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This week, there’s a great assortment of articles from a range of sources. If you liked Fast Food Nation, you’ll love “Dark Meat.” If you appreciated Trapped, you’ll value “With Child.” Then after pizza, check out two articles about what happens when people take on new identities. Extras finishes up this week with uplifting profiles of two outstanding librarians. Enjoy!

Dark Meat

On the deboning line, turkeys move past you at the rate of 51 a minute, and you’re supposed to cut them perfectly each and every time. For Lisandro Vega and many other workers, this means developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other diseases. This article may help you think twice before enjoying another 25-pound (likely dry) turkey next Thanksgiving.

With Child

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down anti-abortion statutes in Texas, has had little effect in other states, including South Dakota, where there is just one abortion clinic. This is the story of a young woman named Ashley, the undue burden she faces, and her lonely decision.

Pizza always makes things better.

New Neighbors

This is the story of Ryan and his partner RL, who move into a building in Cincinnati and meet a creepy man named Mike. For the first time, Ryan, who had always dated women before RL, experiences what can happen when the world reads you as gay.

Improv for Inmates Can Work Wonders

I’m not surprised that the Actor’s Gang Prison Project works. The program, founded by actor Tim Robbins, has reduced recidivism by encouraging incarcerated people to act and practice improv. In order to make change, too often we target the mind rather than the body. By taking on different roles, and by acting them out — as this youth rehabilitation program in Texas also does — we can forge new identities.

The Washington Post recommends these 10 books (plus pie & cake).

A Bronx Librarian Keen on Teaching Homeless Children a Lasting Love of Books

Colbert Nembhard is a librarian in the Bronx, and every Wednesday, he visits a local homeless shelter to share books and sing songs with children. Librarians are finding out that they can’t wait for patrons to come to them; they must venture out into the community.

K.C. Boyd: A Leader for Readers

Librarian K.C. Boyd, whose motto is, “Children and books are my business,” has worked alongside students of color in Chicago and East St. Louis in order to promote reading. Read about her inspirational work to help connect young people with books they love. (K.C. also knows e-readers.)

Thank you for reading this 69th edition of Iserotope Extras, and thank you for being a subscriber! If there are other people in your world who might like to receive great articles in their inbox, please let them know. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!