Luigi: The Making and the Meaning
Nov 2025 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
star
1 review
Ebook
272
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, WHERE DID HE COME FROM AND WHY DID THE CRIME HE IS ACCUSED OF MAKE HIM A HERO TO SO MANY?
When Luigi Mangione was arrested for allegedly killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the prizewinning journalist John H. Richardson thought he recognized the type. Ten years earlier, Richardson had begun a correspondence with Ted Kaczynski, the murderous genius known as the Unabomber, as part of his search to understand the surprising number of young Americans who have discovered Kaczynski and found his manifesto prophetic. Luigi was one of them.
In Luigi: The Making and the Meaning, Richardson shows that Luigi, the son of a wealthy Baltimore family, with an Ivy League degree, Renaissance looks and an irrepressible curiosity, is part of a growing group of modern Americans who seem to be buzzing with dread: They see humans losing their humanity not just to capitalism’s rough justice but also to algorithms, social media and artificial intelligence, and to a world order that refuses to acknowledge the urgency of climate change. They also feel trapped by the scolds of “woke” ideology and alarmed by the decline in birth rates, lashed to the wheel of a system in which change has become impossible and unstoppable at the same time.
They don’t fit neatly into left or right—and, at the extremes, even if they see the problems and solutions in radically different ways, they are united in their hunger to fix the world. Richardson doesn’t pretend to be able to tell you exactly what may have motivated Luigi. But he tracked Luigi down—not just to understand Luigi himself but also to explore his connection to the other young searchers Richardson has come to know as the “Children of Ted.” In this way, Richardson shows why the world was primed for the Luigi Mangione moment and why the accused shooter has been embraced as an avenger with an affection not seen since Jesse James or Robin Hood.
When Luigi Mangione was arrested for allegedly killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the prizewinning journalist John H. Richardson thought he recognized the type. Ten years earlier, Richardson had begun a correspondence with Ted Kaczynski, the murderous genius known as the Unabomber, as part of his search to understand the surprising number of young Americans who have discovered Kaczynski and found his manifesto prophetic. Luigi was one of them.
In Luigi: The Making and the Meaning, Richardson shows that Luigi, the son of a wealthy Baltimore family, with an Ivy League degree, Renaissance looks and an irrepressible curiosity, is part of a growing group of modern Americans who seem to be buzzing with dread: They see humans losing their humanity not just to capitalism’s rough justice but also to algorithms, social media and artificial intelligence, and to a world order that refuses to acknowledge the urgency of climate change. They also feel trapped by the scolds of “woke” ideology and alarmed by the decline in birth rates, lashed to the wheel of a system in which change has become impossible and unstoppable at the same time.
They don’t fit neatly into left or right—and, at the extremes, even if they see the problems and solutions in radically different ways, they are united in their hunger to fix the world. Richardson doesn’t pretend to be able to tell you exactly what may have motivated Luigi. But he tracked Luigi down—not just to understand Luigi himself but also to explore his connection to the other young searchers Richardson has come to know as the “Children of Ted.” In this way, Richardson shows why the world was primed for the Luigi Mangione moment and why the accused shooter has been embraced as an avenger with an affection not seen since Jesse James or Robin Hood.
WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, WHERE DID HE COME FROM AND WHY DID THE CRIME HE IS ACCUSED OF MAKE HIM A HERO TO SO MANY?
When Luigi Mangione was arrested for allegedly killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the prizewinning journalist John H. Richardson thought he recognized the type. Ten ...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
About the author
John H. Richardson was a writer-at-large for Esquire for eighteen years and was previously staff writer at New York magazine and Premiere. He is the author of My Father the Spy, In the Little World, and The Vipers’ Club. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Crime Writing, and Best American Magazine Writing. He lives in New York City.
John H. Richardson was a writer-at-large for Esquire for eighteen years and was previously staff writer at New York magazine and Premiere. He is the author of My Father the Spy, In the Little World, and The Vipers’ Club. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
