More than one billion animals are kept as pets around the world. But bioethicist Jessica Pierce says that might not be great for our furry, feathered and scaly friends. In this story for @time, she discusses the potential harms of pet ownership, including whether it's ok to buy and sell animals and use them for our own gratification, the anguish of captivity, and the climate impacts of pet-keeping. She also posits a new way forward, in which human-animal ties are mutual and freely chosen. It's a very thought-provoking article; tell us in the comments what you think.
Until high school, Kate Feiffer believed that her mother Judy's novel, "A Hot Property," was about real estate. Then a boyfriend plucked the book from the shelves, started reading passages aloud, and revealed it was a piece of 1970s erotica. From then until just a few years ago, Kate considered "A Hot Property" to be her literary Waterloo — the book she'd hoped to conquer but never been able to. But on her mother's death, she picked up the novel and — between bouts of screaming and cringing — found something more thoughtful and reflective than she was expecting. Here's what she wrote for LitHub.
Many children with autism thrive on routine and predictability, which can make vacations challenging for them. Here's a story from USA Today with tips on how to plan a trip, choose an airline that provides accommodations for autistic children, and details on what to expect from an autism-certified resort.
The toughest audience isn't necessarily a drunk crowd at a comedy club or your boss when you ask for a raise. Writer and podcaster Mark Cecil reckons your kids when you're reading them a bedtime story can be absolutely merciless. "They’re just sitting right in front of you, all yours to entertain… or not. They don’t know how to pretend to like something, either. If they’re not pleased, you will know." He writes for LitHub about everything he learned about storytelling at the Bedtime University MFA, from how to construct a plot, to the two great engines of human drama.
Adults might read their favorite books a couple of times a year, but toddlers sometimes want you to plough through the same old story on 20 consecutive nights, and there aren’t many books that are enjoyable at the end of a run like that. LitHub has created a ranking system that takes in parent and toddler tolerability. See the results here (“Elephant and Piggie” fans, brace yourselves). Tell us your picks in the comments.