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 that AI 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
