On Monday, the New Yorker revealed a new look for its website. Though not a dramatic makeover, the site is now much cleaner and features a lot more white space.
The biggest change, however, is that the site has opened its archives (2007 to present, plus selected pieces) for the summer to the general public. Beginning in the fall, the New Yorker will put up a metered paywall à la the New York Times.
In honor of the free access, here are our top five stories that you should check out while these archived gems are still free. May you never have a boring commute again.
1. "The Duke in his Domain" by Truman Capote (1957)
Dr. Atul Gawande examines the complexities of end-of-life care and the problems doctors struggle with when faced with letting go of a dying patient. An emotionally gripping story, Gawande suggests that medical care should move away from being primarily focused on cutting costs and prolonging people's lives. "The art of dying," a practice that focuses on helping terminally ill patients achieve the best quality of life, is an art that Gawande says we have all but lost and need to find again.
"People have concerns besides simply prolonging their lives. Surveys of patients with terminal illness find that their top priorities include, in addition to avoiding suffering, being with family, having the touch of others, being mentally aware, and not becoming a burden to others. Our system of technological medical care has utterly failed to meet these needs, and the cost of this failure is measured in far more than dollars."
