3 great articles, plus 3 great opportunities to connect with other thoughtful readers
Hi there, loyal readers, and welcome, new subscribers. As we head into December, there’s a lot going on here at Article Club (see below!), so let’s get right to it.
There’s no obvious theme connecting this week’s three articles. But each of the pieces is well written (of course) and falls squarely on the Solemn-to-Silly Continuum. If you want serious first, start up at the top, then scroll down. If you want silly first, start from the bottom, then scroll up. The articles will explore:
our magnificent brain and how our lives can change in a moment
the glorious and complicated experience of being a teenager
the splendor of Cookie Monster and his cookies
Usually I save one article for a special recommendation. But this time, you can’t go wrong with any of the three pieces. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Coming up at Article Club
💬 Let’s chat! Hello Article Club, Melinda here! A gentle reminder to check out the newest free feature at Article Club — an opportunity to chat with fellow Article Clubbers as we read the newest essay series from writer and co-host of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, Ann Friedman, as she shares with us her unexpected journey from child-free person to parenthood. We’ll be popping into the Substack chat each Monday at Noon eastern to share our reflections on this 10-week essay series. Whether you’re completely new to Article Club and you’re curious to see what the community is like, or you’re a long-time Article Clubber looking to connect with the community more consistently while reading shorter essays — this Substack chat party is for you! You can check out more details here, listen to my mini-podcast episode, and see next steps to join! Hope to see you in the chat!
💬 Let’s discuss! This Sunday at 2 pm PT, we’ll be discussing “The Fog,” by Larissa MacFarquhar. There’s one spot left. You can sign up here.
💬 Let’s meet up! Our signature gathering HHH is back tonight (and sold out) at Room 389 in Oakland beginning at 5:30 pm. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.
1️⃣ Wider Than The Sky
“The human brain,” Phyllis Beckman writes, “weighs approximately three pounds, resembles nothing so much as a shelled walnut, and is the texture, one neurosurgeon tells us, of soft tofu.” Yet our brains hold our memories, they direct our activities, they tell us when when to eat and sleep, they help us dream.
The love we experience in our lives, as well as the pain and sorrow, comes not from our hearts, Ms. Beckman reminds us, but rather from our brains.
This exquisitely written piece, a moving braided essay, explores the meaning of consciousness, the question of free will, and the mystery of chance.
One moment, Ms. Beckman and her husband, the love of her life, are enjoying a summer meal together — beef kabobs on the grill, yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes. The next moment, she notices something off. She says to her husband, “Your left pupil is dilated.”
By Phyllis Beckman • True Story • 31 min
One great thing about publishing this newsletter for 8+ years is that you collect a lot of powerful quotations from brilliant people. Here’s Nikole Hannah-Jones in an interview I shared back in 2017.
2️⃣ The Fall of My Teen-Age Self
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve read exactly zero books that Zadie Smith has written. So that’s why I was excited to read this article, a memoir of her tumultuous time as a teenager. If this is typical writing for Ms. Smith, I’m sold. She captures the angst of being a teenager, the big feelings, and the dichotomous either-or thinking. After recounting a harrowing event that leads to “a teen-age epiphany,” Ms. Smith, now a mother of a teenager, wonders if “teen-age misery is different from what it used to be.” I won’t spoil her answer, except to say that I appreciated its nuance.
By Zadie Smith • The New Yorker • 13 mins
3️⃣ Nom Nom Nom: Cookie Monster’s Cookies
Here are a few reasons why I’m including this delightful exposé about Cookie Monster’s cookies, what their ingredients are, who makes them, and how they’re made: (1) It’s possible to say that I like cookies more than Cookie Monster, (2) It makes me sad when Cookie Monster has to wait for his cookies to bake, (3) It gives me an opportunity to thank Article Clubber Lisa for the delicious cookies she sent me yesterday. There are a ton of fun facts in this short piece, plus plenty of questions to debate. For example: Which secret ingredient is most surprising? Extra credit: Make a batch and tell me about it!
By Sopan Deb • The New York Times • 5 mins
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