The Weekend Read

The Weekend Read is a series of first-person narratives and dispatches with a political through line. You can read these essays every Saturday on our website—or in your inbox if you subscribe to our Substack

Displaced Palestinians endure harsh winter conditions in makeshift tents after Israeli attacks destroyed their homes in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, on January 11, 2026.

There Is No “After Gaza” There Is No “After Gaza”

Whether intentionally or with callous word choice, too many have begun relegating Palestine to the past tense.

Jan 31, 2026 / Sarah Aziza

Why I Didn’t Report My Rape

Why I Didn’t Report My Rape Why I Didn’t Report My Rape

In 2021, six men sexually assaulted me in a Las Vegas hotel room. Something more than abolitionism prevented me from reporting the crime.

Jan 24, 2026 / Anna Krauthamer

Notes on Transsexual Surgery Notes on Transsexual Surgery

An abundance of plastic surgery is not a net good. But discussions over its morality would be better off viewing it less as unfettered desire and more as self-determination.

Jan 17, 2026 / Grace Byron

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk down a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Illinois.

Deportation and the Silence That Follows Deportation and the Silence That Follows

When ICE abducted my father without cause, something strange filled his vacancy.

Jan 10, 2026 / Taiwo Adepetun

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

The truth is I had to leave you.

Jan 3, 2026 / Marianela D’Aprile

Hector Casanova color illustration of “phone-heads.”

My Dumb Journey Through a Smartphone World My Dumb Journey Through a Smartphone World

I spent six months with a flip phone. I learned that a more conscious technological future will require much more than just unplugging.

Dec 20, 2025 / Martin Dolan

Regina Treitler and her husband.

The Supreme Court v. My Mother The Supreme Court v. My Mother

After my mother escaped the Holocaust, she broke the law to save her family. Her immigration story is more pertinent today than ever before.

Dec 13, 2025 / Leo Treitler

My Search for Barbie’s Aryan Predecessor

My Search for Barbie’s Aryan Predecessor My Search for Barbie’s Aryan Predecessor

The original doll was not made by Mattel but by a business that perfected its practice making plaster casts of Hitler.

Dec 6, 2025 / Tarpley Hitt

An AI security camera demo at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Can We Opt Out of Facial Recognition Technology? Can We Opt Out of Facial Recognition Technology?

I traveled through airports and reported in sports stadiums this year. At each, I was asked to scan my face for security.

Nov 29, 2025 / Nicholas Russell

Flying While Brown and Bearded

Flying While Brown and Bearded Flying While Brown and Bearded

The director of the FBI and the mayor of the largest city in America now look like me. When will TSA stop singling us out?

Nov 22, 2025 / Shaan Sachdev

x