The Haves and Have-Yachts

Essays and criticism

Description

Evan Osnos examines the insulated world of extreme wealth through reported essays about the ambitions, habits, and self-justifications of the ultra-rich. Moving between private indulgence and public influence, he asks how exceptional fortunes alter their owners’ sense of obligation, entitlement, and place in society. Superyachts become a vivid case study in competitive luxury, environmental cost, and the desire to escape ordinary civic constraints. Osnos also traces how concentrated money brings privileged political access and policies favorable to those who already possess the most. Blending detailed reporting with wry, exasperated analysis, the collection connects extravagant personal choices to a broader argument about American oligarchy and the growing power of private priorities over public life.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Essayistic · Journalistic · Witty

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Earnest · Humorous · Irreverent · Satirical

Structure

Anthology

Focus

Argument · Ideas

Emotional intensity

3 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 2 / 5

Themes

InequalityNature and environmentPolitics and ideologyPowerWealth

About Evan Osnos

Evan Osnos is an American journalist and author whose reporting examines how large political and economic changes enter private lives. A New Yorker staff writer, he has covered politics and foreign affairs in the United States and China, and later the culture and influence of extreme wealth. His books build arguments through interviews, observed detail, and sharply chosen individual cases. Age of Ambition follows figures ranging from Ai Weiwei to workers and a jailed auctioneer, using their efforts to remake their lives to chart China’s rapid transformation. In The Haves and Have-Yachts, wry reported essays move from superyachts and private indulgence to political access, environmental cost, and the ability of great fortunes to place private priorities above public obligations.

Age of ambition Apple Books

Book details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Language: English
ISBN: 9781668140611

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