The New Coming-of-Age Story | The New Yorker

Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Wherever You Listen Sign up to receive our weekly cultural-recommendations newsletter. For centuries, the bildungsroman, or novel of education, has offered a window into a formative period of life—and, by extension, into the historical moment in which it’s set. Vinson Cunningham sent the draft of “Great Expectations,” a … Read more

Country music star Toby Keith dead at 62

Singer-songwriter Toby Keith, who twice won the Academy of Country Music’s entertainer of the year award, has died. He was 62. Keith, who had stomach cancer, died peacefully on Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on the country singer’s website. “He fought his fight with grace and courage,” the statement said. He … Read more

Famed Broadway performer Chita Rivera dead at 91

Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actor who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and rebounded after a near-fatal car accident, died Tuesday. She was 91. Rivera’s death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she died in New York after a … Read more

Force of nature: China’s top climate envoy Xie Zhenhua steps down after more than 15 years in environment diplomacy

A Tianjin native, Xie was trained as an engineering physicist at Tsinghua University in the 1970s and started his career in various government agencies responsible for environmental affairs. While he rose through the ranks, he earned a master’s degree in environmental law from Wuhan University in 1993. Xie was made the head of the State … Read more

Donald Trump enters 2024 on cusp of unusual position: Election front-runner

Donald Trump is on the verge of entering 2024 arguably holding a status that is unprecedented for him: Election front-runner. It’s an unfamiliar position for a candidate now suddenly leading most 2024 general-election polls in a way he never did in races past. This is despite his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol, and despite the … Read more

Nicki Minaj set to launch her first solo tour in 8 years in the Bay Area

Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.  Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV The Barbz haven’t seen their queen, Nicki Minaj, on a solo tour since the Obama administration. That’s about to change, and when it does, Bay Area fans will … Read more

What happened at the end of Netflix’s Leave the World Behind?

Netflix’s newest apocalyptic thriller, Leave the World Behind, has people talking. Directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, the film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Kevin Bacon. It’s adapted from the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, and produced by Higher Ground Productions, the company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.  Despite shooting to No. … Read more