A list of compelling stories about the year 1491, elite students who can’t read books, and more
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In today’s reading list, our editors have compiled a list of stories that explore the legacy and meaning of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and some other reads from recent weeks that are worth your time.
A Reading List
Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe?
The company is in trouble, and anyone who has spit into one of its test tubes should be concerned.
By Kristen V. Brown
The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books
To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.
By Rose Horowitch
We’re Entering Uncharted Territory for Math
Terence Tao, the world’s greatest living mathematician, has a vision for AI.
By Matteo Wong
Inside the year-long American effort to release the hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring peace to the Middle East
By Franklin Foer
“That’s Something That You Won’t Recover From as a Doctor”
In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients’ lives at risk.
By Sarah Zhang
Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day Reads
- What do you know about 1491?: The past few decades have seen more and more research that changes the popular narrative about America before Columbus, Charles C. Mann explains in a conversation with Shan Wang.
- Return the national parks to the tribes: The jewels of America’s landscape should belong to America’s original peoples, David Treuer argues.
- “Making a Monument Valley”: “Hook a right down Bunker Hill, the one with the city Indians,” Kinsale Drake writes in a poem. “Their ghosts shadow the eucalyptus trees.”
Culture Break
Watch. The return of the comedian Nate Bargatze pointed to what really works about Saturday Night Live.
Check out. Reading these six books feels like watching a movie.
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