Five Fantastic Articles of 2010
December 28th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Every so often, an article leaves me laughing, crying or feeling pangs of jealousy about a writer’s talent. These ten articles elicited one of those reactions in me and, in my meager and humble opinion, were some of the best that I read in 2010:
Katie Roiphe examines the country’s obsession with Mad Men and comes to some interesting conclusions. In the height of summer’s Mad Men mania, this article provided an interesting take on why we’re so drawn to Don Draper.
“In the early ’60s they smoldered against the repression of the ’50s; and it may be that we smolder a little against the wilier and subtler repression of our own undoubtedly healthier, more upstanding times.”
4. September 11th and the Democracy of Images
Susie Linfield, who directs the Cultural Reporting and Criticism program at NYU, writes about Gilles Peress’s “Here is New York” – an exhibit that displayed 9/11 photography taken by Magnum photographers and amateurs alike.
“Documenting 9/11 meant, also, documenting the look of the city itself: not just as an agglomeration of buildings, bridges, sidewalks, and street signs but as a living, breathing, achingly vulnerable actor in this drama.”
Like most of Lindy West’s reviews for the Stranger, this article got me laughing like crazy. But even though her writing is completely caustic and utterly comical, I appreciated her hilarious commentary on Sex and the City 2.
“SATC2 takes everything that I hold dear as a woman and as a human—working hard, contributing to society, not being an entitled cunt like it’s my job—and rapes it to death with a stiletto that costs more than my car.”
2. A New Page:
Nicholson Baker’s article for the New Yorker pries deep into the inner workings of the Kindle, explaining the technology behind the device, Amazon’s marketing strategies, and even his own experiences with it. He gives the Kindle a fair chance, examining whether or not the Kindle could actually replace books with binding.
If you spoke to me at all since the July 25th issue of New York Magazine, you probably heard me raving about this article and proclaiming it “the best celebrity profile of our time.” After rereading, I might take back all the comparisons I made to Guy Talese’s profile of Old Blue Eyes. But in a year where celeb-profiles provoked twitter battles over who ordered truffle-flavored french fries (thanks, MIA), Sam Anderson’s peek into the life of (quite possibly) the busiest man on the planet really stood out.
“Before he turns to walk away, Franco does something surprising: He winks at me. I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.”
Have any favorite articles of 2010? Did you rant and rave about one for months like me?
