Anti-death penalty activists march with a sign to free Jeff Wood
Family and friends of Jeff Wood and anti-death penalty activists march to deliver a petition with over 10,000 signatures asking the governor and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Wood's sentence. (Tamir Kalifa / AFP / Getty Images)

This week, we’re sharing stories from Sabine Heinlein, Leslie Jamison, Ijeoma Oluo, Eric Newcomer with Brad Stone, and Jill Lepore.

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1. My Brother’s Keeper

Sabine Heinlein | Pacific Standard | January 16, 2018 | 28 minutes (7,000 words)

Sabine Heinlein tells the heartbreaking story of Terri Been, who has devoted years of her life to saving her brother’s after he was sentenced to death by the state of Texas almost two decades ago for a murder he definitively did not commit.

2. I Used to Insist I Didn’t Get Angry. Not Anymore.

Leslie Jamison | New York Times Magazine | January 17, 2018 | 17 minutes (4,335 words)

An essay examining women’s long-standing conditioning away from owning and expressing anger, instead often sublimating their rage in sadness, which has historically been more acceptable.

3. The Conversation I’ve Been Dreading: Ijeoma Oluo Talks About Race with Her Mom

Ijeoma Oluo | LitHub | January 17, 2018 | 9 minutes (2,305 words)

An essay excerpted from So You Want to Talk About Race in which Ijeoma Oluo writes about a messy, uncomfortable, and important conversation she had with her white mother about race and racism.

4. The Fall of Travis Kalanick Was a Lot Weirder and Darker Than You Thought

Eric Newcomer, Brad Stone | Bloomberg Businessweek | January 18, 2018 | 16 minutes (4,000 words)

A behind-the-scenes account of how Travis Kalanick was ousted from Uber as chief executive officer.

5. When Barbie Went to War With Bratz

Jill Lepore | The New Yorker | January 17, 2018 | 18 minutes (4,700 words)

Jill Lepore looks at the problem of defining intellectual property when it comes to what young girls should play with: “The feud between Barbie and Bratz occupies the narrow space between thin lines: between fashion and porn, between originals and copies, and between toys for girls and rights for women.”