August 2024

by Sam Kestenbaum,

[Folio]

Korean Hearts

At the DMZ

by William T. Vollmann,

[Letter from Vermont]

On Stones

Carving in the granite capital of the world

by Ellyn Gaydos,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. voters who believe that unemployment is at a fifty-year high : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they don’t know which sources of information about the economy are trustworthy : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. HR officers who strongly believe that their performance-management system leads to improvement : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. millennial employees who say they have adopted slang to fit in with their younger co-workers : 28

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. Gen Z employees who say they struggle to understand their older co-workers : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults planning to retire who intend to do so before the age of 50 : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they would not stop to pick up a coin of any value off the street : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Number of households set to be added to the New York City Housing Authority’s Section 8 voucher wait list this month : 200,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years it would take NYCHA to issue this number of vouchers at its expected rate : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of New York City residents who are millionaires : 1/24

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in the number of millionaires in New York City over the past decade : +48

[Harper’s Index]

In the number of billionaires in New York City in that time span : +25

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum estimated amount spent by the NYPD on overtime for officers responding to protests since October 7, 2023 : $65,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the United States is spending too much on aid to Israel : 47

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that the United States is not spending enough : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the United States is spending too much on aid to Ukraine : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that the United States is not spending enough : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Russians who say they felt angered by the news of Alexei Navalny’s death : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Russians who approve of President Vladimir Putin’s handling of foreign policy : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they feel comfortable criticizing Putin both online and offline : 62

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of people in India who say that social media has been a good thing for their democracy : 3/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Anguilla’s nominal GDP in 2023 that came from “.ai” web-domain registration fees : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of Johns Hopkins University’s funding in the past decade that came from tuition and fees : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. college students who have considered dropping out in the past six months : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which those considering dropping out are more likely to cite emotional stress than financial reasons : 74

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. parents who say their children prefer online shopping to any other form of entertainment : 22

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage who say their children have an online-shopping addiction : 16

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in OB-GYN residency applicants in the United States since 2022 : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in OB-GYN residency applicants in states that have enacted abortion bans : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. women and girls aged 15–49 who live in states where abortion is banned or severely restricted : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of organ-transplant recipients who report changes in their personality after their operation : 89

[Harper’s Index]

Who report changes in their religious or spiritual beliefs : 13

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. voters who believe that unemployment is at a fifty-year high : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they don’t know which sources of information about the economy are trustworthy : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. HR officers who strongly believe that their performance-management system leads to improvement : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. millennial employees who say they have adopted slang to fit in with their younger co-workers : 28

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. Gen Z employees who say they struggle to understand their older co-workers : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults planning to retire who intend to do so before the age of 50 : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they would not stop to pick up a coin of any value off the street : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Number of households set to be added to the New York City Housing Authority’s Section 8 voucher wait list this month : 200,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years it would take NYCHA to issue this number of vouchers at its expected rate : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of New York City residents who are millionaires : 1/24

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in the number of millionaires in New York City over the past decade : +48

[Harper’s Index]

In the number of billionaires in New York City in that time span : +25

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum estimated amount spent by the NYPD on overtime for officers responding to protests since October 7, 2023 : $65,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the United States is spending too much on aid to Israel : 47

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that the United States is not spending enough : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the United States is spending too much on aid to Ukraine : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that the United States is not spending enough : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Russians who say they felt angered by the news of Alexei Navalny’s death : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Russians who approve of President Vladimir Putin’s handling of foreign policy : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they feel comfortable criticizing Putin both online and offline : 62

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of people in India who say that social media has been a good thing for their democracy : 3/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Anguilla’s nominal GDP in 2023 that came from “.ai” web-domain registration fees : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of Johns Hopkins University’s funding in the past decade that came from tuition and fees : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. college students who have considered dropping out in the past six months : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which those considering dropping out are more likely to cite emotional stress than financial reasons : 74

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. parents who say their children prefer online shopping to any other form of entertainment : 22

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage who say their children have an online-shopping addiction : 16

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in OB-GYN residency applicants in the United States since 2022 : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in OB-GYN residency applicants in states that have enacted abortion bans : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. women and girls aged 15–49 who live in states where abortion is banned or severely restricted : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of organ-transplant recipients who report changes in their personality after their operation : 89

[Harper’s Index]

Who report changes in their religious or spiritual beliefs : 13

Readings

[Essay]

The Eyes of Others

by Hisham Matar,

[In-flight Entertainment]

Simply

by Rae Armantrout,

The Mountains, a painting by Andrea Breinbauer, whose work was on view last month with Sobering Galerie at the Seattle Art Fair.

“Stephen, Mayflies, Temple, Oklahoma,” a photograph by Holly Lynton, whose series Bare Handed was on view in February with Momentum at Zona Maco, in Mexico City. Lynton’s series Beyond the Bounds is on view through September at Les Rencontres d’Arles, in France.

The Last Ten Dollars, a painting by Veronica Fernandez, whose work was on view in June as part of the exhibition What Will You Give? at Sidecar at Night Gallery, in Los Angeles.

A photograph by Clay Maxwell Jordan from his book Perpetual Care, which was published in June by Fall Line Press.

The Mountains, a painting by Andrea Breinbauer, whose work was on view last month with Sobering Galerie at the Seattle Art Fair.

The Last Ten Dollars, a painting by Veronica Fernandez, whose work was on view in June as part of the exhibition What Will You Give? at Sidecar at Night Gallery, in Los Angeles.