1.
“The Return of Everything,” June 7–20
New York’s latest cover marked the city’s reopening, and in an introductory essay, Matthew Schneier wrote about the attendant rise in FOMO. Writer Ilana Kaplan responded, “I literally thought Saturday that there should be an article about everyone getting FOMO again post-pandemic and well the universe delivered.” Reader Jill Gallagher tweeted, “Feeling this a lot. I want to be both invited everywhere and never leave my house.” And author Emily Gould tweeted, “i just gave myself a good chuckle imagining the parents-of-small-kids version of this FOMO article. i can only have 1 (one) night out w/friends per week or else for the rest of the week I feel like I just completed a grueling tour of Europe with the Rolling Stones in 1970.”
2.
The Tiger Mom and the Hornet’s Nest,” June 7–20
Irin Carmon explored how Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld have gone from Yale Law power brokers to pariahs. The Experiment’s Tracie Hunte tweeted, “Yale Law School seems like an odious place and I can’t believe the people there control so much of what happens in this country. Four sitting Supreme Court justices!!!!” Many readers took note of Chua’s support for Brett Kavanaugh. Sree Sreenivasan commented, “Lots to unpack in this … I was struck by the quid pro quo in Chua’s endorsement of Kavanaugh in 2018: Her daughter gets a prestigious, lucrative clerkship with him in the Supreme Court in 2019.” Other readers highlighted what the story had to say about unequal access to power. @avalonroche tweeted, “This is the side of the legal profession more people need to understand. The way power is maintained and cultivated within a few elite circles at the expense of vulnerable and often marginalized people. And when I say power I’m not speaking metaphorically. A pipeline that creates Supreme Court justices, Congressmen, etc. is real, tangible power.” The ACLU’s Linda Morris wrote, “It will never cease to gross me out when people (explicitly or through their hiring practices) uphold the idea that there is a ‘natural hierarchy of achievement.’ There is nothing natural about the many kinds of gatekeeping that exist in the legal world.”
3.
“The Real Zola,” June 7–20
Allison P. Davis profiled A’Ziah King, the woman whose viral tweets became the basis for the buzzy movie Zola. Many readers noted the broader questions that Davis raised about how stories are adapted for the big screen and who profits from them. Refinery29’s Connie Wang wrote, “I hope what people take away from this is what happens when Hollywood buys someone’s life rights, and how little it can cost to own the exclusive ability to tell another person’s story.” Film critic Katie Walsh thanked Davis “for breaking down all the deets on authorship and compensation that goes into telling black women’s stories authentically.” And Arisha Hatch of Color of Change responded, “Black creators online are the blueprint, and more often than not, they’re the last ones to get the money and credit from their work. A’Ziah ‘Zola’ King is poised to be the exception. Black women having agency over our own stories should be the rule.”
4.
“Tennis Lessons,” June 7–20
P. E. Moskowitz wrote about how picking up a racquet taught her to feel at home in her body after beginning to transition. Leigh Hendrix commented, “This is an excellent piece that puts anti-trans sports legislation into a crucial context and is making me think I need to find a sport to play.” Reader Sydney Bauer agreed: “This piece is so, so good and gets at the heart of what the callous lawmakers are doing to trans kids. Sports are supposed to be fun. We should love to play them in our bodies.” Commenter ricky.barnhart wrote, “This is not only an insightful and moving piece of writing, but it’s also such a breath of fresh air to see a major mainstream outlet publishing a talented trans writer instead of yet another piece about trans people written from a non-trans perspective.” Other readers shared similar stories about their relationship with sports and their bodies. @colfux tweeted, “this article resonates so much with me. i’ve rediscovered/fallen in love with cycling again during the pandemic after being away from it for many years. im happier than ive ever been with my body even if it’s not the ideal i had in mind when i started my transition.”
Send correspondence to [email protected]. Or go to nymag.com to respond to individual stories.