Take a literary road trip across America, with book recommendations for all 50 states. | Lit Hub. “Although I have not inherited a physical plot, I’ve inherited dual impulses related to how I define home.” Sadiya Ansari on family, place and inheritance in South Asia and North America. | Lit Hub Memoir.

Lit Hub Daily: August 14, 2024

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit a real-life castle in California? Hearst Castle, perched on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean, offers just that experience. Built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, this architectural marvel boasts opulent rooms, lush gardens, and stunning views. Imagine walking through grand halls filled with priceless art, swimming in a pool lined with gold, or strolling through gardens that seem to go on forever. Whether you're a history buff, an architecture enthusiast, or just someone looking for a unique day trip, Hearst Castle promises a memorable adventure. Ready to explore? Let's dive in!

Hearst Castle – California’s Hilltop Palace

Asheboro, NC

The North Carolina Zoo has been ranked No. 1 in Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards. In the publication’s list of the top 10 U.S. zoos, the Asheboro zoo outperformed well-known institutions like the Bronx Zoo and the San Diego Zoo, according to WBTV. This accolade coincides with the zoo’s 50th anniversary, a milestone marked by significant wildlife conservation expansions over 130 acres and new sculpture installations featuring the zoo’s first Galapagos tortoises.

North Carolina Zoo Named Top Zoo in America

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 10, 2022. It has since been updated. Faced with the reality of being slaves in a foreign land, Igbo people chose death as they walked into the ocean and drowned while still chained to each other. It was one of the first documented acts of rebellion from the people of Africa against white slave traders. It was the year 1803 and 75 West Africans, with a majority of them being Igbo, were sold for $100 each to John Couper and Thomas Spalding. Originating from Nigeria, the Igbo people were renowned for their industriousness, independence, and pride in their work. John Couper and Thomas Spalding "bought" the Igbo people with the intention of taking them to work on plantations in St. Simons Island, Georgia, in the U.S. They were packed onto a slave ship but as the ship neared Georgia, Igbo people rebelled and took over the ship, killing the captain and some of the crew. The ship ran aground in Dunbar Creek, off St. Simons Island, according to Mother Jones.

Igbo landing: Remembering enslaved Africans who chose death over slavery by walking into the ocean

USA TODAY

A federal investigation found at least 973 kids died at US-run Native American boarding schools. It suggests several measures, including an apology.

'Crying for their parents': More than 900 children died at Indian boarding schools, U.S. report finds

MARLEY WAS SWEATY, LIKE SO SWEATY, to begin with. The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. The Bunny thing was bad, obviously, but the snow melting and the fact that it was so hot this time of year was keeping us all up at night with anxiety.

The first lines of 10 classic novels, updated for the hottest days of summer.

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

Herbie J Pilato

It's been eight years since former TV child star Sawyer Sweeten, best known from Everybody Loves Raymond, died tragically by suicide at only 19 years old. Sawyer Sweeten, his twin brother Sullivan Sweeten, and their older sister Madylin, played Ray Romano's TV children on Everybody Loves Raymond, the Emmy-winning sitcom that originally aired on CBS 1996 to 2005.

The Tragic Suicide of Former TV Child Star Sawyer Sweeten ('Everybody Loves Raymond'): 9 Years Later

Virginia State

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 17, 2022. It has since been updated. When Kimberly Morris started tracing her family roots, stretching back to her ancestors' enslavement in the 1800s, she didn't expect to uncover an incredible piece of history. Her genealogy journey led her to a decaying, one-room schoolhouse hidden in the woods of Virginia's Caroline County, a place overtaken by nature since her father's childhood. "This is my family's history," Morris told The Washington Post about the century-old building with its torn-up floor, precarious roof, and missing windows.

Black woman digging for her roots discovers father's segregated schoolhouse decaying in Virginia woods

Underscore News

An at once gripping, heartbreaking and beautiful documentary made its way to the big screens this August. “Sugarcane” is a personal film that follows an investigation into unmarked graves found on the grounds of an Indigenous residential school run by a Catholic church in Canada. When the film’s...

‘Sugarcane’ Details Filmmaker’s Personal Investigation at an Indigenous Residential School

Hawaii State

Wide Open Country

We tend to think that successful entertainers grew up in plush circumstances. That is hardly the case. Many endured all kinds of obstacles that tested their mettle to the limit. Singer Jewel, for example, is opening up about her early years on a small potato farm near Homer, Alaska. It...

Jewel Opens Up About Her Humble Beginnings On A Potato Farm

Polk County, FL

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

The Conversation Africa

Germany was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to bring the past into the light. It explores not just the history of German colonialism, but also how its legacy has played out in German society, politics and the media. We asked Henning Melber about his book.

German colonialism in Africa has a chilling history – new book explores how it lives on

Ohio State

The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

Las Vegas, NV

Bellingham Metro News

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck areas near Las Vegas on Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Service (USGS). The quake, which occurred at 8:06 p.m., was centered approximately 45 minutes from Las Vegas, near Indian Springs.

Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake Shakes Areas Near Las Vegas

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

New York City, NY

The famous 75 Wall Street, a 42-story luxury apartment tower located on the world-renowned Wall Street, is sited on the New York Slave Market. The slave trade in New York started with 11 West African captives who were brought to New Amsterdam, renamed New York in 1626, by Dutch settlers.

How Wall Street used to be a trading port for slaves

Nevada State

NBC News

The Murdoch family feud taking place in an obscure Nevada court highlights the state’s surging popularity as a global center of family trusts and a friendly home to the world’s biggest fortunes. According to legal industry rankings, Nevada is now the top state in the country when it...

Murdoch family battle highlights Nevada's secret trust boom

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

New York Post

Employees who worked at at Bill Gates’ mega-charity claimed they were terrified by the billionaire’s domineering behavior — with one was likening the tech tycoon to France’s King Louis XIV, according to a new book.

Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft who went on to start one of the world’s largest philanthropic endeavors, is said to have lorded over the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with an intimidating presence that left staffers dreading his “inquisition.”

The charity has been renamed the Gates Foundation following the departure of ex-wife Melinda French Gates, who divorced the software pioneer over his reputed philandering as well...

‘Scariest person in the world’ Bill Gates ‘terrified’ his mega-charity employees: new book

NewsBreak

Imagining Home: On Family, Place and Inheritance in South Asia and North America

What would my own grandmother’s home have looked like? The first time I really thought about it, it sent a pang of jealousy through me for...

Imagining Home: On Family, Place and Inheritance in South Asia and North America

Comments / 0