and Martin Gordon, who taught me to use my voice unapologetically my sister Anne Gordon for exquisite editing and my extended family for their love and input. Endless thanks to Zoë and Jasper for tolerating this process and for let- ting me peek at the world through their astute and compassionate lenses