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Hump Day Recommendations
Read: “The Empty Space,” by Peter Brook. In this thin volume, first published in 1968, famed director Peter Brook divides theater into its “Deadly,” “Holy,” “Rough,” and “Immediate” forms. It’s the most important book on theater – and, by extension, art — that I’ve ever found. The older I get, the more I see that the book is also about life. You don’t have to care about theater to become fascinated by this masterpiece. – Willis
Listen: “The Anti-Trans Hate Machine,” hosted by Imara Jones for TransLash Media. Season 2 of this riveting podcast explores the violent supremacist groups that target the transgender community in the US and abroad, including Patriot Front, Proud Boys, Blood Tribe, and many more, as well as the role of local politicians and law enforcement in fostering these dangerous extremists. It’s a heavy subject, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, as Jones explores deradicalization and healing after hate. — Matt
Watch: “The Last of the Sea Women.”This fantastic documentary focuses on the haenyeo of South Korea’s Jeju Island — intrepid women who dive into the ocean without oxygen to harvest seafood for a living. But their numbers are dwindling, and their way of life faces myriad threats, ranging from climate change to nuclear waste. It’s hard not to cheer these women on as they fight to preserve their traditions and protect the ocean. — John
Listen: The Interview’s conversation with JD Vance.This hour-long interview pushes Vance to explain how many of his views have evolved, and is a great peek inside the brain of Trump’s number two, who knows he will play an outsized role as vice president if he wins in November. – Riley
Read: Language City. More languages are spoken in New York City than anywhere else on earth. But many are endangered tongues from Asia, Africa, the Balkans, or Indigenous America, spoken by just a handful of old heads whose grandkids don’t understand a thing. A new book details the fight to preserve them. Written by Ross Perlin – a Columbia professor who co-directs the NYC-based Endangered Language Alliance – “Language City” maps Gotham’s linguistic landscape and profiles the living speakers of six dying tongues: Yiddish, Nahuatl (from Mexico), Lenape (from pre-colonial New York), Wakhi (Tajikistan), and N’ko (West Africa.) Language nerds will love it, but so will anyone interested in the way that vast sweeps of history are revealed simply by listening to who speaks what languages, and why. – Alex
Watch: “Perfect Days.” Director Wim Wenders (“Wings of Desire,” “Paris Texas,” “Until the End of the World”) returns with an Oscar-nominated film that explores the spiritual life and earthly tribulations of a man who makes his living cleaning Tokyo’s toilets. Kōji Yakusho delivers a hypnotically beautiful performance for the ages. This is the most moving and thought-provoking new film I’ve seen in years. – Willis
Watch: “Nobody Wants This.” For deprived “Fleabag” fans, this show is a great supplement (I binged it in one day). It’s funny, quirky, and most importantly, it’s where Hot Priest meets Hot Rabbi. The show explores a relationship between an agnostic sex podcaster, Kristen Bell, who usually bails from relationships at every small inconvenience, and a rabbi, played by Adam Brody, who is fresh out of a long-term relationship. Will their unique situation survive when nobody around them wants it to? – Suhani
Slide: head first into a complicated legacy. Pete Rose, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died on Tuesday. Banned for life from the sport (and the Hall of Fame) for betting on games, Rose lied for decades about his gambling, but in recent years explored forgiveness from Major League Baseball. A new HBO docu-series, built around interviews with Rose, shows him in all his complexity: a hard-nosed, winning-is-everything superstar beloved by fans and teammates, but also a cocky, mendacious, and immensely self-destructive human being. Should he be in the Hall of Fame? – Alex
Prepare: “Newsroom Safety Across America.” Covering protests, extremist groups, or even just ordinary politics can expose journalists to death threats, doxing, and all sorts of danger. All of our readers who happen to be fellow journalists would benefit from this terrific training by the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. You’ll learn how to protect yourself online, in unruly crowds, from police harassment, and against people with the intention and capacity to do you harm. Shoot them a request for a training in your area today. — Matt
Watch: “The War Room.” In America,another Election Day looms. It’s a perfect time to revisit D.A. Pennebaker’s extraordinary documentary, “The War Room.” This groundbreaking look inside the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign provides a great opportunity to consider how much has changed in American politics and how much endures. – Willis
Listen: “News in Slow.” Care to kill two birds with one stone – one being that pestering Duolingo owl? The “News in Slow” podcast series lets you flex your language skills while keeping up with current events. There are varying difficulty levels and language options, including Italian, French, German, and Spanish, just in time for UNGA. Happy learning! – Billy
Enter: The Well of Death. “Ten toes in when we standin’ on business.” The Indian-born, Houston-bred, Hyderabad-based, formerly Goldman-employed rapper Hanumankind’s chart-topping single “Big Dawgs” has become the go-to soundtrack for any/all social media content that wants you to get hyped. But have you seen the video? It was shot in Kerala, in a traditional “Well of Death,” a fast-vanishing carnival act (invented in Coney Island in 1911, as it happens) in which cars and motorcycles speed around the vertical walls of a giant wooden cylinder, held up only by centripetal force. It’s wild. And it’s put Indian hip-hop squarely on the global map. – Alex
Watch: “Will & Harper,” a new documentary by comedian and SNL alum Will Ferrell about his relationship with a decades-long friend, Harper Steele, who came out as transgender three years ago. The two set out on a road trip across America, and they learn a lot about their relationship and themselves in the process. It’s moving, beautifully produced, and yes, often very funny. In theaters now, and on Netflix beginning Sept. 27. – Tony Maciulis, GZERO’s content chief
Read: “People Love Dead Jews.” Are people more interested in dead Jews than in living ones? Jewish novelist and literary scholar Dara Horn argues as much in this provocative collection of essays, which deal, among other things, with the cult of Anne Frank, the myth of Ellis Island “name changes,” the story of a mentally ill savior of Jewish intellectuals during World War II, a Chinese government plan to revitalize an icy Siberian border town, and a virtual reconstruction of synagogues across the Arab world. In all, Horn argues that non-Jews habitually distort and repurpose the Jewish past in dangerous ways that are “an affront to human dignity.” See what you think. – Alex
Eat: An empanada de pino! Today is my adoptive home country of Chile’s 214th birthday, celebrating the country’s first independent government after Napoleon kicked out the Spanish King Ferdinand VII. Join me and celebrate with beef, olive, and egg empanadas, a stiff shot of pisco, and the greasiest choripán this side of the Andes. – Matt
Read: “Russia’s Espionage War in the Arctic,” by Ben Taub, to take a deep dive into the town of Kirkenes, a frozen piece of Russia’s Arctic border with Norway – and NATO. Taub explains how the town, which borders Moscow’s nuclear stronghold, has become a test lab for both sides’ espionage activities, which then flurry from the frozen tundra across Europe. – Riley
Watch: “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.” It’s feeling a lot like fall in DC these days, and this 80’s throwback is the perfect way to settle into spooky season. Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton shine in their reprised roles, and Jena Ortega is a terrific new addition. – Matt
Read: “Wicked,” by Gregory Maguire, if you want to get in the mood for spooky season, get excited for Ariana Grande to play Glinda in the live action musical, or are looking for a follow-up fantasy novel after you finish the “Court of Thorns and Roses.” I have been staying up way too late reading this book since I stumbled upon it at my neighborhood used bookstore last week. – Riley
Read: “In Ascension,” by Martin MacInnes, an atmospheric novel long-listed for the Booker Prize that takes you from the deepest oceans to the most distant cosmos. Worth a look. — Alex Gibson, senior producer, “GZERO World with Ian Bremmer”
Read: “America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny,” by Caity Weaver. If you live in the US, you are probably doing free government labor by storing pennies in a change jar. Almost no one uses pennies, yet the US Mint keeps making them by the billions. This article on the illogical conundrum of the penny and “logistically unmanageable” dilemma for the world’s wealthiest nation is a must-read for penny lovers and haters alike. — Molly Rubin, producer, “GZERO World with Ian Bremmer”
Read: the Dervish’s perspective.In the 1960s, Bosnian writer Meša Selimović wrote “Death and the Dervish,” the first-person fictional testament of a dervish in 17th century Bosnia forced to reconcile his faith, his political ambitions, and his love of family when the Ottoman regime arrests and kills his brother. Many see the book, a classic in the former Yugoslavia, as an allegory for communism, partly because Selimović’s own brother was executed by fellow partisans during World War II. But it’s also a poetic and philosophical meditation on power, action, faith, nationalism, and corruption – in other words, timeless stuff. – Alex
Watch: “Man on Wire.” Now 75, Phillipe Petit continues events to mark the 50th anniversary of his famous windy-day tightrope walk between New York’s two World Trade Center towers. The 2008 film “Man on Wire” detailed both the terrifying logistics and high emotions of that day in 1974. It was not just a brilliant documentary. In my opinion, it was the best film in any category released that year. – Willis
Watch: “Revolution of Our Times.” Hong Kong marked a dark milestone this week as a court wrapped up the trial of nearly four dozen leaders of the 2019-2020 protest movement against the encroaching authoritarianism from the mainland. Hong Kong’s democracy is dead, and this film provides a shattering, up-close perspective on how it perished. – Matt
Watch: “Chimp Crazy.” This docuseries is wild in every sense of the word. It focuses on a woman completely obsessed with chimpanzees — and her fight against PETA and law enforcement over one particular primate. It is bizarre, shocking, and entertaining. And you’ll probably learn a lot about the politics and laws surrounding exotic animals in the US while watching it. — John
Read: “War Is Draining Ukraine’s Male-Dominated Work Force. Enter the Women.” This article shows all the ways women are stepping up to keep Ukraine’s economy afloat during the war. An important and interesting read. — RileyWatch: “Laapataa Ladies.” Imagine that your wife gets exchanged on your wedding day. That’s the plot of “Laapata Ladies,” which means “Missing Ladies,” a film directed by Kiran Rao. Set in rural India, the film follows two girls who recently got married. Phool, 16, has never stepped out of her village, and Jaya has just finished high school and wants to continue her studies. While Jaya gets exchanged with Phool at the train station, Phool steps down at a different terminus. Watch this heartwarming film as the two girls survive, one at a train station, and one in an unknown family, while trying to figure out their ultimate destinations. – Suhani
Watch: “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.”This docuseries was released several years ago but feels incredibly timely. It’s about the year 1971 and the music it inspired — and how the music of that year shaped the times. So much of what happened in 1971 feels eerily familiar. It was the Nixon era and the height of the Vietnam War. Young people were out in the streets, furious over the war (among other things) and calling for sweeping societal changes. The soundtrack to this series is fantastic, and you’ll probably learn a lot, too. — John