The Library

This section of Rusk Reads contains the most moving and well-crafted articles we have recommended thus far. The best of the best.

What Bobby McIlvaine Left BehindBobby McIlvaine was 26 when he died in the attacks. Two decades later, his loved ones are still grappling with the loss.

By Jennifer Senior (2022 Winner Of The Pulitzer Prize In Feature Writing) - The Atlantic

RR Notes: One of the greatest pieces on grief and unconditional love I have ever read. Whatever you may feel about 9/11 and its lasting wake I am sure this piece will add a rich perspective on those who were lost.

The Crimes Behind the Seafood You EatChina has invested heavily in an armada of far-flung fishing vessels, in part to extend its global influence. This maritime expansion has come at grave human cost.

By Ian Urbina - The New Yorker

RR: Another piece joins the top articles of the year! I have added a new story to The Library. This part of the site collects my favorite articles of all time. As such, I will only feature one piece this week instead of the normal three. It's just that good for a few reasons. First, I was blown away by the breadth of journalistic effort here. Urbina and others related to his project spent more than four years on this story often at risk of arrest, illness, and death. They also chased sources and info to every end of the Earth even via messages in a literal bottle. Second, I was floored by how little I knew about the sourcing of the seafood I eat. For example, Urbina reports often coercive companies employing Uyghurs and North Koreans exported something like 17% of all squid sent to the United States. The same squid (think calamari) that apparently shows up in military bases, cafeterias, casual restaurants, and supermarkets. Lastly, this is fundamentally a story of human suffering. It's a winding tale about those with so little who give up everything for so little in return. We need to act now.

The Ones We Sent AwayI thought my mother was an only child. I was wrong.

By Jennifer Senior - The Atlantic

RR: Today is a special day. For the first time in six weeks, I have added a new article to The Library. This part of the site collects my favorite articles of all time. As such, I will only feature one piece this week instead of the normal three. It's just that good. Jennifer Senior, the author, is one of the best feature writers of the 21st Century. Her other Pulitzer Prize winning piece from 2021, Twenty Years Gone, is also featured in the The Library. I cried reading both of these articles. Maybe it's best that I say little of what you are about to read but it's a story about how over time our means of treating those with mental and physical disabilities have changed in drastic ways. More importantly, it features the tolls and triumphs that all the stakeholders have faced. Every day for two weeks my mind has wandered back to ruminate on this story and the precious folks within these hallowed pages.