Tom Lake Review: Why Ann Patchett’s Novel Feels Shallow (and Overpraised)

Thinking, Fast and Slow: The Two Systems Running Your Life

In this episode of Better World with Design, we unpack Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow through the lens of two competing systems in your mind: System 1 (fast, automatic, story-driven) and System 2 (slow, effortful, easily depleted). We walk through the book’s most memorable demonstrations—base rates versus stereotypes, the availability heuristic, the “Invisible Gorilla,” and decision fatigue—and connect them to real-world choices in work, media, and everyday life. The takeaway isn’t “try harder.” It’s learning how attention, defaults, and conditions shape what we call moral judgment—and how to design better decisions when the stakes are high.

The Wax Child: The Witch Trial That Started With a Rumor (Olga Ravn)

In this episode of Better World With Design, we dive into Olga Ravn’s The Wax Child—a haunting historical novel narrated by a beeswax figure created in 1615 Denmark amid witch-trial paranoia. We unpack the book’s structure, themes, and “rumor-as-machinery” storytelling, including how grief, misogyny, and institutional power turn gossip into evidence. You’ll also hear a clear breakdown of the key characters (Costanza/Christenza, Anna, Usa, Eiler) and the church-and-court system that drives the accusations, plus how the Wax Child’s long, centuries-spanning perspective connects early modern persecution to modern systems of control. Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, feminist historical fiction, and books about witch trials, this conversation offers context, interpretation, and a guided way into the novel—whether you’re reading for the first time or returning for a deeper understanding.

Tom Lake Review: Why Ann Patchett’s Novel Feels Shallow (and Overpraised)

In this episode of Better World With Design, I give a clear-eyed review of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I break down why the novel reads to me as a polished but shallow comfort-read: how the framing device makes the listener feel managed, how withholding gets mistaken for depth, and how nostalgia and unmarked whiteness are treated as the default “universal” setting. We also look at why Peter Duke’s celebrity pull becomes the book’s narrative gravity, even as the story claims to critique that hunger. If you’re searching for a Tom Lake summary, themes, and an honest critique of the praise, this is for you.

The Better World with Design Book Review: If We Were Villains

Join us as we dissect M.L. Rio's dark academia thriller If We Were Villains — not just as a story, but as a case study in craft, morality, and the seductive danger of performance. This isn't your typical book club. We're going deep: examining the Shakespearean architecture, the groupthink mechanics, and the character roles that turn seven theater students into a tragic machine. Hosted by a reader who believes every great book has an argument worth debating, this series breaks down the novel act by act — exploring how language becomes identity, how roles become cages, and how the pursuit of being extraordinary can cost you your humanity. Perfect for readers who want to understand not just what happens in a story, but why it feels the way it does, and what it means when you close the book. Spoiler-smart, structure-focused, and designed for the conversations you'll have long after the last page.

Working with My 20-Year-Old Self: Birth of The Answer Engine

In this episode, I explore what happens when you let your younger self speak without interference—when you refuse to edit, improve, or apologize for who you were. Drawing from my 1996 handwritten journals, written as a nineteen-year-old immigrant in Florida, I discuss how those carefully crafted words became the lyrics for "Pop A Pill"—a track that bridges three decades without compromise. This isn't about nostalgia or revival. It's about genuine dialogue across time, made possible by one rule: use the archive exactly as you find it, or don't use it at all. Topics covered: * Why your younger self might have access to truths your older self has lost * The political dimension of refusing to disavow earlier versions of yourself * How handwritten journals from 1996 become forensically valuable in the age of AI * What it means to dance to the rhythm of who you used to be * The double-dog dare at the heart of working with unedited archival material Full lyrics to "Pop A Pill" included in the essay. Links: * Read the full essay: [Your website/Notion page URL] * Listen to "Pop A Pill": [Streaming link]