Marguerite Duras on Her Remarkable Mother
Noted novelist and screenwriter Marguerite Duras on how her fictional mothers are all really her own (complicated, difficult, inimitable) mother.
The Many Different Annes of Green Gables
Anne Shirley, created almost 100 years ago, has been reimagined countless times. Why do we still love Lucy Maud Montgomery's plucky orphan?
Our Lady of Political Anxiety
From Our Lady of Fatima to the 1949 Virgin Mary sighting in Wisconsin, what do Marian sightings reveal about our political anxieties?
How Wrigley Chewed Its Way to Gum Greatness
William Wrigley, Jr. started off as a soap salesman and became a prodigy of consumerism. He sold Americans chewing gum with claims of health benefits.
Why Don’t We Consider Fish Worth Saving?
Until recently, Americans did not generally consider fish to be wildlife. As a result, conservation measures for them got a late start.
The Ugly Origins of America’s Involvement in the Philippines
The American use of torture, then called the “water cure,” in the Philippines during the war of 1899–1902 shocked some Americans of the day.
Can Fiction Really Spark Suicide?
The Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why is so powerful—and so controversial—it's sparked a national debate about teenage suicide.
When American Schools Banned German Classes
When American troops headed to Europe for WWI, hostility to all things German intensified across the country. Schools even banned German fairy tales.
Grief? There’s an App for That.
Would you want to be able to talk to a loved one after they'd passed away, knowing it wasn't really them? Would it help? Would it hurt?
Suggested Readings: Climate Uncertainty, the Point of Insurance, and Wolves in Denmark
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