Some light reading on colonialism if that’s your thing

GQ’s feature on the 26-year-old American missionary who tried to convert the uncontacted Sentinelese tribe (you probably saw bits and pieces of the outcome blow up on your timeline back in November) is everything you ever wanted to know about what the fuck, why the fuck, and how the fuck it all happened. 

It’s long as hell but told in the style of those classic GQ epics, so you’ll barely notice, and if it somehow gets you in a weird little state of mind where you wanna read more on colonialism, might we once again recommend Hanya Yanagihara’s (yes, the A Little Life author) The People In The Trees. It’s Yanagihara’s debut novel from 2013, and it’s one of those books that ends up being freakishly relevant on all kinds of themes: basic colonialism, abuse of power, disgraced geniuses, the destructive impacts of capitalism and Big Pharma, and questions of what’s not ethical to do on behalf of a “greater good.” (It’s also written in the style of an annotated memoir/piece of research, so that part is extra trippy/genius). 

The premise: a young doctor goes along on an expedition to a remote (made-up) Micronesian island and discovers a totally uncontacted tribe — and maybe the secret to immortality. But that’s JUST the beginning. (Lmk if you read it!! I want your thoughts!!)