Timid Bigfoot usually holes up inside his cave, afraid to venture out. Everyone makes loud, terrifying noises whenever they see him. But at least he has other misunderstood monster pals who appreciate his plight, among them Nessie, who lives in Scotland; Mothman, who’s from the Appalachian Mountains; and the Chupacabra, who resides in Puerto Rico. […]
Sometimes it takes the eye of an outsider to capture what is unique about a place. Pronko, an American literature professor at Meiji Gakuin University, has lived in Tokyo for decades and has written extensively about its many faces. “Words pointing at Tokyo are not Tokyo, granted,” writes Pronko in his preface. “But words can…reveal […]
In spring, when frost thaws and rain arrives, amphibians such as spring peepers and salamanders begin their journey from woods to the vernal pools where they’ll spawn. That perilous journey involves crossing roads as vehicles whoosh past. Enter the Amphibian Migration Team—volunteers who stand at these crossings at night to monitor traffic and help “our […]
Fried peanuts always make an appearance at Meng’s family’s New Year celebrations. Dad mentions that the food has an extra-special meaning because of Meng’s great-grandmother, or tài nǎi nǎi: “When she spoke, everyone listened.” He tells Meng about the time that Tài Nǎi Nǎi noticed an unfamiliar pregnant woman wandering the neighborhood. Days later, Tài […]
Salt is everywhere in Taoudeni, where Malik lives. His father, a salt trader, regularly crosses the desert to Timbuktu, leading his azalaï of a dozen camels carrying blocks of salt to places where salt is scarce and precious. This time, Malik is old enough to join his father and to look after his own camel […]
Reid, the co-founder of LinkedIn, and Beato, a tech and culture writer, aim to dispel the public’s concerns about ceding control to AI systems and to establish trust in AI companies and their methods by showing “what could possibly go right” in AI development. Attempting to persuade readers that industry regulation is undemocratic and inhibits […]
As is true for any new parent, Brown’s life changed immensely with the birth of her first child, Lily.She initially found it hard to maintain routines that had once been easy, but the adjustment period seemed to be going as expected. Then she received an unexpected call from her doctor, reporting that her baby had […]
Grace Hastings feels as if she’s clawed her way to the role of marketing manager for a London dating app called Fate, struggling with imposter syndrome every step of the way. Meanwhile, she writes off her workplace rival Eric Bancroft’s effortless rise as a result of his popularity, family name, and good looks. When the […]
Historical fiction writer Epstein rescues Dickens’ Fagin from his reputation as a slimy character who exploits orphans, training them in thievery in the clotted, filthy streets of Victorian London. Epstein’s Jacob Fagin is a lonely, emotionally wounded man; a master pickpocket to be sure, but also a victim of virulent antisemitism from all classes of […]
New York Times journalist Watkins writes with exactitude and compassion, digging deeply in archives to capture a high-stakes tale that played out internationally during the early 1970s, when the Northern Irish sectarian war against British domination (the Troubles) was at its brutal extreme. While the Provisional IRA received a new generation of recruits due to […]