Rob Henderson — Troubled
Description: Friend-of-the-show Rob Henderson returns to discuss his powerful, moving and important debut book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (published TODAY). We discuss Rob’s experience of the American foster care and adoption system, the life-changing impact of the military, the rise of Luxury Beliefs, the benefits of standardized testing, and MUCH more.
Important Links:
- Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= (Amazon)
- The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/06/opinion/sat-act-dartmouth-test-optional-colleges/; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
- Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way - https://www.thefp.com/p/rob-henderson-lessons-i-learned-the; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
- Rob’s Substack - https://www.robkhenderson.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
- Rob’s Twitter - https://x.com/robkhenderson?s=20
Show Notes:
0:00:00 Intro
0:00:52 Foster Care, Adoption & Social Mobility
0:12:41 Structural Origins of the Foster System
0:17:16 Why Early-Life Stability is Underrated
0:35:24 How Ideas Can Change Outcomes
0:37:53 The Life-Changing Impact of the Military
0:46:22 Young Male Syndrome
0:53:05 The Role of Intelligence in Governing Outcomes
0:58:22 The Benefits of Standardized Testing
1:11:58 Yale, Luxury Beliefs & the Rise of Identity Politics
1:27:01 Are Luxury Beliefs a Political or Class Phenomena?
1:33:25 Trickle-Down Meritocracy
1:41:19 Technology, Assortive Mating & Social Mobility
1:46:35 Is the Overton Window Shifting on Campus?
1:52:29 Rob as Emperor of the World
Books and Articles Mentioned:
- Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=; by Rob Henderson
- The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/06/opinion/sat-act-dartmouth-test-optional-colleges/; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
- Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way - https://www.thefp.com/p/rob-henderson-lessons-i-learned-the; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
- Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society; by Nicholas A. Christakis
- Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010; by Charles Murray
- Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross
- A Suitable Boy; by Vikram Seth
- The Son Also Rises; by Gregory Clark
