The New Yorker Recommends
New Yorker staff and contributors share their picks for books, music, podcasts, movies, TV, and more.
A Neuroscientist’s Poignant Study of How We Forget Most Things in Life
An efficient memory system, Lisa Genova writes, involves “a finely orchestrated balancing act between data storage and data disposal.”
A Cocktail Book That Brings Flair to Life in Lockdown
The creative recipes in Shannon Mustipher’s tiki-themed cocktail book provide a much-needed serotonin boost in this extremely indoor winter.
The Thrilling Nostalgia of Al Hirschfeld’s “A National Insanity”
In the course of his nearly nine-decade career, the famed American caricaturist captured the likenesses of luminaries who occupied a cultural milieu of theatre and performance.
“The Rental,” a Horror Film About Love, Family, and Airbnb
This lean and slick thriller about a casual Airbnb stay gone catastrophically wrong thoroughly scratches the summer slasher-flick itch.
The Ongoing Relevance of “Norma Rae”
Viewed today, the 1979 movie, starring Sally Field, is most striking in its suggestion that no struggle can take place alone.
“Grosse Fatigue” Tells the Story of Life on Earth
The French artist Camille Henrot’s thirteen-minute video-art masterpiece mashes up creation myths and scientific theories, art, poetry, and the human body.
“And Then We Danced,” A Queer Love Letter to Georgian Culture
The director Levan Akin’s coming-of-age story about a traditional dancer had just a three-day run of screenings in Georgia, where it led to rioting, twenty-seven arrests, and one hospitalization.
“Buyer & Cellar,” a Play That Will Make You Want to Watch Theatre Online
Michael Urie’s living-room performance of the one-man show traps us in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu dream house instead of our own.
An Underheralded Pianist Whose Life’s Work Is on YouTube
Eunice Norton played with ferocious spiritual devotion and rugged physical intensity, and said that the best way to approach music was to “think in shapes.”
“Cause for Alarm!,” a Film Noir That Feels Accidentally Feminist
Though it was written and directed by men, the movie feels like a cry for help sent telepathically from the fifties.