A lot of what you’ll read in this month’s books newsletter is about things not seeming to be what they really are.
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Yentl Syndrome: A Deadly Data Bias Against Women
The science of medicine is based on male bodies, but researchers are beginning to realize how vastly the symptoms of disease differ between the sexes — and how much danger women are in.
William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll
From Bob Dylan to David Bowie to The Beatles, the legendary Beat writer’s influence reached beyond literature into music in surprising ways.
We Still Don’t Know How to Navigate the Cultural Legacy of Eugenics
From abortion to immigration, a long-debunked scientific movement still casts long, confusing shadows over our most fraught debates.
Does the Woman in the Painting Have a Secret?
In the wake of her mother’s passing, Dylan Landis wrestles with unanswered questions about love and art, and imagines different possibilities of what could have been.
We Could Have Had Electric Cars from the Very Beginning
Early electric cars performed better in cities than internal combustion vehicles, but didn’t give riders the same illusion of freedom and masculine derring-do.
England’s National Health Service Is Suffering Growing Pains
While England’s National Health Service institutes large-scale reform, the country’s understaffed, overcrowded hospitals are in crisis.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Amanda Mull, Allegra Hobbs, Andrew O’Hagan, Andrew Kay, and Joe Veix.
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: A Reading List About Witches
Witchcraft: it’s spirituality, it’s a philosophy, it’s a lot more than flowy black dresses and cursing your exes.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Mirrors
Mirrors are sparkly and shiny and hypnotic. They’ve fascinated us for thousands of years. And they might show us a lot more about our society’s misplaced priorities than we care to see.

