1.
“Galaxy Brain,” March 28–April 10
For New York’s latest cover story, Molly Fischer wrote about the sudden popularity of economic historian Adam Tooze. Glengarry Will Gray called it an “informative profile of someone whose staggering written output far outpaces my capacity to keep up.” Casey Lurtz, a Johns Hopkins history professor, “had no clue that my own recent enthusiasm for Tooze’s older writing on statistics was part of the Zeitgeist.” Victoria University of Wellington professor Van Jackson wrote, “His superpower is not so much storytelling as coalition bridging — he gives an idiom of technocratic policy relevance to the left, while giving left-liberals and moderates a basis to flirt with leftist ideas.” But Mehrsa Baradaran, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, objected to the article’s focus on the cohort known as “Tooze Bros”: “I am a @adam_tooze fan & I know there are other non-dudes out there!” And Ali Ahmadi wrote, “As a heavy consumer of @adam_tooze’s work, you probably could have written this lovely bio piece about him without the aggressively unnecessary angle about how he’s saving us young men from the cruel grips of … (check notes) … Chapo Trap House.” @newievuitton_ added, “Imagining a world where you can quietly enjoy the work of someone without being made into a Type of Guy.” Aaron Bastani commented, “This cover from @NYMag illustrates the difference between liberal print media in the U.K. and the U.S. There’s plenty of interesting people (like Adam Tooze) doing interesting things. Optimistic, interested, curious. When was last time you thought that about the Observer?”
2.
“The Future of Trumpism,” March 28–April 10
Jonathan Chait wrote about why Ron DeSantis may pose the greatest threat to the former president’s hold on the Republican Party. HuffPost’s Jonathan Cohn said, “If you’ve been trying to figure out Ron DeSantis and his (increasingly important) place in the right-wing universe, read this.” Casey Ayers called it “one of the best primers I’ve seen.” And Jenn Ortiz noted, “As a Floridian being governed by him, I keep saying to folks from elsewhere to stop assuming Trump is everything and to watch DeSantis. He’s calmer. Far more calculated and competent. And that’s what makes him dangerous.” Brent Woodcox though, argued, “The most obvious and predictable take from leftist media is ‘_____ is actually worse than Trump.’ They will say it about any prominent Republican for the rest of time.”
3.
“Blocked,” March 28–April 10
Caitlin Moscatello wrote about a teen, Luke, whose gender affirmation was stuck in limbo because of the political and medical battle over trans health care in the U.K. Good Law Project director Jo Maugham called it “a compassionate and nuanced piece, centering the experience of being young and trans. Well worth reading, if you would like to understand better.” Writer S. E. Smith said, “The sheer cruelty of obstructing access to gender affirming care is just … a lot. It’s a lot.” On Instagram, artist Carmen Havens wrote, “One faulty case should not impede the health-care rights of all trans youth. This is archaic. It’s not just archaic, it’s an aggressive act of violence.” Commenter laurachaps90, referencing another young Briton in the story, called it “an irresponsible article. It’s so one sided. My heart goes out to Luke, it does. But it also goes out to Keira, and the many, many detransitioners who are left traumatised and feeling mutilated and who don’t get articles written about them.
4.
“The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence,” April 29–May 12, 2019
In a 2019 cover story for the magazine, Ezra Marcus and James D. Walsh revealed how an ex-felon named Lawrence Ray moved into his daughter’s college dorm and quickly drew her roommates under his sway, subjecting them to psychological torture and physical abuse that lasted for nearly a decade. The story spurred an FBI investigation, and a year later, the government arrested Ray on suspicion of extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, money laundering, and other charges. On April 6, Ray was found guilty on all charges.
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