Above all, a deep and serious gratitude to all those who have trusted me with their stories, opinions, leads, and expertise. This book was conceived in London in conversation with fellow interns; became a serious endeavor over meals with Nicholas Casey in Pasadena and Jack Chung in San Francisco; and matured during a crucial meeting with Jin Auh in New York. I researched the book in a dozen different cities and wrote it primarily in Brooklyn and Kunming, China, especially in the tolerant coffee houses of Wenlin Jie and Wenhua Xiang. Particular thanks are due to Steve Greenhouse, Mark Granovetter, Brad Trushin, Tom Wolf, Aleksey Dubilet, Anya Kamenetz, Greg Kaplan, Ben Knelman, Rob Wilkins, Ned Farmer, Rich Bottner, Nathaniel Rich, and Dave Glauber. Andy Hsiao, Audrea Lim, and their colleagues at Verso made it happen. Clara Heyworth was a star and a dynamo behind this book: it’s still unthinkable that she’s gone. Karan Mahajan has been a tireless champion, an intoxicating co-conspirator, and a virtuoso editor. And in this, as in all things, JFA has journeyed with me from first to last.