Xennial Memes
Photo of a book page. It reads: "John Bogle, the Vanguard founder who passed away in 2019, once told a story about money that highlights something we don't think about enough: At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over…

Heller Has Enough, Billionaire Never Will

A book excerpt retells Joseph Heller's reply to Kurt Vonnegut about a billionaire: he has "enough." A quiet lesson on greed and contentment that grown-up Xennials get.

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Photo of a book page. It reads: "John Bogle, the Vanguard founder who passed away in 2019, once told a story about money that highlights something we don't think about enough: At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over…

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Scan of a magazine page headed "Essay by Kurt Vonnegut" with the title "On Writing Science Fiction" and a black label reading "Sept. 5, 1965". The essay runs in three columns of small print. In the middle is a stylized illustration of a scowling mustached man with spiky black hair against a red shape. Credit reads "Illustration by Christoph Niemann". A numbered list of eight writing rules in black text on white. 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. 4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action. 5. Start as close to the… Black-and-white portrait of a young man in a dark suit and striped tie, captioned "— Robert F. Kennedy". Beside it is the quote: "The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public… Black and white photo of a gray-haired, bearded man in a collared shirt and tie, looking toward the camera with a worried expression. Text reads: "I THINK I'M BEGINNING TO GET IT. IF IT'S A POLICY THAT BENEFITS THE RICH, THEN IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PAID FOR, SHOULD LAST FOREVER AND IS GOOD FOR AMERICA. BUT IF IT BENEFITS THE POOR, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT, WE SHOULD END IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND IT WILL DESTROY OUR… Photo of a book page. Header in italics: Marjorie Saiser. Poem title: IF I CARRY MY FATHER. Text: I hope it is a little more / than color of hair / or the dimple or cheekbones / if he's ever here in the space I inhabit / the room I walk in / the boundaries and peripheries / I hope it's some kindness he believed in / living on in cell or bone / maybe some word or action / will float close to the surface / within my… Wide, cinematic film still of a tan, weathered wall with vertical lines. A feathered arrow is lodged in the wall beside rough stone-like chunks, with a thin cord trailing down to a small ornate object. A long dark shadow falls across the wall. No text is visible.

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