The result – a dazzling mix of journalism, data visualization and memoir – is both a joy to read and a serious provocation ... a riveting exemplar of financial transparency ... Considering its bedrock is hard numerical data, Ten Lives is a deeply affecting book. Her subjects’ stories reveal how easily systemic problems such as lack of affordable healthcare or childcare can overturn lives in modern America.
It’s a fascinating portrait of American capitalism and gives readers an opportunity to peer into the finances of others ... At times, the anecdotes from her life can feel a little awkward. When her mother needs care, Chalabi says she thought of everything to pay for private support, including 'marrying a rich bastard' — a statement that seems oddly generic and cliched ... It’s a vocal, passionate book that takes aim at the one percent and those who occupy the ever tinier percentiles of more extreme wealth. Chalabi argues for a fairer system that would put less pressure on everyone, rather than the current version of capitalism, which keeps us 'running and running and running.'
...Chalabi proves a dab hand both at getting frank admissions from her interviewees about money and using surveys and statistics to put their individual experiences into broader economic contexts ... Strong opinions and trenchant insights, dished up by a gifted expert in data visualization.
