Richistan : A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER RICH-I-STAN n. 1. a new country located in the heart of America, populated entirely by millionaires, most of whom acquired their wealth during the new Gilded Age of the past twenty years. 2. a country with a population larger than Belgium and Denmark; typical citizens include “spud king” J. R. Simplot; hair stylist Sydell Miller, the new star of Palm Beach; and assorted oddball entrepreneurs. 3. A country that with a little luck and pluck, you, too, could be a citizen of. The rich have always been different from you and me, but Robert Frank’s revealing and funny journey through “Richistan” entertainingly shows that they are truly another breed. The rich have always been different from you and me, but this revealing and funny journey through "Richistan" entertainingly shows that they are more different than ever. Richistanis have 400-foot-yachts, 30,000-square-foot homes, house staffs of more than 100, and their own "arborists." They're also different from Old Money, and have torn down blue-blood institutions to build their own shining empire. Richistan is like the best travel writing, full of colorful and interesting stories providing insights into exotic locales. Robert Frank has been loitering on the docks of yacht marinas, pestering his way into charity balls, and schmoozing with real estate agents selling mega-houses to capture the story of the twenty-first century's nouveau riche: House-training the rich. People with new wealth have to be taught how to act like, well, proper rich people. Just in the nick of time, there's been a boom in the number of newly trained butlers--"household managers"--who will serve just the right cabernet when a Richistani's new buddies from Palm Beach stop by. "My boat is bigger than your boat." Only in Richistan would a 100-foot-boat be considered a dinghy. Personal pleasure craft have started to rival navy destroyers in size and speed. Richistan is also a place where friends make fun of those misers who buy the new girlfriend a mere Mercedes SLK. "You want my money? Prove that you're helping the needy!" Richistanis are not only consuming like crazy, they're also shaking up the establishment's bureaucratic, slow-moving charity network, making lean, results-oriented philanthropy an important new driving force. Move over, Christian Coalition. Richistanis are more Democratic than Republican, "fed up and not going to take it anymore," and willing to spend millions to get progressive-oriented politicians elected. "My name is Mike and I'm rich." Think that money is the answer? Think again as Robert Frank explores the emotional complexities of wealth. And, as Robert Frank reveals, there is not one Richistan but three: Lower, Middle, and Upper, each of which has its own levels and distinctions of wealth --the haves and the have-mores. The influence of Richistan and the Richistanis extends well beyond the almost ten million households that make up its population, as the nonstop quest for status and an insatiable demand for luxury goods reshapes the entire American economy. *From the Hardcover edition.*

Full of captivating profiles and expert insights into the lives and lifestyles of the nouveau riche, Richistan tells the real story of a new gilded age. The recent explosion of wealth has created a new breed of multimillionaires. Ed Bazinet, for example, who turned miniature ceramic villages into a $250 million fortune. Or Tim Blixseth, who became a billionaire by trading remote stretches of timberland. Richistan takes readers inside a rarified world to see how these blue-collar-workers-turned-billionaires are earning, spending, and living.From "Butler School," where domestics are specially trained to serve the newly wealthy, to self-help groups for coping with the strains of $10 million incomes, you'll discover how the nouveaux riches learn to be riche. In addition, Frank investigates where their money is going. With so much in the hands of so few, the personal whims of the extremely wealthy can make or break charities and research foundations. Will they support cancer research or the arts? Supernatural exploration or archaeological digs? The influence wielded by the newly wealthy goes far beyond their fashion choices or participation in reality TV shows.Richistan looks behind the glitz to find the real story behind new money and its impact on the richest nation in the world.

Journeys inside the world of America's new breed of multimillionaires to explore the real world of new money and its influence on the American culture, society, and politics, with entertaining profiles of some of these new multimillionaires and where their money is going. Reprint. 75,000 first printing. "The rich have always been different from you and me, but Robert Frank's revealing and funny journey through "Richistan" entertainingly shows that they are truly another breed" -- from cover.