Walking In Wuhan

I've been catching up on some reading the past few weeks, particularly long-form narrative stuff. Here are a few things worth checking out:

Malcolm Gladwell illustrates the differences between early and late bloomers.

[ The New Yorker: Late Bloomers ]

Esquire celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the seven best stories to ever run in the magazine. Of course, "Frank Sinatra has a Cold" was named the best. One story on the list I'd never read was, "The Falling Man," a profile about the search for the identity of a man who jumped from the World Trade Center.

[ Esquire: The Falling Man ]

Going back through some of Gay Talese's stories led me to "The Silent Season of a Hero" which I'm pretty sure is one of the best sports profiles I've read. Talese is at his best with an unwilling profile subject, as he is here with Joe Dimaggio.

[ The Silent Season of a Hero ]

Finally, this profile of Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione ran in the New Yorker a few weeks ago. He's been widely credited with the growth of craft brewing, and makes a hell of a beer. The liquor store around the corner from our apartment started carrying a lot of Dogfish Head, and I was actually working on a bottle of Midas Touch as I read the profile. If you find Dogfish head on the shelf, buy it. Immediately.

[ The New Yorker: A Better Brew ]