November 2023

by Christopher Ketcham,

[Letter from Reno]

Four Men

Keeping company with outdoor people

by William T. Vollmann,

[Letter from Cherán]

Forbidden Fruit

The anti-avocado militias of Michoacán

by Alexander Sammon,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Increase since 1981 in the median age of first-time U.S. home buyers : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of prospective U.S. home buyers who say they consider climate change when evaluating where to live : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage decrease since 2019 in the number of fire lookouts employed in the United States : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of residents who moved to Florida’s high flood-risk counties between 2019 and 2022 : 383,680

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Floridians who have flood insurance : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans earning at least $175,000 per year who consider themselves to be poor or “just getting by” : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who have less than $200,000 in retirement savings : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. families who have less than $100,000 in retirement savings : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2008 in the number of assets held in non-traditional financial institutions : 141

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who are able to remain continuously employed through their fifties : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. employees who know what is expected of them at work : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which people who say they are lonely are more likely to miss work than those who say they are not : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which married people are more likely than unmarried people to say they are happy : 9,560

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American adults under the age of 25 who describe themselves as lonely : 79

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2020 in the number of U.S. men aged 18 to 29 who are single : –3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which single men are more interested in dating than single women : 31

[Harper’s Index]

By which single women are more likely than men to say they can’t find someone who meets their expectations : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which U.S. women are more likely than men to have a tattoo : 41

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults with tattoos who regret getting at least one of them : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2019 in employment assessment scores for job seekers younger than 25 : –10

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum percentage of U.S. school districts that do not employ librarians : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe parents are not “tough enough” when disciplining their children : 64

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2018 in the number of Americans who believe moderate drinking is bad for one’s health : 39

[Harper’s Index]

In the number of adults aged 18 to 34 who believe this : 53

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which non-religious adults are more likely than Christians to believe this : 34

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in the value of the non-alcoholic beer industry since 2021 : 43

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. alcohol consumption for which one fifth of the population is responsible : 53

[Harper’s Index]

Of injuries requiring medical attention for which one fifth of the population is responsible : 78

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of pet owners who, given the choice between saving the life of one person or one dog, would choose the dog : 21

[Harper’s Index]

Who, given the choice between saving the lives of one hundred people or one dog, would choose the dog : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say that a dead relative has communicated with them in the past year : 15

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that they have felt a dead relative’s presence : 34

[Harper’s Index]

Increase since 1981 in the median age of first-time U.S. home buyers : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of prospective U.S. home buyers who say they consider climate change when evaluating where to live : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage decrease since 2019 in the number of fire lookouts employed in the United States : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of residents who moved to Florida’s high flood-risk counties between 2019 and 2022 : 383,680

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Floridians who have flood insurance : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans earning at least $175,000 per year who consider themselves to be poor or “just getting by” : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who have less than $200,000 in retirement savings : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. families who have less than $100,000 in retirement savings : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2008 in the number of assets held in non-traditional financial institutions : 141

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who are able to remain continuously employed through their fifties : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. employees who know what is expected of them at work : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which people who say they are lonely are more likely to miss work than those who say they are not : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which married people are more likely than unmarried people to say they are happy : 9,560

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American adults under the age of 25 who describe themselves as lonely : 79

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2020 in the number of U.S. men aged 18 to 29 who are single : –3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which single men are more interested in dating than single women : 31

[Harper’s Index]

By which single women are more likely than men to say they can’t find someone who meets their expectations : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which U.S. women are more likely than men to have a tattoo : 41

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults with tattoos who regret getting at least one of them : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2019 in employment assessment scores for job seekers younger than 25 : –10

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum percentage of U.S. school districts that do not employ librarians : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe parents are not “tough enough” when disciplining their children : 64

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2018 in the number of Americans who believe moderate drinking is bad for one’s health : 39

[Harper’s Index]

In the number of adults aged 18 to 34 who believe this : 53

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which non-religious adults are more likely than Christians to believe this : 34

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change this year in sales of Bud Light : –16

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which beer imports from Mexico have increased since 2013 : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which beer imports from other countries have decreased : 29

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in the value of the non-alcoholic beer industry since 2021 : 43

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. alcohol consumption for which one fifth of the population is responsible : 53

[Harper’s Index]

Of injuries requiring medical attention for which one fifth of the population is responsible : 78

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of pet owners who, given the choice between saving the life of one person or one dog, would choose the dog : 21

[Harper’s Index]

Who, given the choice between saving the lives of one hundred people or one dog, would choose the dog : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say that a dead relative has communicated with them in the past year : 15

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that they have felt a dead relative’s presence : 34

Readings

[Essay]

Battle Lines

by Elena Kostyuchenko,Translated by Bela Shayevich,

[Listings]

House Music

by Sasha Frere-Jones,

[Correspondence]

Born in 1934 (1), a collage of hand-embossed photograms, made of imprints of an eighty-three-year-old cedar tree on silver gelatin paper, by Klea McKenna, whose work was on view in October as part of the exhibition Vessel, at EUQINOM Gallery, in San Francisco. Her monograph, Witness Mark, was published in September by Saint Lucy Books.