The Message of Measles

An epidemic of dangerous ideas. Plus: the future of reading, the man who lights “Hamilton,” and Taylor Swift’s “London Boy.” View in browser | Update your preferences A Reporter at Large The Message of Measles As public-health officials confront the largest outbreak in the U.S. in decades, they’ve been fighting as much against dangerous ideas as they have against the disease. By Nick Paumgarten Books Reader, I Googled It Amid fears about the death of books, finding new ways to bring them to life. By Dan Chiasson The Campaign Trail Marianne Williamson’s Esprit de Orb Corps At a restaurant in San Francisco, the Democratic Presidential candidate reunited with her “larger philosophical tribe.” By Antonia Hitchens More in Culture Screening Room Backstage with the Man Who Illuminates “Hamilton” Brian Frankel takes us behind the scenes of the smash Broadway musical, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. By Sarah Larson Cultural Comment With “London Boy,” the English Delight in Mocking Taylor Swift Swift’s new song is either a clueless catalogue of tourist spots in the English capital or an effort to mock herself and her wide-eyed American ilk. By Rebecca Mead Culture Desk Surfing in the Age of the Omnipresent Camera Today, it’s not just the skilled surfer soul-arching for the cameras; it’s the everyman. And, an hour later, you just know it’s going to be posted on Instagram. By Jamie Brisick Puzzles Dept. The Weekday Crossword Man bag, in early-two-thousands slang: five letters. By Natan Last From the Archive Books Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds From 2017: New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason. By Elizabeth Kolbert Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts A Park Slope Stoop Horror Story A terrifying tale that captures every Brooklyn brownstone dweller’s worst nightmare. By Rachel Lindsay Daily Cartoon Monday, August 26th By Tim Hamilton Sign up for more newsletters from The New Yorker. Visit The New Yorker shop. Question about your subscription? Contact Customer Care. New Yorker digital subscribers get unlimited access to everything on newyorker.com. Log in to your account here. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to TNYinbox@newyorker.com. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, NewYorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2019. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.