Exposing the Big Fail: A Conversation with Journalist and Author Bethany McLean

This hybrid event is free and open to the public. Register below to receive Zoom access information.

How missteps, mistrust, and American capitalism sabotaged our pandemic response

Since the end of 2019, the United States has suffered 1.3 million excess deaths—that is, 1.3 million people died that would not be expected to die absent the pandemic. Controlling for population size and age, that number places the United States at a higher death per capita than all of its peers. The story of how America failed to protect its citizens is a story about policy, politics, and American capitalism. 

We are excited to host journalist Bethany McLean to discuss her latest landmark book: The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind. 

Join us to discuss what the pandemic taught us about American capitalism’s fragility, inequity, complexity, and—with our help and work—promise.

“[T]he problems with the business world aren’t always just about business. They can also be about life and death.” – Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, The Big Fail