Delivery workers store their bikes at a garage overnight and prepare to take the subway home. Photo by Philip Montgomery.

Welcome to August, loyal readers. Hope you’re closing out the summer strong.

Today’s issue is dedicated to this month’s Article Club selection, “Revolt of the Delivery Workers,” by Josh Dzieza. It’s an outstanding piece about the 65,000 people who hurtle through the streets of New York City on their electric bikes, weaving through traffic to get late-night slices of cake to stock traders in skyscrapers just minutes after making their order on DoorDash.

The job was tough even before the delivery apps began exploiting them with lower pay and horrific work conditions. It was tough even before thieves began stealing their bikes. It was tough even before the police ignored their pleas for protection.

And then the pandemic made things even worse.

Here’s what I wrote about the article last October when I highlighted it in Issue #314:

Juan Solano doesn’t want to be called essential. Dignity is his goal. One of New York City’s 65,000 delivery workers, Mr. Solano is tired of being attacked at night, with thieves stealing his bike, police turning a blind eye, and lawmakers dilly-dallying on change. He wants a decent wage from DoorDash, a way to charge his electric bike, and a place to go to the bathroom. Mr. Solano is part of a growing group of workers fighting to protect themselves from danger and demanding respect in our inequitable economy. (34 min)

This article definitely caught my attention, bringing up a range of issues, including how late-stage capitalism, the rise of technology, and our obsessive desire for convenience promote the dehumanization of marginalized people, in this case immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

A bit about the author…

My second favorite thing about Article Club (after you, its kind and thoughtful participants) is that talented authors participate, too. They answer our questions, record podcast interviews, and sometimes even join our discussions. It’s pretty great. This month, I’m happy to announce that journalist Josh Dzieza of The Verge will be joining the conversation. Here’s a little bit about him.

Josh Dzieza is a writer at The Verge, where he covers technology and science. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, Pacific Standard, MIT Technology Review, and other publications. Mr. Dzieza’s story about migratory beekeepers and the pollination industry for Pacific Standard received the 2016 Science in Society Journalism Award from the National Association of Science Writers. His piece about sea level rise and the growing market for beach sand was a notable story in 2017’s Best American Science and Nature Writing. His most recent article, “The Great Fiction of AI,” explores how authors are using Sudowrite, a writing assistant that uses GPT-3 artificial intelligence, to churn out fiction for their readers.

A big thanks to Mr. Dzieza for saying yes to Article Club!

Want to dive in? Join this month’s discussion!

If “Revolt of the Delivery Workers” intrigues you, I encourage you to dive in by joining Article Club this month. Article Club is a community of kind, thoughtful people who read, annotate, and discuss one great article every month on race, education, or culture. Everyone is welcome!

Here’s how it works:

• This week: We sign up below and begin reading the article on our own.

• Next week: We annotate a shared version of the article.

• Week 3: We listen to an interview of the author.

• Week 4: We discuss the article together on Zoom.

More than 100 of you have participated in Article Club. Many of you — like VIPs Summer, Jennifer, and Elise — participate month after month. If you’re interested, it’d be great to have you! — whether this is your first time or your 29th.

We’ll be discussing Mr. Dzieza’s article on Sunday, August 28. There are two options for this month’s conversation:

1. In person in Oakland: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm PT (for paid subscribers)

2. Online on Zoom: 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT (for all subscribers)

⭐️ Want to sign up? Just click the button below! After you sign up, I’ll follow up with more information, plus answer any questions you have.

Sign up for the discussion

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter Article Club. Hope you liked it. Feel free to share your thoughts and feedback. All you need to do is hit reply, email me, or leave me a voice message.

To our five new subscribers – Meli, Shannon, Chris, Raphinha, and Pauly – I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. To our long-time subscribers (Unique! Upton! Ursa!), you’re pretty great, too. Loyal reader Monique, thank you for sharing the newsletter and getting the word out.

If you like The Highlighter Article Club, please help it grow. I really appreciate your support. Here are some ways you can help out:

📬 Invite your friends. Know someone who’s kind, loves to read, and wants to spend less time doomscrolling? Forward them today’s issue and urge them to subscribe. Word of mouth is by far the best way to strengthen our reading community. Thank you very much for spreading the word.

Subscribe now

☕️ Buy me a coffee to express your appreciation of the newsletter and keep my reading stamina strong and mighty.

❤️ Become a VIP member for $3 a month, like Molly and Mark. You’ll join an esteemed group of readers who value the mission of The Highlighter Article Club. Plus you’ll receive surprise perks and prizes, like Highlighter Sticky Notes and exclusive audio letters from me to you.

On the other hand, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please feel free to unsubscribe. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am PT!