Covid-19
“Do people understand what’s happening here? Do they care?” Bruce MacGillis on the excruciating wait for a vaccine inside a coronavirus-infected nursing home. (Washington Post, ~9 min.)
A day in the life of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Holy schnikes. (HuffPost, ~7 min.)
Atul Gawande on when a vaccine might be ready for distribution, who should receive it, and whether eradicating the virus is possible. (New Yorker, ~17 min.)
Iowa is what happens when government does nothing. Iowa, you’re killing us. Literally. (The Atlantic, ~13 min.)
Hero to zero: Concern for essential workers becomes a casualty of pandemic fatigue. You hate to see it. (The Baffler, ~8 min.)
The best of the rest
How Tyrus Wong, the unlikely Hollywood visionary of Bambi fame, designed what would become some of the most popular Christmas cards of all time. (Smithsonian Magazine, ~8 min.)
The voice of Black America? How the white political establishment anointed Charlamagne tha God as the spokesman for all Black voters. Equally terrific and important. (Slate, ~16 min.)
Redemption, love, and acceptance come 45 years after two brothers graduate from high school. (The Oregonian, ~7 min.)
Families have been torn apart by politics. What happens to them now? (New York Times, ~8 min.)
Tony Hsieh’s American tragedy: The self-destructive last months of the Zappos visionary. As sad as it gets. (Forbes, ~13 min.)
“Look at what we love. It’s on fire.” Stephen Colbert on Trump trauma, leadership, and loss. Come for the interview subject, stay for the exquisite writing. I laughed my way through this piece. (Vanity Fair, ~18 min.)
While renovating a house in San Francisco, a couple discovered a diary, hidden away for more than a century. It held a love story — and a mystery. A perfect snuggle-up-by-the-fire read. (The Atavist, ~39 min.)
Georgia on my mind: The suburbs of Atlanta, where I grew up in an era still scarred by segregation, have transformed in ways that helped deliver Joe Biden the presidency. But some things never change. Fantastic. (NY Review of Books, ~15 min.)
The dangerous legacy of white male America. Ijeoma Oluo, brilliant as ever. (The Cut, ~6 min.)
Is it possible to enjoy this winter? Great question, fascinating answer. (Vulture, ~11 min.)
What happened after I tried to adopt an opioid-dependent baby. Twice. I can’t stop thinking about this. (Washingtonian, ~21 min.)
Three legends, three wildly different lives, three smart profiles. (T Magazine)
The grit and glory of Dolly Parton. (~25 min.)
If you read one thing this week
Mourning doves and chickadees. Trust me, you need this. (Creators.com, ~4 min.)
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Thanks for reading.
Kirsten