Half brothers Robert Lafayette Gee (right) and Henderson Gee (left). Robert was Ruben Gee‘s first child to his white wife, Aurelia. Henderson was his second child to his slave, Venus. Henderson was born a slave.

How Do You Know Ruben Gee?

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Rev. Alex Gee is fascinated by geneology. So he took a DNA test and discovered one of his ancestors was a white slave owner. Then he went down to New Orleans to meet his white relatives — and that meeting sparked a slew of complicated emotions.More

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A Partial Glossary To A Horrifying Future

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Alexander Weinstein’s “Children of the New World” is a collection of cautionary tales about extreme emotional attachment to software and silicon.  

The Borax Dinner Party That Kickstarted The FDA

"Poison Squad" Volunteers taking in a dinner with a side of Borax.
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Science writer Deborah Blum on the government scientists who made the case for food regulation by "eating dangerously."

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11:47

The Internet Has Made Dying More Miserable

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Chuck Klosterman thinks the Internet has ruined a lot of things, including death.

George Saunders Recommends "I Will Bear Witness"

"I Will Bear Witness" by Victor Klemperer
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The author of "Lincoln in the Bardo" recommends Victor Klemperer's two-volume diary that reads as a slow-motion picture of what the Holocaust looked like before it was known Holocaust.

Women With A Toxic Glow

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How painting radium on watches and instrument dials killed more than 50 young women working in Ottawa, Illinois.

Jacqueline Woodson Recommends "If Beale Street Could Talk"

"If Beale Street Could Talk" by James Baldwin
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The author of "Another Brooklyn" recommends a James Baldwin novel she says belongs on everyone's bookshelf.