Three Good Reads

In yesterday's New York Times Magazine, the incomparable Matt Bai explored the subtle and less-subtle changes that America's black leadership would face should Obama become president. Fortune offers this remarkable look at a uniquely influential but little-known mentor to half of Silicon Valley's most successful CEOs. Vanity Fair's Bryan Burrough, an alum of the Wall Street Journal and author of several sublime books on business subjects, connects the dots like no one else I've seen in explaining what the recent meltdown of investment bank Bear Stearns means for Wall Street and the larger economy. As a bonus, the WSJ nicely delves into how cities are using high gas prices to reconsider issues of urban density. You can review earlier iterations of TGRs here.