Keith Gessen Books in Order

Three young men pursue literary ambition, romantic fulfilment and adult identities while remaining preoccupied with their college years. Their intertwined experiences expose the gap between intellectual self-confidence and the responsibility needed to build meaningful lives and relationships.

Conversations with an anonymous hedge-fund manager follow the financial crisis as it unfolds, from early mortgage-market trouble through institutional collapse and its aftermath. The interviews combine explanations of complex markets with a candid account of uncertainty inside the industry.

A struggling academic returns to Moscow to care for his elderly grandmother and finds himself unsettled by both his birthplace and America. New friendships and political involvement force him to confront competing loyalties, family responsibilities and an uncertain future.

Keith Gessen recounts his son’s first five years and the unexpected demands of becoming a father. Everyday decisions about anger, education, heritage and play lead to broader questions about parenting in an unequal city and a changing world.