"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." This phrase, arguably Thomas Edison's most famous quote, has been drilled into the minds of generations of Americans. A fairly straightforward appraisal of the fact that innovation, discovery, and ingenuity are the result of drive and grit above all, it has also come to represent a much darker ideal: that the byproduct of hard work is always success. Those who come out on top are there because they earned it, and everyone else needs to buckle down, glove up, and, maybe one day, they'll get there too.

As the wealth gap widens, unemployment soars, and Americans become increasingly dissatisfied with labor conditions, Adam Chandler raises the question: What happens when perspiration isn't enough? To answer it, he crisscrosses the country interviewing farmworkers, hedge fund managers, tech billionaires, and gas station employees, to reveal just how untenable relying on "perspiration" as a strategy has truly become. He also delves into America's past to reveal how our government, education system, and culture at large have woven the idea of meritocracy deep into the fabric of American society and how some of history's most famous so-called bootstrappers really built their wealth. From George Washington to Bill Gates, 99% Perspiration unpacks the misguided obsession with hard work that has come to define both the American dream and plight, offering insight into how we got here and hope for where we may go.