A few days before I traveled to Zurich in mid-November, 2021, I phoned a travel insurance company. “Will you be engaging in dangerous sports in Switzerland?” the salesperson asked. “No, I replied. “I plan on sitting in cafes reading novels.” Which is exactly what I did: for four days, a…

In my one and only race for public office — hardly a cutthroat competition since I ran unopposed — I was elected student fiction-buyer for the Haldane Library at Imperial College, London, during my second year studying for a Bachelor’s degree in biology. The Haldane Library was named for the…

In 2020, to alleviate coronavirus anxiety, some people turned to baking banana-bread, or zooming-yoga, or hiking in nature. …

On September 13, 2001, I walked to Union Square in New York City, where a spontaneous vigil was being held for the victims of the World Trade Center attacks two days earlier. I saw crowds of people crying, praying, staring silently, arguing. Vendors were selling plastic American flags and American…

Some people dream of adventure holidays in exotic locales. I dream of a few days on a comfortable sofa, reading quietly, while the rain pitter-patters outdoors. This summer I fulfilled my dream while visiting my dear brother and sister-in-law and their family in the lush green countryside of Shropshire. …

In 2018, I am grateful for libraries, most especially the delightful, spacious, light-filled library on Mercer Island in Washington, where our family stayed for the month of July. The friendly and helpful librarians gave us a free temporary membership, free WiFi, and the opportunity to borrow one hundred books at…

When moms-to-be ask, “what should I pack to bring to the hospital when I go into labor?” I often reply, as a joke, “how about a wet swimsuit?” That is what I carried in my backpack to Roosevelt Hospital in New York City on a cold Sunday in late December…

So you’re hiring a fact-checker, Gwyneth? I began my career as a science journalist as a fact-checker at Discover Magazine, so I’m delighted to correct some of the “facts” you proffered in your recent interview with the New York Times. You had the temerity to compare yourself with Ignaz Semmelweis…

Whenever I see someone say, of Trump’s cruel policies towards asylum seekers and their children, “This is not America,” I think of Breckenridge Long, the U.S. State Department’s man in charge of administering immigration laws from 1939 to 1944. “He was an isolationist, willing to accommodate Berlin when necessary, a…