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Yaa Gyasi
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FROM Yaa Gyasi
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The difference between being African in America and African-American The novel “Homegoing” starts with the slave trade in colonial Ghana, and traces that trauma through generations of Africans and African Americans.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Yaa Gyasi's 'Homegoing' What’s the difference between being African in America and African American? Is there a difference? Novelist Yaa Gyasi tackles those questions and more in her new novel “Homegoing.” It follows two lines of the same family, beginning with two sisters on the west coast of Africa in the 1700s. One marries a white British slave trader and stays in Africa. The other is sold into slavery by a rival African tribe and ends up in America. Each subsequent chapter is told from the point of view of their descendents, switching from the African side to the American side of the family and unfolding down the family tree to the present day. The book explores how that the slave trade haunts each generation on both continents.
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Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?