The Rio Grande Valley’s Abortion Desert

Plus: an education while incarcerated, the baby boxes born of safe-haven laws, and new fiction by Madeleine Thien. View in browser | Update your preferences Saturday, December 18, 2021 Dispatch The Rio Grande Valley’s Abortion Desert Texas’s new law is the culmination of decades of legal restrictions and budget cuts that have left women in one of the country’s poorest regions with scant access to abortion. By Stephania Taladrid American Chronicles An Education While Incarcerated What Eddy Zheng taught himself—and me—when he was in prison. By Hua Hsu The New Yorker Radio Hour When Snow Came to Puerto Rico How did San Juan children have a snowball fight—and why? Plus, a look at how poor students struggle to afford college, even on scholarship. With David Remnick News Desk The Baby-Box Lady of America With the help of safe-haven laws, which allow parents to anonymously surrender their babies, Monica Kelsey has installed more than ninety mailbox-like receptacles for infants in five states. By Lizzie Widdicombe Culture and More Fiction “Lu, Reshaping” “She thought of herself as reliable, a team player, but others mistook her for a natural subordinate. She didn’t register the misconception until it was too late.” By Madeleine Thien This Week in Fiction Madeleine Thien on Immigrants’ Loneliness The author discusses “Lu, Reshaping,” her story from the latest issue of the magazine. By Deborah Treisman The Front Row Review: “Nightmare Alley” and the Pitfalls of the Period Remake In a new version of the classic film noir, Guillermo del Toro’s florid art of the grotesque ends up emptying out the story rather than expanding it. By Richard Brody Arachnid Dept. Marisa Tomei Gets Morbid The movie star, who appears in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” discusses arachnoid folklore, death doulas, and why she’s trying to make a TV show about at-home funerals. By Zach Helfand Humor and Games Name Drop Play the Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Blitt’s Kvetchbook We Wish You a Wary Christmas! Season’s greetings from the callous and rash. By Barry Blitt Shouts & Murmurs Just When You Thought It Was Over Peter Piper died a pauper, and other surprising aftermaths. By Jack Handey Crossword The Weekend Puzzle Noise from a hedgerow: six letters. By Patrick Berry You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.