April 2020

by James Pogue,

[Essay]

Bright Stars

The unfulfilled promise of American citizenship

by Laila Lalami,

[Photo Essay]

Arrested Development

Among the child police of Chhattisgarh

by Mirzoyan,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Amount per hour that the company People Walker charges for an “on-demand walking partner” : $14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who said in 1995 that immigration should be reduced : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Number of pregnant women jailed in the United States for immigration violations in 2018 : 2,098

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of new U.S. military recruits who have a parent who served : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Amount that the United States has spent on reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2001 : $137,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Amount, adjusted for inflation, that it spent on reconstruction in Europe after World War II : $135,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. Protestant churches with security protocols that involve armed church members : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Number of pets owned by the average American who attends religious services once a week or more : 1.35

[Harper’s Index]

By the average American who never attends religious services : 1.95

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the number of cosmetic surgeries performed on U.S. men has increased in the past two decades : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of American men who have undergone such surgeries : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of 401(k) plans that have at least one fund committed to environmental, social, or governmental responsibility : 2.9

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which a U.S. hedge fund run by a woman or person of color outperforms one run by a white man : 72

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults in households earning less than $35,000 who express dissatisfaction with their lives : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of people worldwide who believe capitalism “does more harm than good in the world” : 56

[Harper’s Index]

Amount that Amazon has spent on lobbying since 2010 : $80,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding generated for the British economy : $1,300,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2011 in funding for the official duties and property of Queen Elizabeth II : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount the U.K. spends annually on “legal costs to maintain royal secrecy” : $250,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of employees in the Northern Ireland Civil Service : 23,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 1992 in the share of Taiwan residents who identify as Taiwanese : +223

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated minimum amount China spends each year on international propaganda and influence operations : $10,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which spending on the distribution of China Daily in the United States has increased over the past decade : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Nigerians who get their news from Chinese state television : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Who get their news from Nigeria’s national broadcasting agency : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage by which the number of U.S. podcast listeners increased between 2015 and 2019 : 88

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of items reported missing last year from the New York City subway system that were headphones : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. entry-level employees who sometimes or always feel that “no one really knows them well” : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans aged 18 to 24 who believe in soul mates : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of the United States among countries with the highest rates of immigrant children in detention : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Amount per hour that the company People Walker charges for an “on-demand walking partner” : $14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who said in 1995 that immigration should be reduced : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Number of pregnant women jailed in the United States for immigration violations in 2018 : 2,098

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of new U.S. military recruits who have a parent who served : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Amount that the United States has spent on reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2001 : $137,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Amount, adjusted for inflation, that it spent on reconstruction in Europe after World War II : $135,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. Protestant churches with security protocols that involve armed church members : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Number of pets owned by the average American who attends religious services once a week or more : 1.35

[Harper’s Index]

By the average American who never attends religious services : 1.95

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the number of cosmetic surgeries performed on U.S. men has increased in the past two decades : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of American men who have undergone such surgeries : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of 401(k) plans that have at least one fund committed to environmental, social, or governmental responsibility : 2.9

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which a U.S. hedge fund run by a woman or person of color outperforms one run by a white man : 72

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults in households earning less than $35,000 who express dissatisfaction with their lives : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of people worldwide who believe capitalism “does more harm than good in the world” : 56

[Harper’s Index]

Amount that Amazon has spent on lobbying since 2010 : $80,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding generated for the British economy : $1,300,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2011 in funding for the official duties and property of Queen Elizabeth II : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount the U.K. spends annually on “legal costs to maintain royal secrecy” : $250,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of employees in the Northern Ireland Civil Service : 23,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 1992 in the share of Taiwan residents who identify as Taiwanese : +223

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated minimum amount China spends each year on international propaganda and influence operations : $10,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which spending on the distribution of China Daily in the United States has increased over the past decade : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Nigerians who get their news from Chinese state television : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Who get their news from Nigeria’s national broadcasting agency : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage by which the number of U.S. podcast listeners increased between 2015 and 2019 : 88

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of items reported missing last year from the New York City subway system that were headphones : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. entry-level employees who sometimes or always feel that “no one really knows them well” : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans aged 18 to 24 who believe in soul mates : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of the United States among countries with the highest rates of immigrant children in detention : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Amount per hour that the company People Walker charges for an “on-demand walking partner” : $14

Readings

Download PDF

[Essay]

Color Theory

by Frank B. Wilderson III,

[Inquiries]

Sorry to Bother You

[History]

Becoming Human

by Roberto Calasso,Translated by Richard Dixon,

[Consideration]

On Forgetting

by Kay Ryan,

[Memoir]

Lost and Found

by Harry Dodge,

[Poem]

After I Turn Sixty-Nine

by John Yau,

[Word Association]

Terms of Art

by Florence Noiville,Translated by Andrew Alexander,

[Interview]

Daydream Believer

by Carlos Busqued,Translated by Samuel Rutter,

[Definitions]

Lost Boys

[Fiction]

Ride or Die

by Lee Durkee,

Night Gazers, a painting by Keita Morimoto, whose work was on view in February at Nicholas Metivier Gallery, in Toronto.

Kosar, a heat-transfer print on khaddar with gota patti and zardozi embroidery, by Spandita Malik, whose work was on view in September at the Parsons School of Design, in New York City.

The artist. Courtesy Kunstwerk Sammlung Klein, Eberdingen, Germany, and Sarah Hasted

“Illinois,” a photographic collage by Kenneth Josephson, whose work was on view last month at Gitterman Gallery, in New York City.

Photographs from the series The Mouth of Krishna by Ángel Albarrán and Anna Cabrera, whose work is on view this month at Paris Photo New York, in New York City.

“Facing North, Looking West,” a photograph by Guanyu Xu, whose work is on view this month at Yancey Richardson Gallery, in New York City.

“Ivins, Utah, #5,” a photograph by Steven B. Smith from Your Mountain Is Waiting, a monograph published last year by Radius Books.

Night Gazers, a painting by Keita Morimoto, whose work was on view in February at Nicholas Metivier Gallery, in Toronto.

Kosar, a heat-transfer print on khaddar with gota patti and zardozi embroidery, by Spandita Malik, whose work was on view in September at the Parsons School of Design, in New York City.

The artist. Courtesy Kunstwerk Sammlung Klein, Eberdingen, Germany, and Sarah Hasted

“Illinois,” a photographic collage by Kenneth Josephson, whose work was on view last month at Gitterman Gallery, in New York City.

Photographs from the series The Mouth of Krishna by Ángel Albarrán and Anna Cabrera, whose work is on view this month at Paris Photo New York, in New York City.