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Hump Day Recommendations
Read: Babel by R.F. Kuang is a masterful blend of dark academia and magical realism, exploring the power of language, colonialism, and resistance through the eyes of Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan raised to serve the British Empire through translation. Set in an alternate 1800s Oxford, this richly-researched standalone novel feels uncannily real, challenging readers to question the role of language in shaping history. Kuang’s storytelling is both epic and intimate — a spellbinding love letter to etymology that doesn’t shy away from the brutal truths of empire. I can’t stop babelling about how much I liked it. – Riley
Watch: “Industry.” Has all this news about “stock trades” and “bond markets” got you hunkering for a show about finance? Look no further than this hit BBC series, which is now three seasons deep (with a fourth inbound). It follows an American near-graduate who runs into a morass of personal and professional issues — some of which are of her own making — as she gets to grips with her career at Pierpoint, a fictional investment bank based in the very non-fictional London. Come for the hastily-cinched deals, stay for the niche football (ahem, soccer) trivia. – Zac
Watch: “Rumours.”This darkly comedic 2024 movie is a pitch-perfect critique of elite politics, featuring zombies, a giant brain mysteriously sitting in a forest, and Cate Blanchett. – Justin Kosslyn, publisher of GZERO Media
Read: “Chip War.” Chris Miller’s 2022 nonfiction book on semiconductors more closely resembles an epic novel – the economic historian charts the rise of a component that now undergirds the global economy. Amid the US’s burgeoning trade war with the globe, it’s an apt moment to breeze through this eloquent tale. – Zac
Read: “An Officer and a Spy.” This gripping and meticulously researched historical novel by Robert Harris (of “Conclave” fame) recounts the Dreyfus affair, a scandal that shook French society to its core at the end of the 19th century when a Jewish French Army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was wrongly convicted of treason and banished to Devil's Island, a barren rock off the coast of South America. The affair exposed deep veins of institutional corruption in the French military, as well as a virulent strain of French antisemitism. The protagonist, a persnickety intelligence officer named Georges Picquart, first helps lock up Dreyfus before reluctantly, but determinedly, uncovering his innocence, risking his own life in the process. There are 19th-century stakeouts in which hearing tubes go down chimney flues, torn-up telegrams that painstakingly get taped back together, and a fearlessly pudgy Emile Zolá. And with two world wars just around the corner, the stakes become much higher than the fate of just one man. – Alex Gibson, senior producer of GZERO World
Read: “When the Going Was Good.” In his new memoir, Graydon Carter, who helmed one of the glossiest of the glossy magazines, Vanity Fair, opens up about his storied career and the many trials and tribulations he faced along the way. It’s the tale of a kid from Canada who somehow became the toast of Manhattan, and eventually Hollywood, as the famous VF Oscar Party blossomed under his care. Remember when the character Carrie Bradshaw confessed on “Sex and The City” that she used to skip meals to afford the new copy of Vogue? I can relate, but it was Vanity Fair, in the Graydon years, that provided my sustenance.
– Tony Maciulis, chief content officer of GZERO Media
Watch: “The Laundromat.” Two legends of comedy who were also gifted young actors. Two greats who died too young. No words. Three minutes and 23 seconds. – Willis
Appreciate: “All Our Ordinary Stories,” by Teresa Wong.This book focuses on the relationship between a daughter and her immigrant parents. It was the first graphic novel I’d read since Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” series, so it’s not a genre I know well. But I was impressed by the simplistic/universalist appearance of the illustrations and words — and how they left room for the reader to fill in the blanks in powerful ways. – Tracy
Consider: the heretic. A new leader comes to power with a radical idea that enrages the old power brokers, upends the establishment, and ends up tearing apart society. In the 17th century BC, the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten was one of the world’s earliest monotheists, professing the cult of one god, the Sun deity Aten, and ordering the closure of all other temples. He ended up deposed and despised. But what made him tick? What made those around him support or oppose him? Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz’s beautiful, Rashomon-style novella “Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth” is a series of imagined interviews with Akhenaten’s friends, foes, and, ultimately, his enigmatic, famously beautiful wife Nefertiti. It's an exploration of power, faith, and truth that is as timeless as the sun. – Alex
Finish: “The White Lotus.” The third series of creator Mike White’s hit show is set to climax on Sunday night. The latest rendition, set in Thailand, has had mixed reviews. As usual, the show follows some ultra-elite, amoral holidaymakers who seek a relaxing vacation only to stumble upon a heap of unwelcome and unsettling surprises. The third installment departs from previous seasons, though, in how it promotes cinematography and meme-worthy conversations over plot — to the detriment of the series. Even with the lack of a strong storyline, it will be fascinating to see how White ties together all the loose ends in the finale. – ZacListen: “Relationships.” The Haim sisters haven’t released a new album since 2020, busying themselves instead with Hollywood films — notably appearing in “Barbie” and “Licorice Pizza.” Their new song, “Relationships,” suggests that they are finally on the precipice of another. It is a beautiful rock-influenced ballad about, you guessed it, relationships, and the rhythm suggests that the band is taking a new turn. The track took seven years to make, they said, but it’s well worth it. – Zac
Read: This harrowing NYT article. It’s about a Columbia University student who – despite not being involved in the protests – was mistakenly arrested last spring in the chaos as she tried to return to her apartment. Ranjani Srinivasan was acquitted last year, and her only involvement in pro-Palestinian causes consisted of a few social posts focused on “human rights violations” in Gaza. But she recently self-deported to Canada after ICE knocked on her door three nights in a row, and now the Fulbright Scholar from India has had her student visa revoked by ICE and her enrollment at Columbia withdrawn. – Riley
Watch: “Jujutsu Kaisen.” This award-winning anime mixes up the supernatural with human drama and Japanese pop culture touchstones. It tells the tale of Yuji Itadori, a teen who swallows a cursed finger and becomes a vessel for one of the most powerful curses in existence – as well as a student at a secret sorcerer school. I’m only on season one but already looking forward to the release of Jujutsu Kaisen’s “Hidden Inventory/Premature Death” film on May 30, 2025. – Tasha
Read: “The Nature of Economies.” This ultra-slim volume, penned by one of the world’s most venerable thinkers on modern urban life, Jane Jacobs, is a small miracle. Jacobs’ prose style is simple, direct, and engaging. Yet, this book brings together economics, biology, evolutionary theory, ecology, geology, meteorology, and other natural sciences with a simple underlying conviction: Human beings are not separable from nature. We are part of nature. The decisions we make, as individuals and as societies, must begin from that assumption. This is a great read for anyone from ages 18 to 118. — Willis
Watch and listen: “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.” The partof this Oscar-nominated documentary that’s about the decolonization of African countries in 1960 and the CIA-orchestrated murder of DRC Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is consistently riveting, if a little simplistic at times. The part of this film that’s about the intersection of African music and American jazz makes this a richly detailed work that’s well worth your time. – Willis
Read: “Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867.” Named one of Canada’s top 100 books of 2024 by the Hill Times newspaper, this excellent history chronicles 150 years of the Canadian military’s evolution from scrappy militia to modern force. Through vivid photographs and stories, author David A. Borys brings to life key battles like Amiens and Operation Medusa, pivotal figures like Louis Riel and Arthur Currie, and defining political issues like conscription. Borys also examines the challenges of underfunding and living in the shadow of the American elephant – as well as the immense courage Canada showed in fighting for freedom around the world. – Tasha
Read: “The Years,” by Annie Ernaux. Okay, I know I’m a couple of years late to the English translation of Ernaux’s book about France in the decades following World War II. But the Nobel Prize-winning memoir is stylistically audacious — at once intimately revealing and aloof — and an astute look at French culture, politics, history, and feminism in the 20th century. It’s history as lived and observed by one woman, a meditation on how time passes and how we see ourselves within time. – Ellen
Binge: “Borgen.”You’d think I’d get enough political drama by day, but at night I’ve been binging on “Borgen.” This Nordic drama follows the life and career ups and downs of the Danish prime minister and everyone in her orbit — fellow politicians, family, spin doctors, and journalists. Replete with romance, infighting, and plenty of idealism, it’s a great guilty pleasure — and PM Birgitte Nyborg is no DEI hire! Find the show on Netflix, and yes, it’s dubbed. – Tracy
Lap up: Smart detection. We could all use a bit of guilty TV-watching pleasure. “High Potential” to the rescue. This drama series on Hulu, which is based on the French show “HPI,” features a single mother who’s a cleaner-turned-detective with a 160 IQ. She solves crimes and imparts random facts that will leave you feeling a bit smarter – and wanting another episode. – Tracy
Watch (and read): The fourth and final season of “My Brilliant Friend.” Based on the wildly popular and trailblazing series by pseudonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante, this series is available now on HBO. The novels are extraordinary, depicting decades of the conflicted friendship of two exceptional girls in post-war Naples. The television series is equally dazzling. If you haven’t watched it, what are you waiting for? – Ellen
Read: the “strong gods.”What explains the resurgence of populist nationalism in the US?Ultraconservative writer N.S. Lyons sees it, approvingly, as an overdue rejection of the West’s post-World War II pursuit of an “open society” in favor of the more exclusionary “strong gods” of religion and nationalism. It’s a provocative take, and there’s a lot to take issue with, but Lyons is an influential thinker who I think taps into something real about the zeitgeist. Read the essay here. For an alternative view, here’s a very good response from liberal commentator Noah Smith. – Alex
Read: Isaac Saul’s take on “Columbia University’s funding cut and Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest.” Protests at Columbia have proven to be such a polarizing issue, intersecting with people’s identities and deepest-held beliefs. Saul breaks down both sides but concludes that Khalil’s deportation is a free speech issue. I’m sure many won’t agree with him, but I think he makes a valiant effort to bridge the divide.
– Riley
Listen: Ten Things I Don’t Want to Hate About You. The latest This American Life episode was poignant, moving, and deeply cultural – as more and more of us know friends and loved ones who fall prey to conspiracy theories online. The episode follows the true story of a son trying to reach his father who has been transformed by online conspiracy theories – to the point of destroying his marriage and facing financial ruin – through a bet on the political events he expects to happen in 2024. It made me cry listening to it on the subway. – Riley
Read: “The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions.” This book by Jonathan Rosen combines true crime and a psychological thriller with the coming-of-age tales of two friends, Rosen and Michael Laudor, who grew up in New Rochelle, NY, in the 1970s. Both were intellectuals and aspiring writers who studied at Yale. They were competitive, and everything seemed easy for Laudor – until he developed schizophrenia and watched his dreams go up in the hallucinatory flames consuming his mind. His mental illness would end up costing everyone in his orbit – one tragically so – and the book poignantly describes how helpless those around him felt. The book details how little support there is for the families of schizophrenia sufferers – and the huge challenge these people face in carving out stable, safe, and rewarding lives. – Tracy
Watch: “The Brutalist.” The older I get, the more I want to see films that were made for reasons other than to entertain an audience and make money. “The Brutalist” is a strikingly original film. The Oscar-nominated performances of Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, and (especially) Felicity Jones give the movie its “hard core of beauty,” and I don’t care thatAI was used to tweak the Hungarian accents of its stars. I’ve seen “special effects” before. – Willis
Read: TL;DRussia. Sam Greene, the Russia expert who writes this weekly-ish Substack newsletter, always gives a thoughtful, nuanced look at Russian politics and geopolitics. I’ve always found Sam to be adept at cutting through hype and anxiety about Russia’s place in the world, while also making it clear that there’s simply a lot we can’t know, and that conjecturing isn’t that helpful. If you’re ready for a Russia deep dive, I’d start here. – Ellen
Watch: “North of North.” Coming soon to Netflix, currently streaming on CBC Gem and APTN in Canada, this delightful comedy follows the travails of a young Inuk woman, Siaja, who after a very public breakup with her seal-hunter husband Ting, finds her purpose, inspires her community, and learns a shocking family secret. Set in the fictional Arctic town of Ice Cove, the show was filmed in Nunavut and features spectacular scenery, colorful characters, great lines, and a unique window into the Innu world. A must-watch – and hoping for a season two. – Tasha