#493: Solar Bros

May’s article of the month: “The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman”

Welcome to May, Loyal Readers! Let’s get right to it: This week’s issue is dedicated to introducing the article of the month and urging you to read it and participate in our discussion on Sunday, June 1, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT.

I’m happy to announce that this month, we’ll be reading and discussing “The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman,” by Brendan I. Koerner. Originally published in January in Wired, this piece is one of my favorites of the year so far.

It’s about an 18-year-old man named Aaron Colvin, who lives in New York and attends college at Niagara University. But like many young men right now, Aaron is unsure that college is for him. He feels incomplete, lost somehow — and he’s yearning for a way to make it big. Then one day, while at the gym, Aaron meets a bodybuilder, an enormous man who says he’s made “crazy money” selling solar panels down in Florida. You should check it out, he says. After thinking about it, Aaron takes the plunge, leaving college to join a door-to-door solar panel sales crew named Seal Team Six. He spends his days “blitzing” neighborhoods with his colleagues — also young men wanting to strike it rich. In the evenings, Aaron records content for his fledgling YouTube channel and downs burritos with the bros, all the while seeking personal enlightenment (and paying for his lodging, and making very little money, and not receiving benefits).

And that’s just the basic run-down of this thought-provoking article. For me, it’s the perfect Article Club selection. It ticks off all the boxes, exploring issues of masculinity, race, capitalism, corporate manipulation, higher education, spirituality, and the American dream. I know you’ll appreciate it. I hope you read it.

Most of all, I am certain you’ll find Aaron endearing. He’s a reflective, well-meaning young man trying to find his way in life. While reading the article, I found myself rooting for him, thanks to Mr. Koerner’s generous portrayal and thoughtful writing.

Article Club co-host Melinda was rooting for Aaron, too — though perhaps in a different way. Here’s our podcast introduction and first impressions of the piece.

Intrigued? I hope so! If you are, the first step is to read the article. Here’s the info:

“The Spectacular Burnout of Solar Panel Salesman”

Original Article • My Annotations • Gift Link • Wired (20 minutes)

If you enjoy reading the article, the second step is to decide if you want to discuss the piece with other thoughtful people. That’s the article club part of Article Club!

We’ll be meeting up on Zoom on Sunday, June 1, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT. We’ll spend the first few minutes saying hi and doing short introductions. Then after I frame the piece and share our community agreements, we’ll break out into small, facilitated discussion groups. The small groups usually include 5-8 people, so there’s plenty of time to share your perspectives and listen to others. That’s where we’ll spend the bulk of our time. Toward the end, we’ll return to the full group, sharing our reflections and appreciations of fellow participants.

If this sounds interesting to you, sign up by clicking on the button below.

If you’re unsure, I get it. If you don’t know me, it might feel strange to sign up for an online discussion with total strangers. But I am confident that you’ll find yourself at home with other kind people who like to read deeply and explore ideas in community. We’ve done this 56 times, and by now, it’s not a surprise that we’re able to create an intimate space, almost like we’re in the same physical room together.

I hope that you read the piece, and if it resonates with you, that you’ll join us on June 1.

Thank you for reading and listening to this week’s issue. Hope you liked it. 😀

To our 9 new subscribers — including Marie, Kent, Endigo, Ryan, Andrea, Thereasa, John, Jana, and Miguel — I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. Welcome to Article Club. Make yourself at home. 🏠

If you appreciate the articles, value our discussions, and have come to trust that reading Article Club is better for your mind and soul than your current habit of scrolling the Internet for hours on end (or avoiding reading altogether, hoping the world will vanish), please consider a paid subscription. It’s $5 a month or $36 a year.

If subscribing is not your thing, don’t despair: There are other ways you can support this newsletter. Share the newsletter with a friend or buy me a coffee for $3 (so I can read more articles).

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please feel free to unsubscribe below. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT.