Soul Survivor: The Revival and Hidden Treasure of Aretha Franklin
David Remnick, The New Yorker
“Respect” is not just a song to Aretha Franklin. “There is the sense in her very often that people are out to harm you. And she won’t have it. You are not going to disrespect her,” a friend tells Remnick in this fascinating profile of the music legend. It’s an in-depth, finely written inside look at her life that peers into everything from her preacher father’s influence on her art to her fear of flying to her iconic performance at the Kennedy Center late last year. Don’t miss it.
Bangladeshi Surfer Girls Go Against the Cultural Tide
Shashank Bengali, The Los Angeles Times
A group of girls in southern Bangladesh has found empowerment and camaraderie in an unlikely activity — surfing. Societal norms and family pressures to labor in support of their families had kept them from enjoying the beach, until a local lifeguard took the girls under his wing. By teaching them how to ride the waves, he gave them an opportunity to reclaim their childhoods. And now, these girls are thinking about their futures in ways they never had before. “When I started surfing, I began thinking about my dreams,” 14-year-old Mayasha says. “Now I think there are lots of things I want to do.”
A Conversation With Marcia Clark
Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter
Ahead of the finale of the much-lauded first series of “American Crime Story,” which focused on the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, Galloway offers a lengthy interview with Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor of the murder case. From the horrific rape that inspired her legal career to her new life as a crime novelist, it’s an interesting look at one of the 1990s’ most discussed — and maligned — women.
What India’s Working Women Have that Western Women Don’t
Diksha Madhok, Quartz
Quite a few middle-class Indian women have forged pathways to career success, many in male-dominated industries. What often makes it easier for them than for Western women? In a few words: “close-knit extended families and access to cheap household labor.” Recent paid leave laws in New York state and San Francisco are steps in the right direction, but many Americans struggle for resources to help care for children and manage homes while having a career that are more easily accessed in Indian society. Here, Madhok breaks down how those benefits have helped many Indian women thrive.
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