The New Yorker June 13, 2022

Patrick Radden Keefe (“King Josh,” p. 34), a staff writer, is the author of “Say Nothing” and “Empire of Pain.” His new book, “Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks,” is out this month. Elizabeth Kolbert (“Contact,” p. 22) became a staff writer in 1999. Her latest book is “Under a White Sky.” Charles Simic (Poems, p. 38), a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, will publish a new collection, “No Land in Sight,” in July. Joan Acocella (A Critic at Large, p. 62) has been a staff writer since 1995. Her most recent book is “Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints.” Edward Koren (Cover) began contributing to The New Yorker in 1962. His exhibition “Down to the Bone” is on display at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts, through February 5, 2023. Hannah Goldfield (Tables…

IN OUR GENES As professionals in the field of genealogy, we read with interest Maya Jasanoff’s article on the subject (A Critic at Large, May 9th). We cannot dispute Jasanoff’s synopsis of the history of genealogy, or that it has played a role in reinforcing notions of superiority and power. However, we wish to offer a more optimistic viewpoint. Although some people do use genealogy to nefarious ends, many of today’s genealogists, professionals and hobbyists alike, strive to provide a voice for the voiceless. The beauty of genealogy is that it can show us the bigger picture of history by focussing on marginalized individuals and their lives. Professional genealogists can reconstruct social histories of communities neglected by schoolbooks, and give solace to families who have endured generational trauma. We use crowdsourcing techniques…

JUNE 8 – 14, 2022 Montgomery Clift changed everything. With his matinée-idol looks and his brilliant understanding of Method acting, the Omaha, Nebraska, native created complicated characters at a time when the American male was supposed to be anything but. Clift paved the way for Brando and Dean, and the purity of his art is on full display in a retrospective at Film Forum (through June 16), which includes John Huston’s haunting “The Misfits” and George Stevens’s unsurpassable “A Place in the Sun,” co-starring Clift’s great friend Elizabeth Taylor. As ever, it’s advisable to confirm engagements in advance and to check the requirements for in-person attendance. MUSIC Answer Code Request and Silent Servant ELECTRONIC The Berlin techno producer and d.j. Answer Code Request plays regularly at the techno temple Berghain, but his new four-song EP,…

The comedian and podcaster Jamie Loftus’s unique mix of reporting, humor, and lyrical writing lends her shows an essayistic, exploratory intimacy, making her one of the most interesting voices in podcasting. Her first show, “My Year in Mensa,” took listeners through the process of applying for—and embedding within—the high-I.Q. society, with hilarious results. In “Lolita Podcast,” she tackled Nabokov’s controversial novel, grappling with the disconnect between her love for the book’s prose and its disturbing depiction of child abuse. “Aack Cast” was a deep dive into the world of Cathy Guisewite, the “Cathy” comic-strip creator, and her enduring, if hotly debated, feminist legacy. Now Loftus has turned her attention to a more mystical sphere—American spiritualism. In her new series, “Ghost Church,” Loftus traces the history of people who believe that…

The other night, using a delivery platform called WoodSpoon, which offers meals cooked in the homes of neighborhood chefs, I ordered what seemed to be a reasonable amount of Lebanese food for dinner. What arrived was more like catering for a small but festive affair—enough for days—in containers densely packed with lacy, crisp-edged zucchini fritters, layered carefully between sheets of parchment and strewn with arugula, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds, glistening like jewels; garlicky sautéed dandelion greens, luscious with olive oil and garnished with radishes carved into roses; neatly cut wedges of kibbeh saynieh, a tray-baked loaf of ground beef, cracked wheat, onion, pomegranate syrup, and spices and herbs including cinnamon and marjoram. I was surprised not only by the generous portions but also by the add-ons and flourishes: cups of…

Since late April, citizens nostalgic for Donald Trump’s Twitter feed have been able to sate themselves on Truth Social, a platform launched in February by one of Trump’s companies. After an initial period of silence, the former President now “truths” and “retruths” multiple times a day for his three million-plus followers. (He had about eighty-nine million followers on Twitter when the company suspended his account permanently after January 6th, for fear that it would inspire further violent acts.) His posts are as replete as ever with lies and rants, served up in his familiar vernacular: “Our Elections are Rigged, Inflation is RAMPANT, gas prices and food costs are ‘through the roof,’ our Military ‘Leadership’ is Woke, our Country is going to HELL,” he recently mused. Truth Social is a characteristic Trump…