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Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

Can you create your own luck?

side by side of a man and a book
Mark Robert Rank's new book, "The Random Factor," says chance shapes our lives more than most of us what to believe.
Photo by James Byard | Book cover courtesy University of California Press

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America is steeped in the notion of rugged individualism. It’s comforting to think success is based on our own hard work and self determination.

But social scientist Mark Robert Rank says random chance governs far more of our lives that most of us want to admit.

This week on Big Books and Bold Ideas, Rank joins MPR News host Kerri Miller to talk about his new book, “The Random Factor.” He shares how luck and chance play a crucial role in shaping history, the natural world and our everyday lives.

Guest:

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