The 2.12.23 Issue

Highlights

SZA’s Ruination Brought Her Everything
Her moody, enigmatic music made her a megastar. Can she learn to live with success?
By Danyel Smith
CreditPhilip-Daniel Ducasse for The New York Times
The Paradox of Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism
The U.S. prosecuted Brian Lemley for threats, not violence. Is that what it takes to fight extremism?
By James Verini
Credit
‘Breasts and Eggs’ Made Her a Feminist Icon. She Has Other Ambitions.
Will the Japanese novelist Mieko Kawakami’s stark explorations of class translate to American readers?
By Joshua Hunt
CreditOsamu Yokonami for The New York Times
Talk
Walter Mosley Thinks America Is Getting Dumber
“There are people who don’t know how to spell, they don’t know how to think,” says the bestselling novelist.
By David Marchese
CreditMamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times

My Husband Won’t Help Pay for My Kids’ Tuition. Should I Divorce Him?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to navigate financial tensions with a spouse
By Kwame Anthony Appiah
CreditIllustration by Tomi Um
The Ethicist
A 90-Second Cure for Existential Dread, Every Sunday Night
Carrie Underwood’s musical intro to “Sunday Night Football” offers a dazzling gift — even if you’re not a fan of the game.
By Caity Weaver
CreditIllustration by Gabriel Alcala
Letter of Recommendation
Her Foot Looked Normal. What Was Causing the Excruciating Pain?
A few weeks after she twisted her ankle, the girl’s foot kept getting worse. Her hand movements cued the doctor to a mysterious disease.
By Lisa Sanders, M.D.
CreditPhoto illustration by Ina Jang
Diagnosis
This Soup Can Be Many Things, but It’s Always Delicious
The warmth and richness of menudo is a fortifying ritual to finish up the week — or start a new one.
By Bryan Washington
CreditChris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.
Eat
The Trouble With Reboot TV
The reboot that changes nothing will be uncanny and lifeless; the one that thinks itself more clever than its predecessor will turn out cynical and sour.
By Elizabeth Nelson
CreditPhoto illustration by Mark Harris
Screenland

Poem: Lost in America
A poem that shakes us awake, enacting and preserving the fugitive possibilities of “healing from the law.”
By Nikki Wallschlaeger and Anne Boyer
CreditIllustration by R. O. Blechman
Poem
Judge John Hodgman on Bird-Watching Etiquette
A couple disagrees on getting hushed during hobby time.
By John Hodgman
CreditIllustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy
Judge John Hodgman