LeBron James Is America

Grappling With the Tension Between the Comforts of Home and the Pursuit of Opportunity Elsewhere—and Getting Grief For It—Is a National Tradition

Every schoolchild in America should have to read LeBron James’ marvelously hokey essay in Sports Illustrated explaining why he’s going home to northeast Ohio. Before that, of course, they should watch a brief clip of 2010’s infamous The Decision special on ESPN. Four years ago this month, the NBA superstar announced he was leaving Cleveland and “taking [his] talents to South Beach” where he thought he would have the best “opportunity” to win championships.

In one simple, 6’8” lesson, attentive students would grasp a fundamental tension that lies at the core …

Are Mexicans the Most Successful Immigrant Group in the U.S.?

The American Dream Doesn’t Just Belong to Those With the Most Money and the Fanciest Degrees. It Also Belongs to the Strivers Who Achieve More Than the Generation Before Them.

The narrative of the American Dream is one of upward mobility, but there are some stories of mobility we prize above others.

Who is more successful: a Mexican-American whose parents …