Author Jonathan Franzen said he considered adopting an Iraqi orphan in an attempt to better understand young people. “Oh, it was insane, the idea that Kathy [his partner] and I were going to adopt an Iraqi war orphan,” he said. “The whole idea lasted maybe six weeks.” Young people, he said, seemed cynical—and not as angry as they should be. Instead of adoption, however, he met with recent college graduates at his editor’s request. “It cured me of my anger at young people,” he said.
