Cary Sudler returns to his ancestral home to apologize to the black members of his family for the injustice of slavery
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
J.G. Ballard’s futuristic 1975 novel, “High Rise, is about a group of people living in a luxury high-rise apartment building where neighbors organize themselves according to their respective social classes. Literally. The lower class lives on the lower floors, the middle class in the middle and the upper class occupies the most luxurious apartments on the highest floors. Tribal-class warfare ensues. Here’s an excerpt.
If you’re looking for the model of a compassionate doctor, you could start with James Orbinski. As a former member – and president – of Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, he’s served in some of the world’s desperate places. He writes about his experiences in the book “An Imperfect Offering.”
Chuck Lakin is a home funeral educator. As a woodworker, he's designed wooden coffins, including some that can be used as furniture until they're needed. Here, he shares some of his favorite resources with information about funeral and burial options.
James Bradley tells what happened on the next island over from Iwo Jima, where eight American airmen were captured and beheaded.
Anthropologist Hugh Raffles talks about the work of celebrated bee biologist Karl von Frisch and the remarkable ways bees reach consensus.
In Israel, writer D.A. Mishani is breaking new ground by writing crime fiction. Why are there so few detective novels written in Hebrew? Mishani explains.
James McManus writes for Harpers. With an advance from the magazine, he entered the world series of poker. McManus talks about playing with professionals and muses on the balance of luck and skill required for tournament play.
Pages
