How Tom Wolfe Became Tom Wolfe
The celebrated writer Tom Wolfe died on Monday. Michael Lewis’s 2015 profile went deep into his biography and his writing to tell his story.
Trying to Remember J.F.K.
An elegaic personal essay reflecting on President Kennedy’s legacy in his centenary year.
Deliverance From 27,000 Feet
The story of the mission to recover the bodies of three climbers on Mount Everest, two of whom were abandoned high up the mountain.
The Day We Discovered Our Parents Were Russian Spies
Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley’s two sons believed their parents were affluent, highly educated Canadians, who happened to live and work in America. In fact, they were Russian spies who had been deep undercover for several decades.
Tonya Harding Would Like Her Apology Now
An eloquent profile of Tonya Harding, the former professional ice skater caught up in a scandal at the time of the 1994 Winter Olympics, and subject of the new Oscar contender I, Tonya. The piece encompasses poignant reflections on survival, life after infamy, and subjective views of the truth.
Don’t Eat Before Reading This
The 1999 piece that helped launch Anthony Bourdain’s career as a writer and broadcaster. In it, he offered readers the inside track on the restaurant industry, warts and all. It was apparently sent in to the magazine as an unsolicited manuscript.
Eyes Aloft
An insight into the world of aviation enthusiasts. Their activity is memorably described – “Their interests are so basic that they seem abstract: to appreciate planes; to record them; to appreciate them by recording them; and to record their own passion for recording.” Yet the piece shows how the information that they gather about the comings and goings of air traffic (including military and VIP flights) can fan out into public and political life.
Trained to Kill: How Four Boy Soldiers Survived Boko Haram
A moving and troubling piece recounting the experience of four boys abducted by a religious militia in Nigeria and forced to join their army. http://www.bit.ly//nyt-boko
The Perfect Man
Billy Mitchell is really, really good at Pac-Man – his high score is 3,333,360 – a perfect game. The unusual way his mind works is gently unpicked in this profile.