5SR - April 26, 2024
Hitha on old money aesthetics, a new legal battle in the opioid crisis, and Robinne Lee
A quick refresher - I’m Hitha Palepu, the founder of
. If you’d like to connect with me elsewhere, I’m most active on Instagram and write a weekly newsletter about smart, random things (check out the most recent issue).McKinsey Under Criminal Investigation Over Opioid-Related Consulting (Wall Street Journal)
link gifted via my subscription
I needed to read 20+ books about blue aliens to get over Empire of Pain, the brilliantly reported and written book about the Sackler family and their role in the opioid crisis.
I needed Throne of Glass to get over When McKinsey Comes To Town.
I do understand that the long arc of history bends towards justice, but I continue to be infuriated at how wealthy people knowingly became wealthier while unleashing a horrifying epidemic across the country. And I’m heartened that the fight for justice continues, with the criminal investigation into McKinsey happening even after they paid nearly $1B to resolve their civil lawsuits.
That said, I have this book lined up to get my mind off this story, so I don’t spiral again.
We might be closer to changing course on climate change than we realized (Vox)
Changing course to a “this-is-usually-depressing-but-there-seems-to-be-hope” story, I give you some positive signals in humanity’s attempt to stop climate change - and there’s quite a bit to be hopeful about.
“We find there is a 70% chance that emissions start falling in 2024 if current clean technology growth trends continue and some progress is made to cut non-CO2 emissions,” authors wrote. “This would make 2023 the year of peak emissions.”
That said, there is so much work to do to make 2023 the year of peak emissions - and sadly, the outcome of the 2024 presidential election is a tipping point.
What are your weekend plans? I’m hoping to get an hour of painting and audiobook time.
(PS - use code hitha to get 3 free books when you start a Libro.fm membership, and check out their huge audiobook sale)
Why Is Gen Z So Obsessed With ‘Old Money Style’? (GQ)
“Personally, I find it fascinating that young people—in the midst of unprecedented wealth inequality, told that they’ll never own a home, that the American dream promised to them may well be dead—are dressing up as the people who, in essence, ruined it all for them. I, for one, have noticed my TikTok feed filled with old money aesthetic slideshows of roguish types in Rolls-Royces alternating with vehement harangues of late-stage-capitalism, a perplexing juxtaposition….”
There are two consistencies about trends - they always come back, and they’re always slightly different every time they do come around.
But there’s something fascinating about old money style’s current turn, especially when you juxtapose it against modern life and the bleak economic reality for most people.
I really enjoyed the smart analysis in this piece, which had me hunting my closet for my favorite button downs, pleated linen shorts, and tortoise-shell headbands that evoke this trend.
That’s the third consistency about trends - I am a sucker for them (and especially this one)
Make This the Week (and Month and Year!) You Shift Toward More Peace and Joy. Brianna Wiest Shows Us the Way (The Sunday Paper)
With Mercury going direct yesterday (this retrograde was a doozy for me), I feel like I can emerge from my survival cocoon and focus on growth and change a bit.
I’ve long followed Brianna Wiest on Instagram, but I haven’t picked up any of her books yet. After reading this interview, I downloaded a copy of The Pivot Year as a micro-step to starting my day on my terms (versus scrolling).
I really love what she said about finding a place of neutrality, rather than rushing from negative to positive:
“Step one is trying to go from negative to a little less negative and hopefully getting yourself to neutral. Sometimes, neutral is a matter of just disengaging. It's not trying to answer the fear. It's not thinking, I need to have my entire world figured out within the next day. Instead, it's just letting it go, letting the unanswered questions be questions, coming back into the moment, and getting neutral.”
‘The writer of Fifty Shades gave me tips’: Robinne Lee on her scorching bonkbuster The Idea of You (The Guardian)
There are various periods of my life that are deliniated by a major moment - before Sri and after Sri, before the kids and after the kids, before I read The Idea of You and after.
Yes. This book moved me that much.
The book is unlike anything I’ve read, both in the themes (a woman really choosing herself and dealing with unexpected and unintended consequences, flipping the May-December romance, the multitudes of Solene). It also delivers some of the spiciest scenes I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot of them), and I’ve long wondered how Robinne approached writing these scenes.
Thankfully, The Guardian asked the questions and Robinne answered them. And I’m even more excited to watch the film adaptation next week (followed by a necessary re-read).