Accessibility links
Rumaan Alam's novel 'Entitlement' is about money's effect on our sense of self : NPR's Book of the Day In Rumaan Alam's new novel, Entitlement, Brooke, a former teacher, is given a rare opportunity. She takes a job with an 83-year-old billionaire and is tasked with helping him decide what to do with his fortune. But, as Brooke spends more time in proximity to such great wealth, the experience begins to distort her sense of priorities, ambitions and personal ethics. In today's episode, Alam speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the stratification of wealth, whether we're living through a new Gilded Age and the effect money has on us.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

NPR's Book of the Day

In 'Entitlement,' a young woman helps an elderly billionaire give away his fortune

In 'Entitlement,' a young woman helps an elderly billionaire give away his fortune

Listen ยท 8:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1200121009/1258928454" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Riverhead Books
Enlarge this image
Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books

In Rumaan Alam's new novel, Entitlement, Brooke, a former teacher, is given a rare opportunity. She takes a job with an 83-year-old billionaire and is tasked with helping him decide what to do with his fortune. But, as Brooke spends more time in proximity to such great wealth, the experience begins to distort her sense of priorities, ambitions and personal ethics. In today's episode, Alam speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the stratification of wealth, whether we're living through a new Gilded Age and the effect money has on us.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday