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Hump Day Recommendations
Read: “Breaking History: A White House Memoir.” Liberal readers may be skeptical of Jared Kushner’s politics, but US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, the one-time real-estate investor-turned-White House adviser, reveals a plethora of details about negotiations over the Abraham Accords. As American, Israeli, and Palestinian officials try to make peace in the region once again, this book gives readers invaluable insights about Trump’s thinking. – Zac
Read: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. I read this memoir/manifesto in one sitting – and then immediately restarted it. Focusing on the destruction of Gaza, it is an exploration of the moral bereftness of the Western ideals, the Democratic Party, and liberalism itself. Omar El Akkad, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist and novelist who has spent years reporting from the frontlines of war, interrogates how many stand by when atrocity is happening only to be against it once it becomes the stuff of history books. – Riley
Play: Papers, Please is a dystopian puzzle game where you play as an immigration inspector in the fictional country of Arstotzka. Your job: inspect documents, catch smugglers, and decide who enters. Its appeal lies in the tense moral choices, retro pixel art, and unique gameplay that mixes strategy and storytelling. It challenges both your logic and conscience. It’s perfect for players who enjoy narrative-driven games with ethical dilemmas. – Natalie
Hot take: Can’t a girl get a plate anymore? From CAVA to DIG to NAYA, the bowl-ification of America’s fast-casual restaurants needs to stop. I understand the appeal of the bowl’s convenience, but I don’t need all my ingredients mixed into mush. Not all good things come in bowl-shaped packages. – Lizzy
Read: Apollo’s Angels. I’m only part way through Jennifer Homans’ magisterial cultural history of ballet, but it’s off to a jeté of a start. I never knew that ballet originated in the court of French King Louis XIV, an avid performer himself, who used dance to create new courtly norms that would break the old nobility and reinforce his power. Centuries later, ballet and geopolitics did another stunning pas de deux, as some of the greats fled the Russian revolution for the West, making the ballet stage a Cold War battlefield of its own. Homans, a talented historian and ballet dancer in her own right, gives us a fascinating look at the life, meaning, and possible death of one of the world’s most rigorous and transcendent art forms. – Alex K
Watch: Birds. I went bird watching with a group in New York City’s Riverside Park this weekend and had a blast. Grab your binoculars and buckle up for the most exciting two hours of your week. – Lizzy
Watch: “Vermiglio.” An Italian film set in the high mountains of northern Italy in the closing days of World War II, Vermiglio tracks the arrival of a wounded soldier en route to faraway Sicily into a home that centers on the emerging lives of three daughters. This movie threatens to tip into melodrama at every moment – and it never does. Beautifully shot, masterfully acted, and a story that refuses to compromise, this is a gem of a film. – Willis
Hot Take: “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” is better than the first “Cheaper by the Dozen.” You get all the best of the Baker family and their adventures from the first film but the addition of the Murtaugh family, including Eugene Levy and a young Taylor Lautner. Plus, the sequel takes place during the summer, adding a “Grown Ups”-esque vibe that makes it an annual watch. Overall, it takes all of the best parts of the original and adds some more, making it the stronger film. I recommend a rewatch just in time for the Fourth of July weekend!– HannahRead: “Journey Into the Whirlwind.” I bought this memoir on a whim in a second-hand bookstore a few weeks back, and cannot recommend it enough. It’s rare to get a female account of Joseph Stalin’s Great Terror, and Eugenia Ginzburg captures the harrowing story of her eighteen years in captivity with an astounding level of detail. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of modern Russia. – Lizzy
Read: “All The Light You Cannot See.” Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel about the journey of blind French girl and a young German radio nerd through World War II was an instant classic, and is perhaps more relevant today. With political commentators warning that autocracy is spreading, this book reminds readers of the ways people can try to undermine all-powerful dictators – both large and small. – Zac
Watch: “Love Island USA.” Two weeks into season seven, “Love Island USA” is the perfect “turn your brain off” post-work watch. With constant tension between day one couples and the new bombshells, there’s always some new conflict to tune into. With some unforeseen political aspects, such as contestant Yulissa being booted off the show due to using racial slurs in the past and Austin, part of the current cast, being an alleged Trump-supporter and receiving a lot of backlash online. – HannahPlay: Split Fiction: Released earlier this year by the creators behind It Takes Two, Split Fiction is the newest, and probably the best co-op game in the market right now. The story follows two contrasting women, sci-fi writer Mio and fantasy writer Zoe, trapped in a simulation of their own stories after being hooked to a machine designed to steal their ideas. Both women rely on each other’s actions to cross these worlds. Pro tip: play the PS5 game on your television to get the complete experience and look for side quests! - Suhani Lakhotia
Watch: “The Phonecian Scheme.” Wes Anderson’s latest film is everything we’ve come to expect from the quirky director: elaborate sets, stunning visuals, and, of course, Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks nailing basketball trick shots in an underground railway tunnel. The film follows ruthless businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) and his misadventures as he tries to fund his latest venture. Throw in Superbad’s Michael Cera, who plays Norwegian entomologist Bjorn Lund, and you’ve got yourself a great weekend watch. — Lizzy
Read: “The Psychology of Money.” If – like many of us journalists – you’re not the best with money, then Morgan Hausel’s book is a fantastic guide on how to make yourself save, and where to put your cash. But this book is also a fascinating look at the psychology of why stocks rise or fall – or skyrocket and nosedive. If you want to actually understand the finance industry, and the drivers behind it, look no further than this digestible non-fiction. — Zac
Watch: The US Open. This week, golf fans are bracing for chaos as the US Open returns to Oakmont, one of the toughest courses in the world. The rough? Brutal. The greens? Lightning fast. It’s the 10th time the Pennsylvania course has hosted the US Open, more than any other. Expect high scores and golf that resembles your weekend scramble. Golf clap! — Nolan
Listen: To Mt. Joy’s new album, Hope We Have Fun. It’s got tracks worthy of the sunniest days, long car rides, and warm nights. I hope you have fun listening to it. – Riley
Watch: “Sirens,” a new limited series from Netflix. Think “White Lotus” meets “Dynasty,” and all the thrilling, campy, lavish images that conjures. It stars Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell, the socialite wife of a billionaire (Kevin Bacon!). Milly Alcock plays her ambitious young assistant, dogged by a dark past and a suddenly present sister (Meghann Fahy). Throw the whole bunch into an ocean-side mansion, add a falcon named Barnaby plus copious references to Moby Dick, and you’ve got a summer sizzler. – Tony
Watch: The Champions League final, this Saturday. Tottenham Hotspur’s triumph over Manchester United in last week’s Europa League final left one GZERO Media reporter delighted, but the quality of the football wasn’t the best in the climax of Europe’s second-tier competition. The final of Europe’s top competition – which pits Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain against American-owned Inter Milan – will be rather better. PSG’s band of fleet-footed wingers are a treasure to behold, while Inter’s never-say-die attitude has made for astonishing comebacks – just look at their semi-final against Barcelona. It’s a culture clash in both ownership and styles, and it’ll be a joy to watch. -- Zac
Listen: To the Blindboy Podcast if you're looking to relax and learn at the same time. Hosted by Blindboy Boatclub — a satirist, author, and musician from Limerick, Ireland – this podcast is like an intimate conversation, an enlightening lecture, and a hug all in one. He’s a one of a kind storyteller. – RileyWatch: The New York Knickerbockers are back in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, when they fell to the Indiana Pacers in six. Twenty-five years later, the same rival returns, sans Reggie Miller. Game 1 tips off tonight at 8pm ET at Madison Square Garden. Timothée Chalamet is ready. Are you? – Nolan
Scroll: The “Sidetalk” Instagram page. It’s only fitting, on the day the Knicks return to the Eastern Conference Finals, that we recommend New York City’s most outrageous social media channel. Sidetalk features the wildest characters from America’s largest and craziest city, many of whom are gathered around Madison Square Garden these days, waiting to celebrate a win for their championship-starved basketball team. Fair warning: There’s some vulgar content, but it’s well worth the ride. – Zac
Check out: Hurling, in case the Knicks break our hearts. This sport is like the love child of hockey, lacrosse, and chaos (in the best way). It’s super fast, insanely skilled, and totally thrilling from start to finish. Plus, it’s one of the oldest sports in the world, packed with Irish pride. I discovered it during a recent trip to Ireland and shall be making the trip up to Gaelic Park in the Bronx to see it again. – Riley
Watch: “Adolescence.” This four-part Netflix miniseries follows a 13-year-old boy in a northern English town who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a girl in the year above him. Though the pilot centers on the arrest and the boy’s day in custody, this isn’t a murder mystery. It’s about the myriad challenges that parents face as their children live alternative lives online, with their own ecosystem and own language. It’s a harrowing picture of the modern world, but essential viewing at a time when figures like Andrew Tate – who is referenced directly in one of the episodes – proliferate online. – Zac
Glance: Can a millennial pass the vibe check with Gen Alpha? Bet. Xiaoma, the 34-year-old polyglot who became an online sensation years ago for his language abilities, delivered an address to a group of schoolchildren in West Chester, Pennsylvania, using their own dialect. He lowkey slaps, no cap.
Purchase (preferably second-hand): A pogo stick. One trip to a random apartment in Park Slope and a $10 Venmo transaction later, I am the proud owner of a pogo stick – and no purchase ever made me feel like I leveled up in life. I took it to Washington Square Park and was immediately flocked by other adults wanting to take it for a spin and rediscover the childhood joy of defying gravity. Catch me boing boinging around Brooklyn. – Riley
Hot take of the week: “The cheaper the pickle, the better the taste.”