This week, we’re sharing stories from Nathan Thrall, H. Claire Brown, Alexander Chee, Jean Garnett, and Erica Lenti.
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1. A Day in the Life of Abed Salama
Nathan Thrall | New York Review of Books | March 19, 2021 | 20,500 words
“One man’s quest to find his son lays bare the reality of Palestinian life under Israeli rule.”
2. How Corporations Buy—and Sell—Food Made with Prison Labor
H. Claire Brown | The Counter | May 18, 2021 | 3,810
“The notion of work as punishment has enabled prison administrators to compel incarcerated people to work on farms and in dairies for low or no pay and without basic labor protections, sometimes in service of secretive billionaires they’ll never meet.”
3. What My Korean Father Taught Me About Defending Myself in America
Alexander Chee | GQ | May 14, 2021 | 3,680 words
“And he said something I would never forget. ‘The best fighter in tae kwon do never fights,’ he said. ‘He always finds another way.”
4. There I Almost Am
Jean Garnett | The Yale Review | May 19, 2021 | 4,933 words
“I can be a very generous sister—maternal, even—as long as I am winning.” Jean Garnett writes about envy and being a twin.
5. My Quest to Make My Dog Internet Famous
Erica Lenti | The Walrus | May 17, 2021 | 2,138 words
“When I spoke with several people behind some of Canada’s most influential dogs, agents and managers for pet influencers, and even researchers on canine-influencer culture, I began to understand. Whether they’re couch potatoes partnering with your favourite snack-food company or high-falutin divas posing beside expensive cars and decked out in the latest couture, pet celebrities have one thing in common: they are symbols of inspiration. Even if Belle was a dog, she needed to portray a life that could be. To be famous, she’d have to convince others she was already living the carefree millennial dream.”
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