Illustration by Joaquin Kunkel/Edited by Koh Terai

Here at The Gazelle, we work hard to bring you interesting, informative content that you can enjoy and engage with. But what do we read when we aren’t in production every Saturday, working late into the night? The Weekly Graze is a new series where The Gazelle’s staff pick their favorite written pieces over the week.

Sebastian Rojas Cabal Managing Editor

All the Shah's Men, Stephen Kinzer (book)

This book is a great point of departure for anyone who wants to understand Iran today. It sets the stage by providing a brief account of the rise of the Persian Empire and the emergence of Shia Islam, as well as the latter's relationship to Iran. The rest of the book is devoted to identifying some of the key actors involved in the 1953 coup d'etat in Iran: Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, demoted Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, among others. Understanding who are these people and what they have done is crucial to comprehend the reasons behind the 1979 revolution and the implications it continues to have in the world we live in.

Supriya Kamath Head Deputy Copy Chief

The Science of Success, David Dobbs (article)

Like most of the things I've been reading lately, this article was brought to my attention during one of my classes. The article details new findings in the field of genetics and evolutionary psychology, with the most important being the Orchid Hypothesis, the belief that genes for depression, anxiety and mental health issues are not maladaptive, but were, in fact, actively selected by evolutionary processes. While the article itself is not new per se, the idea has been gaining increasing weight in recent years. The article, therefore, succinctly details a groundbreaking idea that challenges the age-old vulnerability model of mental disorders, and in doing so poses serious questions to the line of thinking that certain genes are supposedly good and that those associated with mental health issues are bad.

Muhammad Usman Features Editor

Pakistan, A Hard Country, Anatol Lieven (book)

I have only gotten through 60 pages of Lieven’s most recent book, and I am already incredibly impressed. Perhaps this is because earnest, sympathetic outlooks on Pakistan are hard to find. Or maybe that it is refreshing to hear about my country’s challenges beyond the obvious issues of Islamism and terrorism. Mostly, it’s that Lieven treats Pakistan as a serious subject, and one he is willing to invest himself in. Nothing he says is revolutionary. His main argument is that Pakistan fails because institutions in Pakistan cannot adapt to the very strong kinship networks within the country. This argument has been made for many other groups, societies and countries. It works for Pakistan as well. And for somebody from Pakistan, I found myself agreeing with everything Lieven has said all the way to page 60. I cannot wait to finish it.

Grega Ulen Copy Chief

Angel of Oblivion, Maja Haderlap (book)

This sad and powerful autobiography of a bilingual writer from a Slovenian minority in Austria details life after the atrocities of the World War II. The author rewrites the histories of violence, telling the untold herstories and mourning the often forgotten Carinthian Slovenian victims of the Holocaust. Negotiating borders, languages of ancestors and enemies and personal and collective memory, the touching tale grapples with the past in order to reclaim the present and banishes the angel of oblivion from history.

Jocilyn Estes Opinion Editor

A Few Words About Breasts, Nora Ephron (essay)

Published in Esquire around 40 years ago, the author recounts her experience growing up flat-chested. Ephron is most famous for writing romances like Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally, but here she delivers an incredibly blunt essay that will make you laugh and get pissed-off at society in equal measure. The most quotable, punchy line is delivered at the end: “I have thought about their remarks, tried to put myself in their place, considered their point of view. I think they are full of shit.”