June 2023

by Benjamin Schwarz, Christopher Layne,

[Letter from Utah]

Take the Medicine to the White Man

A “Native American Church” without Native Americans

by Sierra Crane Murdoch,

[Story]

Seeing Through Maps

by Madeline ffitch,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Average age at which brain transmission speed plateaus : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Democrats who consider China an enemy of the United States : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe that China poses a greater threat to national security than Russia : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Who believe that China and Russia pose equally great threats : 43

[Harper’s Index]

Number by which the U.S. Army fell short of its active-duty recruitment goals last year : 15,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the rate of China’s GDP growth exceeded that of the United States between 2020 and 2022 : 1.6

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say there is too little government spending on education : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Who say there is too much government spending overall : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of U.S. adults caring for an aging friend or family member has increased since 1989 : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum monthly amount by which federal funding for food per household will decrease this year : $95

[Harper’s Index]

Amount the CEO of Domino’s personally spent on pizza last year : $7,322

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of the average U.S. household’s total at-home food spending this represents : 139

[Harper’s Index]

Chances an American has worried about his or her financial security in the past week : 3 in 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2020 in the amount of work employees are doing outside of the nine-to-five workday : 28

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. hiring managers who report leaving job postings up for more than two months : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of online job postings that are for positions that have already been filled : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the cost of homeownership has increased since 2020 : 71

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2000 in the cost of household fuel and utilities in the average U.S. city : 137

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase last year in U.S. shortages of antibiotics : 42

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of people in the United States currently on waiting lists for organ transplants : 104,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of organs that have been discarded since 2013 : 59,255

[Harper’s Index]

Chance an American has not filled a medication prescription because of its cost : 1 in 3

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of states that have passed laws since the start of the pandemic limiting public health powers : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2008 in the value of assets held by financial institutions without banking licenses : 141

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which more children are shot in domestic violence incidents than in school shootings : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. five-year-olds who do not live to the age of forty : 1/25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which remote-working women are more likely than other working women to plan to have children : 22

[Harper’s Index]

By which they are more likely to plan to marry in the next year : 40

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. fathers who took on more childcare obligations during pandemic lockdowns : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those who continued to do so after lockdowns ended : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which U.S. fourth graders are projected to catch up to pre-pandemic math performance levels : 2036

[Harper’s Index]

In which U.S. eighth graders are projected to catch up to pre-pandemic math performance levels : 2050

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease since 2012 in the number of times per week that high school seniors go out with friends : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of college students who report having used TikTok for help studying : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those students who report learning more on TikTok than they do in class : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe that China poses a greater threat to national security than Russia : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Who believe that China and Russia pose equally great threats : 43

[Harper’s Index]

Number by which the U.S. Army fell short of its active-duty recruitment goals last year : 15,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the rate of China’s GDP growth exceeded that of the United States between 2020 and 2022 : 1.6

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say there is too little government spending on education : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Who say there is too much government spending overall : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of U.S. adults caring for an aging friend or family member has increased since 1989 : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum monthly amount by which federal funding for food per household will decrease this year : $95

[Harper’s Index]

Amount the CEO of Domino’s personally spent on pizza last year : $7,322

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of the average U.S. household’s total at-home food spending this represents : 139

[Harper’s Index]

Chances an American has worried about his or her financial security in the past week : 3 in 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2020 in the amount of work employees are doing outside of the nine-to-five workday : 28

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. hiring managers who report leaving job postings up for more than two months : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of online job postings that are for positions that have already been filled : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the cost of homeownership has increased since 2020 : 71

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2000 in the cost of household fuel and utilities in the average U.S. city : 137

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase last year in U.S. shortages of antibiotics : 42

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of people in the United States currently on waiting lists for organ transplants : 104,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of organs that have been discarded since 2013 : 59,255

[Harper’s Index]

Chance an American has not filled a medication prescription because of its cost : 1 in 3

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of states that have passed laws since the start of the pandemic limiting public health powers : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2008 in the value of assets held by financial institutions without banking licenses : 141

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which more children are shot in domestic violence incidents than in school shootings : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. five-year-olds who do not live to the age of forty : 1/25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which remote-working women are more likely than other working women to plan to have children : 22

[Harper’s Index]

By which they are more likely to plan to marry in the next year : 40

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. fathers who took on more childcare obligations during pandemic lockdowns : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those who continued to do so after lockdowns ended : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which U.S. fourth graders are projected to catch up to pre-pandemic math performance levels : 2036

[Harper’s Index]

In which U.S. eighth graders are projected to catch up to pre-pandemic math performance levels : 2050

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease since 2012 in the number of times per week that high school seniors go out with friends : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of college students who report having used TikTok for help studying : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those students who report learning more on TikTok than they do in class : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of minutes per day users spend on TikTok : 93

[Harper’s Index]

Average age at which brain transmission speed plateaus : 35

Readings

[Essay]

Not

by Kim Hyesoon,Translated by Don Mee Choi,

Broken Shells (narcissus loop), a painting by Anthony Cudahy, whose work is on view this month at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Dole, France, and will be on view in October at Hales Gallery and at GRIMM, in London.

Murmurs in the Shade, a mixed-media artwork (nail polish and ink on PVC) by Louisa Gagliardi, whose work was on view in May at Eva Presenhuber Gallery, in Zurich.

Courtesy the artist and Eva Presenhuber Gallery, Zurich and Vienna

La Sirène (Describing the West India Navigation, from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones), a painting by Firelei Báez, whose work will be on view in October at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, in Humlebæk, Denmark.

“Drinking,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Garlands,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Magic Fishes,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Twin Wings,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

Murmurs in the Shade, a mixed-media artwork (nail polish and ink on PVC) by Louisa Gagliardi, whose work was on view in May at Eva Presenhuber Gallery, in Zurich.

Courtesy the artist and Eva Presenhuber Gallery, Zurich and Vienna

“Drinking,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Garlands,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Magic Fishes,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.

“Twin Wings,” a hand-painted photograph from the series A Myth of Two Souls, by Vasantha Yogananthan, whose work was on view last year at Assembly, in Houston, Texas.