Amanuenses & A Secret Life

Featured Articles

Growing Up with the Writer Ved Mehta

The New Yorker • 7 Oct 2024 • ~5800 words • Archive Link

This a deeply personal reflection on the life and legacy of the acclaimed author Ved Mehta, written by his daughter, Sage. It chronicles his remarkable ability to navigate the world despite his blindness and insistence on normalcy while providing intimate glimpses into their family life, their travels, and the impact of Mehta's blindness on his personal relationships and professional career. Ultimately, this heartfelt narrative paints a vivid portrait of a complex, brilliant, and ultimately deeply human but flawed man.

Amanuenses came and went. The tenure was usually short—one to two years right out of college. I always felt that there was an aura of specialness around these women who called my father by his first name, Ved, like my mother did. At The New Yorker, they were sometimes referred to as “Vedettes,” a word that means “star” in French but which in the magazine’s precincts carried an element of scorn. They weren’t referred to by this sobriquet in our family.

We only learnt of our son’s secret online life after he died at 20

The Times • 4 Oct 2024 • ~3400 words • Archive Link

When Mats Steen passed away at just 20, his parents were left with the heartbreaking belief that he had lived a lonely life. However, a flood of emails from his online friends revealed a different story—a vibrant existence filled with friendships and even romance within a gaming community. This poignant piece explores the duality of Mats’ life, showcasing how digital connections can create profound impacts that can go unseen by those closest to us. Discover the unexpected legacy he left behind and the lessons learned by his grieving family.

The messages continue, a trickle becoming a flood as people convey their condolences and write paragraph after paragraph about Mats. He had a warm heart, people write. He was funny and imaginative, a good listener and generous. You should be proud of him, everyone stresses. A primary school teacher from Denmark writes that after hearing of Mats’ death, she broke down in class and had to return home. A 65-year-old psychologist from England says something similar. “Mats was a real friend to me,” writes another stranger. “He was an incurable romantic and had considerable success with women.” Someone else writes to them describing Mats’ empathy. “I don’t think,” they say, “he was aware of how big an impact he had on a lot of people.”

Recommended Articles

The scandal of food waste and how we can stop it

the Guardian • 8 Oct 2024 • ~3400 words

This article discusses the global issue of food waste and loss, exploring the cultural attitudes, economic factors, and logistical challenges that contribute to this problem. It examines successful initiatives to reduce food waste, such as the efforts led by Selina Juul in Denmark, while also highlighting the complexities and trade-offs involved in addressing this multifaceted challenge.

Retailers are very good at pushing waste upstream and downstream. Not only are suppliers often left with excess production, consumers are encouraged to buy more than they can eat by bulk deals and pricing that makes larger sizes more economic. The food waste campaigner Selina Juul says that this is more accurately described as “buy three, pay for two, waste one”.

Left on the Battlefield

The Walrus • 8 Oct 2024 • ~4300 words • Archive Link

When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, many female soccer players, including a teenager named Noor, found themselves in grave danger. This piece explores the plight of the Afghan women's national soccer team and their struggle to flee Afghanistan after the takeover. It delves into the Canadian government's role in issuing and then disavowing visa facilitation letters intended to help evacuate these athletes, raising questions about Canada's commitment to supporting vulnerable Afghans and upholding its promises. The article also examines the broader context of Canada's involvement in the two-decade conflict in Afghanistan and the lasting impact on marginalized groups, particularly women and girls.

The Canadian letters that she and hundreds of others had received were seen as tickets into Kabul’s airport, onto an evacuation flight, and onward to safety in Canada. They stated exactly that. But as the chaos of the withdrawal continued, unbeknownst to players and their families, the letters were rendered worthless. Some who held the documents were turned away at the airport or were forced to go underground. Three years later, many of them remain in hiding.

The “People’s Car.” How Nazi Germany Created the Volkswagen Beetle

Literary Hub • 8 Oct 2024 • ~3150 words

This excerpt from ”The Driving Machine: A Design History of the Car” by Witold Rybczynski provides a detailed history of the development of the Volkswagen Beetle, tracing its origins back to Ferdinand Porsche's early work on electric and hybrid vehicles in the early 20th century. It then explores how the Beetle was conceived and brought to life under the Nazi regime, with Adolf Hitler himself playing a key role in its creation as the "people's car."

Porsche’s team quickly produced a prototype. Ferdinand Porsche was not someone who cut corners, and thanks to his advanced engineering refinements, the final cost of the car turned out to be 1,450 Reichsmarks. The disappointed trade association called a halt to the project, but Porsche went behind its back, and in July 1936, he and his assistants drove two prototypes up to the Berghof, Hitler’s Bavarian mountain retreat. Hitler loved the little cars, and on the spot he offered Porsche a contract to refine and finalize the design. Both men chose to ignore the question of the elevated selling price.

The Mormon state is seen as deeply homophobic. Yet, from polygamy to pride, Mormons themselves are a distinctly queer lot

Aeon • 8 Oct 2024 • ~3600 words

The article explores the paradoxical coexistence of Mormonism, conservative politics, and queerness in the state of Utah. It delves into how Utah's history, culture, and symbols have shaped the complex relationship between these seemingly contradictory elements, and raises questions about the nature of queerness, its relationship to religion and politics, and the fluidity of cultural norms.

Herein lies the fascinating paradox: Utah’s queerness isn’t merely about its LGBTQI+ population. Rather, it embodies a deeper, more fundamental queerness rooted in the very fabric of the state’s history, particularly its origins in Mormonism. From its early days of polygamy and unique religious practices, Mormonism has always defied conventional norms. Despite many Utahns’ usually conservative stance towards LGBTQI+ matters, an intrinsic oddity permeates Utah’s culture, creating an environment where queerness, in the broadest sense, can thrive while simultaneously being suppressed or disavowed.

When pop culture meets culture war

Matt Alt’s Pure Invention • 8 Oct 2024 • ~1800 words

This piece discusses the intersection of pop culture and the culture war, using a recent controversy around changes made to a Japanese video game as a case study. It examines the complex dynamics at play, including the influence of ratings boards, corporate interests, and shifting societal attitudes in both Japan and the West, while debunking the notion that the changes were driven by "woke" censorship. The article ultimately questions the assumptions and narratives that often arise when pop culture collides with broader ideological debates.

So on the one hand you have a Japanese creator complaining about conservative religious influences impacting their work. On the other, you have American gamer(gater)s claiming liberal secular values are impacting their leisure lives. In this particular case, it turns out everyone is wrong.

A Master Storyteller, at the End of Her Story

New York Times • 6 Oct 2024 • ~3950 words • Archive Link

The heartfelt profile provides an intimate portrait of the acclaimed writer Lore Segal as she approaches the end of her life at 96 years old. It explores Segal's lifelong dedication to her craft, her resilience in the face of health challenges, and her reflections on mortality and the creative process.

Segal took my hand. “I don’t think I know how to do hospice,” she admitted suddenly. “Nobody knows how to live; nobody knows how to die. But we all figure it out, don’t we?” (View Highlight)****

Is Forgiveness Possible in Rwanda?

The Atlantic • 4 Oct 2024 • ~8050 words • Archive Link

In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, survivors and perpetrators now live in close proximity, grappling with a complex legacy of trauma and forgiveness. This thought-provoking piece from explores the delicate dynamics between those who suffered unimaginable loss and those who inflicted it. Through personal stories and reflections, the article delves into the challenging question of whether true reconciliation is possible in a society still haunted by its past.

This, in so many ways, is the story of Rwanda 30 years later: a story of protection. A country attempting to protect itself from another genocide, sometimes through deliberate forgetting. At the same time, memorials protecting the bones and bodies of those who were killed in an attempt to make forgetting impossible. Perpetrators, some who have tried to protect themselves from prison and some who have tried to protect themselves from the poison of guilt that threatens to corrode their conscience. Survivors protecting the memories of their loved ones, but also their own stability. The contradictions are innumerable.

The smuggler’s daughter and other tales from the Gulf of Aden

Financial Times • 28 Sep 2024 • ~4650 words • Archive Link

In the Gulf of Aden, the journey of migrants often turns into a harrowing tale of survival and exploitation. Alixandra Fazzina’s gripping narrative explores the dangerous journeys of migrants and refugees crossing the Gulf, a region that has witnessed cycles of conflict and human trafficking. It explores the stories of individuals like Sami and Aisha, who have been impacted by the smuggling networks and violence in the region and raises questions about the role of figures like the elusive Abdul Qawi.

Around the Gulf of Aden, thousands are searching for Abdul Qawi. Unlike the dilals, who are merely middlemen, Abdul Qawi is in many tellings a legendary people smuggler operating in this region. In others he is a powerful warlord to be avoided. Some chatter loudly, questioning whether he is real or not, alive or dead, good or evil. Some tout theories, deeming him to have been shot, or to have escaped, disappeared, in this place or that. Whether he is fact or fiction is inconsequential. His name no doubt continues to lure thousands to their deaths.

What Is Privacy For?

The New Yorker • 5 Oct 2024 • ~2900 words • Archive Link

This essay explores how Lowry Pressly's new book, “The Right to Oblivion: Privacy and the Good Life,” challenges our understanding of privacy in important ways. He argues that true privacy goes beyond mere control over our data; it should protect us from the very creation of that data. Pressly's insights invite us to reconsider what privacy means in a digital age, revealing a perspective that feels both timely and original.

Pressly also sees the ideology of information lurking in a less likely place—among privacy advocates trying to defend us from digital intrusions. This is because the standard view of privacy assumes there is “some information that already exists,” and what matters is keeping it out of the wrong hands. Such an assumption, for Pressly, is fatal. It “misses privacy’s true value and unwittingly aids the forces it takes itself to be resisting,” he writes. To be clear, Pressly is not opposed to reforms that would give us more power over our data—but it is a mistake “to think that this is what privacy is for.” “Privacy is valuable not because it empowers us to exercise control over our information,” he argues, “but because it protects against the creation of such information in the first place.”

What’s the Deal With Republicans and Steakhouses?

Washingtonian • 30 Sep 2024 • ~4400 words

In Washington, D.C., steakhouses have become more than just dining spots; they are political hot spots where alliances are forged and campaigns are funded. This article delves into the political dynamics, power dynamics, and social scene that unfold within these establishments and raises questions about potential ethical concerns around lobbying and campaign finance. The article provides an insider's look at how these steakhouses have become hubs for Republican politicians, lobbyists, and operatives in the U.S. capital.

“I don’t think that there’s another more Republican hangout than the Capital Grille—bar none,” says David Safavian of the American Conservative Union. “It just feels the way a steakhouse should.” As of mid-2024, Republican PACs had spent more than $762,000 at the steakhouse this election cycle, compared with the roughly $59,000 Democrats spent, according to OpenSecrets data.