Selected Things #9
Good Things to Cling To
Every couple weeks, I’ll send you a quick hit of books, articles, recipes, products, etc., that are—in my humble opinion—worth your valuable time. I do this for you because life is short and we’re already wasting too much time doomscrolling on socials, right?
BOOKS
Mountains Beyond Mountains
If you want a reminder of what great men can be
As the greed and fecklessness of Trump continues unabated, I thought I’d spotlight a story about a man who is essentially his opposite. Tracy Kidder’s book about Paul Farmer is both a masterclass in how to write gripping nonfiction, and a balm in these days when it’s easy to get cynical. Farmer was a doctor who dedicated his life to helping the most in need, especially in Haiti, and he founded the organization Partners in Health.
The Power of Now
If you’re still losing your mind
Most self-help books really could be a pamphlet, but you can’t charge $27.95 a pop for a three-fold brochure. Eckhart Tolle is indeed elfin and peculiar, but his book helped me learn how to access calm, and a capacity to be present. That’s at least worth the cost of the paperback.
JOURNALISM
Cannes Controversies, Ranked
Tous le merde à côté de la mer
Spitting directors, scoldy ushers, whining paparazzi, nudity, outrage. French people really take celebrity nonsense up a notch.
They Were Michael Jackson’s Second Family. Now They Say He Abused Them.
Childhoods destroyed for the King of Pop
I apologize for sharing a story with so many layers of terribleness, but I feel like I have to (see Skip It, below). Combine a predatory pedophile with endless piles of money and tragically awful parenting, and you have four adults whose lives were ruined. How do you send your child to sleep in a hotel room with a grown man without you?
