This Week’s Issue: Inside Britain’s History Wars

Plus: exposing incarceration's human costs; an Icelandic eruption; and the author and poet Ha Jin.  View in browser | Update your preferences     A Reporter at Large Britain's Idyllic Country Houses Reveal a Darker History Great estates are among the country's treasures. But their connections to slavery and colonialism are forcing visitors to reckon with myths they may not want to abandon. By Sam Knight Listen to this story Have a world-class narrator read this to you.     Annals of Inquiry Why Is It So Hard to Be Rational? The real challenge isn't being right but knowing how wrong you might be. By Joshua Rothman     American Chronicles A Fight to Expose the Hidden Human Costs of Incarceration A law professor is documenting the loss of life inside Louisiana's jails and prisons. By Eyal Press     Letter from Iceland Chasing the Lava Flow in Iceland At a volcanic eruption, the sublime experience of watching land submerge land. By Heidi Julavits     Comment The U.N.'s Terrifying Climate Report The catastrophe is evident everywhere this summer. By Elizabeth Kolbert     Books The Two Sides of Ha Jin His early stories of China deployed unsparing brutality, but his latest novel shows his affinity for stoicism, irony, and modesty. By Joan Acocella     Books Why Don't the French Celebrate Lafayette? He fought for freedom both here and in France, but his own countrymen are blasé about his legacy. By Adam Gopnik     Pop Music The Spaced-Out Jazz of Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes The group blurs the line between jazz duo and electronic-production team, providing listeners with not many notes but plenty of vibes. By Kelefa Sanneh     The Current Cinema Trapped in a Video Game with "Free Guy" Shawn Levy's hectic sci-fi comedy "Free Guy," starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer, is exhausting but charming. By Anthony Lane   Humor from The New Yorker     Shouts & Murmurs A History of Alternative Milk 2030: Out-of-work Borden mascot Elsie the Cow introduces subscription service OnlyFlans. By Henry Alford     Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Drawings and drollery from this week's magazine.   You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up.   Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our privacy policy    Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.