This week, we’re sharing stories from Greg Jaffe, Justine van der Leun, Diana Moskovitz, Katy Vine, and Brian VanHooker.
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1. The Cursed Platoon
Greg Jaffe | The Washington Post | July 2, 2020 | 40 minutes (10,000 words)
“Clint Lorance had been in charge of his platoon for only three days when he ordered his men to kill three Afghans stopped on a dirt road. A second-degree murder conviction and pardon followed. Today, Lorance is hailed as a hero by President Trump. His troops have suffered a very different fate.”
2. “I Hope Our Daughters Will Not Be Punished”
Justine van der Leun | Dissent | June 29, 2020 | 16 minutes (4,109 words)
“From a solitary cell in Texas, Kwaneta Yatrice Harris writes letters documenting the torturous conditions, despite the risk of retribution.”
3. Tie a Tourniquet on Your Heart
Diana Moskovitz | Popula | June 25, 2020 | 15 minutes (3,948 words)
Journalist Diana Moskovitz revisits Pulitzer-prize winning crime reporter Edna Buchanan’s memoir “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face,” enshrined as part of a “textbook collection of great works of literary journalism.” “I reached for it as America erupted this month, yet again, in protests over the killings of Black people at the hands of police, wondering what Edna Buchanan, one of the greatest influences on late 20th century crime writing, would have to offer this moment.”
4. Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Master Auctioneer?
Katy Vine | Texas Monthly | June 24, 2020 | 23 minutes (5,843 words)
‘Eight days inside America’s Auction Academy, learning the secrets of “the dynamo from Dallas.”’
5. An Oral History of the Onion’s 9/11 Issue
Brian VanHooker | MEL Magazine | June 29, 2020 | 37 minutes (9,395 words)
“Immediately after 9/11, humorists struggled with what many called ‘the death of irony.’ Then ‘The Onion’ returned and showed everyone the way.”
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