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The New York Times Book Review – March 26, 2023

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The New York Times Book Review – March 26, 2023:

Margaret Atwood Is Still Sending Us Notes From the Future

A photograph of Margaret Atwood, who is wearing a green scarf and green button-down shirt.
Margaret Atwood’s new book is “Old Babes in the Wood.”Credit…Arden Wray for The New York Times

Her new story collection, “Old Babes in the Wood,” offers elegiac scenes from a marriage plus a grab bag of curious fables.

There are authors we turn to because they can uncannily predict our future; there are authors we need for their skillful diagnosis of our present; and there are authors we love because they can explain our past. And then there are the outliers: those who gift us with timelines other than the one we’re stuck in, realities far from home. If anyone has proved, over the course of a long and wildly diverse career, that she can be all four, it’s Margaret Atwood.

50 Years On, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’ Still Haunts and Inspires

Michael Lesy’s book of historical photographs and found text offers a singular portrait of American life.

Michael Lesy’s 1973 book “Wisconsin Death Trip” is an American oddity, a cult classic for a reason. In a way that few documentary texts do, it makes us leave the baggage of modernity at the trailhead. It forces us back into the inconceivably long nights in rural and small-town America before the widespread use of electricity, before radio, before antibiotics for dying children and antidepressants for anxiety bordering on mania, when events could make a family feel that some nocturnal beast had chalked its door.

The Prophetic

This illustration depicts a barren landscape, with yellow ground and, in the distance, a low brown mountain range beneath an aqua sky scattered clouds and a couple yellow stars. In the middle of the landscape stands a small figure of a woman in a long green tunic. Above her head, and connected to her body via several pink and red rays, is an enormous human eyeball. At the center of the eye, where the pupil and iris should be, there is a stormy sky: a white moon, half hidden by dark clouds, and streaks of lightning.
Credit…Nada Hayek

The first installment of an essay series on American literature and faith.

I am a child of the church. In an early memory, I am 6 years old, half-asleep in the back of my grandparents’ station wagon on the way home from a revival…

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Society

Culture: New York Times Magazine – March 26, 2023

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The New York Times Magazine – March 26, 2023:

The Age-Old Food Fight That Beats an Italian Town to a Pulp

A color photograph of screaming men dressed in chess-themed uniforms. Orange pulp and blood is scattered on their faces and shirts.
The orange throwers are organized into nine teams, each with a different flag, logo, captain and uniform.

Every winter, Ivrea erupts into a ferocious three-day festival where its citizens pelt one another with 900 tons of oranges. (Yes, oranges.)

The orange throwers are organized into nine teams, each with a different flag, logo, captain and uniform.

I Went on a Package Trip for Lonely Millennials. It Was Exhausting.

Rosie Marks for The New York Times

On traveling to Morocco with a group-travel company that promised to build “meaningful friendships” among its youngish clientele.

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I’m Lost All the Time. So I Went on a Labyrinth Vacation.

A color photograph of a hedge maze arch.
The Parc del Laberint d’Horta, in Barcelona.Credit…Joakim Eskildsen for The New York Times

The dizzying joys of maze tourism, in Barcelona, Paris and Chenonceaux.

The Parc del Laberint d’Horta, in Barcelona.Credit…Joakim Eskildsen for The New York Times

Seeking the Spirited, Mystical Jamaica Tourists Don’t See

A photographer’s journey through her native spiritual landscape of Jamaica, where Christian and Afro-centric traditions blend.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 24, 2023

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Lawmakers Blast TikTok’s C.E.O. for App’s Ties to China, Escalating Tensions

TikTok’s C.E.O., Shou Chew, listening to Representative Kat Cammack’s questions during the hearing on Thursday.

Lawmakers grilled Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, over the app’s ties to its Chinese parent company and its effects on children, as Chinese officials said they opposed a sale of the platform.

Netanyahu Digs In on Court Overhaul, in the Face of Mass Protests

Amid a national crisis over a planned judicial overhaul, Israel’s Parliament approved a bill making it much harder to remove a prime minister from office.

As Dreams of Peace Wither, Nightmares Flourish in Ukraine’s Sleep

A survey asked hundreds of wartime Ukrainians what they dreamed about. Many replied: the war.

How Manhattan Hotels Became Refuges for Thousands of Migrants

The city has spent millions to convert upscale hotels, humble motels and even office buildings into housing for an influx of migrants.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 23, 2023

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The Fed, Still Inflation-Focused, Raised Rates Amid Bank Uncertainty

Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates by a quarter-point while they noted that bank turmoil could help slow the economy.

Michael Cohen’s Long Arc From Trump Ally to Chief Antagonist

He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now, he’s hoping to help prosecutors put him away.

Geothermal Power, Cheap and Clean, Could Help Run Japan. So Why Doesn’t It?

For decades, new plants have been blocked by powerful local interests, the owners of hot spring resorts, that say the sites threaten a centuries-old tradition.

In a Brother Act With Putin, Xi Reveals China’s Fear of Containment

Instead of focusing on a solution to the war in Ukraine, the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow reinforced China and Russia’s shared opposition to American dominance.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 22, 2023

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Xi and Putin Bind China and Russia’s Economies Further, Despite War in Ukraine

A photo released by Russian state media on Tuesday shows President Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

On the second day of the Chinese leader’s state visit in Moscow, Xi Jinping and Vladimir V. Putin declared an enduring economic partnership, in an effort to insulate their countries from punitive Western measures.

A Big Question for the Fed: What Went Wrong With Bank Oversight?

As the Federal Reserve reviews the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, and Congress prepares for hearings, bank oversight is getting a closer look.

Ferraris and Hungry Children: Venezuela’s Socialist Vision in Shambles

After years of extreme scarcity, some Venezuelans lead lives of luxury as others scrape by. The nation of grinding hardship has increasingly become one of haves and have-nots.

Video Shows Virginia Man’s Death in Custody

Irvo Otieno’s death was a devastating ending to a journey that began when his family immigrated from Kenya when he was a young boy, “compelled by the American dream.”

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 21, 2023

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Putin and Xi Celebrate Ties Unbroken by Russia’s War in Ukraine

A photograph released by Russian state media showing China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir V. Putin at the Kremlin on Monday.

President Vladimir V. Putin welcomed Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, to Russia, briefly noting Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine but stressing Moscow and Beijing’s enduring partnership.

World Has Less Than a Decade to Stop Catastrophic Warming, U.N. Panel Says

Hoesung Lee, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, speaking at the global climate talks on Nov. 6 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

A new report says it is still possible to hold global warming to relatively safe levels, but doing so will require global cooperation, billions of dollars and big changes.

Prosecutor in Trump Case Wades Into Treacherous Political Waters

Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, appears poised to indict former President Donald J. Trump, and the political firestorm has already begun.

A Different Kind of Pipeline Project Scrambles Midwest Politics

Plans that would bury carbon underground rather than release it in the air have stoked debate over climate and property rights, creating unlikely alliances and stirring memories of fierce battles over oil.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 20, 2023

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Before Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the Fed Spotted Big Problems

The bank was using an incorrect model as it assessed its own risks amid rising interest rates, and spent much of 2022 under a supervisory review.

Lab Leak or Not? How Politics Shaped the Battle Over Covid’s Origin

The Wuhan Institute of Virology is known for its advanced research on bat coronaviruses.
CREDITNG HAN GUAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

A lab leak was once dismissed by many as a conspiracy theory. But the idea is gaining traction, even as evidence builds that the virus emerged from a market.

The Children of the Iraq War Have Grown Up, but Some Wounds Don’t Heal

Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, a veteran Times correspondent and photographer asked Iraqis about growing up in wartime, and about their hopes now.

Iraq, 20 Years Later: A Changed Washington and a Terrible Toll on America

The White House, Congress, the military and the intelligence agencies see the war as a lesson in failed policymaking, one deeply absorbed if not thoroughly learned.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 19, 2023

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20 Years After U.S. Invasion, Iraq Is a Freer Place, but Not a Hopeful One

Kamil Jassim Mohammed, the custodian of the martyrs’ cemetery in Falluja, Iraq. It is hard to find anyone in Iraq who has not lost someone.

Conversations with dozens of Iraqis offer a portrait of a nation that is rich in oil, hobbled by corruption and unable to guarantee its citizens’ safety.

A Sandwich Shop, a Tent City and an American Crisis

Old Station Subs in downtown Phoenix, surrounded by its wrought-iron fence.

As homelessness overwhelms downtown Phoenix, a small business wonders how long it can hang on.

Sandy Hook Families Are Fighting Alex Jones and the Bankruptcy System Itself

As the families seek more than $1.4 billion awarded by courts for Mr. Jones’s lies, a New York Times review shows he is transferring millions of dollars to family and friends, potentially out of reach of creditors.

A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election

A prominent Texas politician said he unwittingly took part in a 1980 tour of the Middle East with a clandestine agenda.

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Front Page: The New York Times – March 18, 2023

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Banking Crisis Hangs Over Economy, Rekindling Recession Fear

The Federal Reserve policymakers, pursuing interest rate increases to tame inflation, must now contend with upheaval in the financial system as well.

Borrowing could become tougher, a particular blow to small businesses — and a threat to the recovery’s staying power.

Arrest Warrant From Criminal Court Pierces Putin’s Aura of Impunity

A highly symbolic move by the International Criminal Court, which accused President Vladimir V. Putin of war crimes, carries moral weight.

Mortgages, Wine and Renovations: Silicon Valley Bank’s Deep Tech Ties

Silicon Valley Bank has been deeply interwoven to an unusual degree into the lives and businesses of tech investors, entrepreneurs and executives.

More than many other banks, SVB catered to how risky tech start-ups and their backers do not adhere to normal business practices.

After Police Killing of Walter Scott, a Department Tries to Rebound

The North Charleston Police Department has hired more Black officers, cut down on traffic stops and invited Mr. Scott’s brother to speak to recruits.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – March 19, 2023

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The New York Times Book Review – March 19, 2023:

In Matthew Desmond’s ‘Poverty, by America,’ the Culprit Is Us

This illustration, in shades of red, white, blue and black, shows the silhouetted figures of a family around a table. The parents hover over a large tureen containing black liquid, while, on either side of them, smaller figures — their offspring — lean over smaller bowls filled with the same substance. In the background, red and white vertical stripes are visible, suggesting an American flag.
Credit…Ola Jasionowska

The new book by the sociologist and author of “Evicted” examines the persistence of want in the wealthy United States, finding that keeping some citizens poor serves the interests of many.

Read Your Way Through São Paulo

A woman is reading a book on a bench in a park with the cityscape of São Paulo in the background. A cat is sleeping next to her.
Credit…Raphaelle Macaron

Brazil’s ultra urban megacity overwhelms the landscape and the imagination. Paulo Scott recommends books that peel back its layers.

With Karl Lagerfeld, the Clothes Were Only Part of the Story

A photograph of Karl Lagerfeld surrounded by models, several of them in black sequined dresses. Lagerfeld is wearing sunglasses and has his hair pulled back in a white ponytail. He is in a black suit and tie, a white shirt with a high stiff collar, and is carrying an open fan in his right hand.

The fashion world’s hunger for larger-than-life figures glorified the designer. But a cozy new biography shows him to be more business whiz than artist.