Your Mid-Week Experiment

Welcome to your always free, reader-supported mid-week edition of The Experiment where we share great things to read, cook, listen to, and watch. If you’d like to support my work, buy my Alamo book, buy some Experiment merch, drop some coins in the PayPal fountain, or become a paid subscriber. But even if you don’t, this bugga free.

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Had a great time at Jazzfest, and as suspected I did not find the time to write the weekend essay. But here we are, on time for the mid-weeker. Let’s get right to it:

If you want to understand where the anti-woke blowback against pluralism in schools came from, read this excerpt from the upcoming (and excellent) book, They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms. (Mike Hixenbaugh)

Preach—> “In general — and this is a complaint I have had about the New York Times that is two decades old — I wish they would take good faith criticism from the Left with as much seriousness as they take bad faith criticism from the Right. “ (Dan Pfeiffer)

Every word of this: The people I’ve given a start to or mentored along the way who become successes are my greatest successes. (Ryan Holiday)

Best thing I saw at Jazzfest was Maggie Koerner’s impassioned set on the big stage to open Saturday.

h/t to E.H. and her great newsletter for offering up this think piece on why polyamory’s adherents are so annoying (Brandy Jensen)

This, about hiding disabled children in institutions, is a harrowing read that was just named a Pulitzer finalist. h/t to E.H. again (Jennifer Senior)

Love the turn of phrase at the end of the chorus, but is this song kinda incelish? Regardless, I liked Andrew Duhon’s set at Jazzfest.

This, a critique of 2022’s Tár, was just named a Pulitzer finalist. It goes deep: “[E]very generation has about two or three great ideas and a dozen or so terrible ones. For example, Gen X nudged forward the good idea that men should be encouraged to be fully involved in the raising of their own children. Also: love is definitely love.” (Zadie Smith)

Ate. This. Up.

Didn’t expect a story about a stalker to be so empathetic or engaging.

Brainy satire, plus Robert Downey Jr. in makeup.

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We set up a merch table in the back where you can get T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even tote bags now. Show the world that you’re part of The Experiment. 

We’ve also got a tip jar, and I promise to waste every cent you give me on having fun, because writing this newsletter for you is how I have fun.

Buy the book Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick banned from the Bullock Texas History Museum: Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of the American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and myself is out from Penguin Random House. The New York Times bestseller is 44% off and the same price as a paperback now!