This week, we’re sharing stories from Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Laurie Penny, Mina Kimes, Skip Hollandsworth, and David Marchese.
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1. How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million
Taffy Brodesser-Akner | The New York Times Magazine | July 25, 2018 | 32 minutes (8,212 words)
“Inside the growth of Goop — the most controversial brand in the wellness industry.”
2. The Queer Art of Failing Better
Laurie Penny | The Baffler | July 24, 2018 | 20 minutes (5,054 words)
Laurie Penny on Queer Eye: “It’s not about queerness at all. It’s actually about the disaster of heterosexuality—and what, if anything, can be salvaged from its ruins.”
3. Aly Raisman Takes the Floor
Mina Kimes | ESPN | July 18, 2018 | 19 minutes (4,940 words)
In her fight to end sexual abuse, the Olympic champion is challenging the very institutions she led to glory.
4. Schlitterbahn’s Tragic Slide
Skip Hollandsworth | Texas Monthly | July 20, 2018 | 29 minutes (7,450 words)
Can a man be convicted of second-degree murder for building a water slide? Where’s the line between thrill-seeking and willful negligence? After indictments following the death of 10-year old Caleb Schwab on the “Verrückt” slide at Schlitterbahn water park, we’re going to find out.
5. In Conversation: Billy Joel
David Marchese | Vulture | July 23, 2018 | 22 minutes (5,610 words)
Billy Joel talks about performing in his late 60s, why he stopped writing songs, the problems inherent in not owning your own recordings, and his opinion of the state of America today.
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