Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class
“Rob's story is incredible. I would read Troubled.”
Why it is worth your time
Troubled is Rob Henderson's 2024 memoir. Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother, passed through 10 foster homes in California, enlisted in the US Air Force at 17, and later earned a degree from Yale and a psychology PhD from Cambridge. The book pairs his story with his idea of luxury beliefs: opinions that raise the status of the educated class while the costs fall on people with fewer options. Chamath posted about it when it came out and said Henderson's story was incredible. The link to his own life is direct. He has spoken often about growing up in Ottawa with an unemployed, alcoholic father and a mother working housekeeping jobs. It suits readers interested in class, family stability and the limits of credentials. The caveats are that its argument is about the US, and Kirkus found the narrative sometimes drifting into shallow generalizations about college-aged liberals.
