The Hidden Histories of the Periodic Table

Plus: Jane Fonda’s celebratory arrest, and the problem with “Cats.” View in browser | Update your preferences Elements The Histories Hidden in the Periodic Table From poisoned monks to nuclear bombs, mapping the atomic world hasn’t been easy. By Neima Jahromi Daily Comment The Star Power of Jane Fonda’s Climate-Change Arrests The actress spent the eve of her eighty-second birthday protesting alongside friends, capping off the celebration in police detention. By Barbara Demick Culture Desk “Parent” as a Verb: I Love You If I say it enough, will the words surround her in a protective force field? By Emily Flake Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Podcasts Newsletter Never miss a podcast episode again! Culture and More The Front Row “Cats” Could Have Been a Contender Despite a splendid cast, the film is defined by an over-all failure of literal vision: the director, Tom Hooper, doesn’t really see what he’s doing. By Richard Brody Puzzles and Games Dept. The Holiday Crossword: 2019 in Music First artist born in the two-thousands to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (August, 2019): twelve letters. By Elizabeth C. Gorski Double Take Robert Benchley’s Legacy in an Era of Fraught Comedy Reflections on a humorist beloved by Dorothy Parker, and how complaints about “political correctness” can mask a different sort of disconnect. By Nell Scovell Lost and Found Dept. How to Trap Your Neighbors’ Cockatoo When Clyde, of Ditmas Park, flew the coop, neighbors tried to lure him back. Then things got weird. By Katia Bachko From the Archive Books How “Little Women” Got Big Why the world that Louisa May Alcott created has inspired generations of female writers, from Simone de Beauvoir to Greta Gerwig. By Joan Acocella Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts After Six Months of Living in Long Island City Among other developments, I’ve finally morphed into an architectural rendering. By Steven Phillips-Horst The Back Page Make Your Own Cartoon Arrange the figures as you see fit—and don’t forget to write a caption. 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.