Mona Chalabi’s book examines how money shapes lives and security

Mona Chalabi’s first book, *Ten Lives*, combines reporting, data visualisation and memoir to examine how money shapes people’s choices and security. By revealing her own finances alongside those of people across the US income spectrum, she argues that greater openness about wealth could help expose and address economic unfairness.

Chalabi followed ten Americans from different income groups over five years, including a New York banker earning more than $500,000 a year, a former gambling addict and a graduate student facing a childcare dilemma. She also discloses her $850,000 book advance, freelance earnings and purchase of a London home for more than £1.5 million. Their accounts show how healthcare and childcare costs can reshape lives, while financial anxiety persists across income levels.