2019 in Personal Essays

On surviving aneurysms, growing up in a cult, and editing Donald Trump. View in browser | Update your preferences Personal History A Battle for My Life I had just finished filming Season 1 of “Game of Thrones.” Then I was struck with the first of two aneurysms. By Emilia Clarke Faith and Friendship Personal History The Book of Prince Prince had grand plans for his autobiography, but only a few months to live. By Dan Piepenbring Personal History My Childhood in a Cult On our isolated commune, we kids were taught that the world was about to end. But my world ended when I was told to leave. By Guinevere Turner Personal History The Lingering of Loss My best friend left her laptop to me in her will. Twenty years later, I turned it on and began my inquest. By Jill Lepore Personal History Losing Religion and Finding Ecstasy in Houston Christianity formed my deepest instincts, and I have been walking away from it for half my life. By Jia Tolentino Newsletters Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Books & Fiction Newsletter Book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the world of literature, twice a week. Science and Medicine Personal History What Cancer Takes Away When I got sick, I warned my friends: Don’t try to make me stop thinking about death. By Anne Boyer Personal History A Town for People with Chronic-Fatigue Syndrome Patients moved from all over the country to Incline Village, Nevada, for an experimental drug. Then the drug disappeared. By Mike Mariani Personal History Four Years in Startups Life in Silicon Valley during the dawn of the unicorns. By Anna Wiener Personal History Family Medicine At the end of his life, my father went from doctor to patient, from scientist to subject. By James Marcus Politics and Publishing Personal History The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives On a Presidential paper trail. By Robert A. Caro Personal History Editing Donald Trump What I saw as the editor of “The Art of the Deal,” the book that made the future President millions of dollars and turned him into a national figure. By Peter Osnos 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.