 | By Mike Benoist |
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 | | This weekend’s Sunday Read tells the story of “the greatest lottery scam in history.”Illustration by Francesco Francavilla |
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What kind of story do you want to listen to on a Sunday morning? |
That’s a question I’d never asked myself until recently. But it’s one that a small group of us on the audio team have been trying to answer every week since we started The Sunday Read. |
The project began back in March without any real planning or forethought. Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had recently contracted the coronavirus in Australia, so we decided to run a read-aloud profile of Hanks by one of our favorite writers, Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It was an easy decision — Akner’s perceptive, thoughtful, funny writing paired well with Hanks, who was doing his typical Tom Hanks thing, making us feel better even when he had the coronavirus. |
Since then, our producers Kelly Prime, Neena Pathak and I have experimented with all kinds of stories, narrated by our friends at Audm. Some, like “Facing the Wind,” a beautiful essay about parenting in time of protest by Carvell Wallace, speak urgently to the moment we are living in. Others, like a profile of the astrophysicist Sara Seager by Chris Jones, transport us from whatever’s going on and offer us perspective. This Sunday’s story, a yarn by Reid Forgrave about the greatest lottery scam in history, is pure escape. |
I guess what we’ve learned so far is that there is no right answer to the question “What’s the best story for this week?” I used to edit these kinds of stories at The New York Times Magazine, and now editing for audio often feels like picking up a second language. Music? Tape? I have a lot to learn. But the kinds of stories that excited me at the magazine are the same ones that seem to work when read aloud: stories that surprise you and take you someplace you wouldn’t otherwise go. Personal stories are good. Narratives, too. What matters is that they’re stories that make you feel something. |
We’re still figuring this whole thing out. But we hope, more often than not, we find something worthy of your time if you tune in while you are making pancakes or walking the dog or jogging with your mask on. Oh, and let us know what you think. In the meantime, we’ll just keep asking the question. |
Revisiting voices from the pandemic |
After Monday’s episode, which examined a turning point in Hong Kong’s history of free speech, The Daily spent the rest of the week catching up with guests we interviewed in the early weeks of the pandemic. Here’s an update on what’s happened to them since our original conversations aired. |
 | | Dr. Fabiano Di Marco, head of the respiratory unit of the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo, Italy.Dr. Fabiano Di Marco |
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In March, as Italy became the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe, we spoke to Dr. Fabiano Di Marco, a doctor triaging care at the heart of the crisis outside of Milan. After months of strict lockdowns and a gradual reopening, the pandemic is past its peak in Italy. |
“Much of March is a blur for me,” one listener wrote to us, “but your episode with Dr. Di Marco stands out in my memory like a beacon. I remember standing in my kitchen, staring blankly into my backyard with tears in my eyes, as I listened to him speak about the absolute horror he was experiencing every day.” |
Di Marco’s hospital recently discharged its last I.C.U. patient with severe symptoms of Covid-19. It was the first time that the unit had no cases in 137 days. |
 | | Achut Deng and her sons.Achut Deng |
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After surviving civil war and malaria in Sudan, Achut Deng came to America thinking she “could never go through hell.” Then, she was faced with the coronavirus. |
We called her in May to hear what it was like to be one of the most vulnerable workers in America during the pandemic, having contracted Covid-19 inside the Smithfield pork factory in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This week, we asked Achut about her experience returning to work after the plant was ravaged by over a thousand cases of the virus. |
The plant has introduced several new safety precautions, including P.P.E., plexiglas barriers and onsite testing. But a federal investigation into the original conditions at the plant, which began in May, continues. |
After hearing from dozens of Daily listeners, Achut has begun to see her experience in a new light and now recognizes the power of her voice. She’s thinking about writing a book in the hopes of inspiring women and young people. |
 | | The Lombrage family. From left: Gaby, Jasmine, Angelle and Angel.Jasmine Lombrage |
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In May, as restrictions began to ease in Louisiana, we spoke with Jasmine Lombrage as she and her family were grappling with the decision to reopen their restaurant in Baton Rouge, the Bullfish Bar and Kitchen. |
Hours after our conversation aired, a Daily listener started a GoFundMe campaign and donations poured in. Others reached out directly to the Lombrage family with offers of financial support, prayers and food orders. Their support has allowed the Lombrage family to remain closed for indoor service, while still offering outdoor service and takeout in the interest of protecting their immunocompromised daughter. |
“I would never forget the people that called from all over the world just to let us know that they’re praying for us, they’re with us and they’re supporting us,” Jasmine told us. “Just so many good people in this world. I’m just thankful.” |
Tilly remembers her grandfather, three months on: |
 | | Tilly Breimhorst at a lake.Zoe Breimhorst |
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In May, Tilly Breimhorst, 12, spoke to us about losing her grandfather, Craig, to the coronavirus. Tilly recalled memories of them making French toast together and climbing on the roof to look at stars. Sadness feels like “an ocean filled with nothing,” she notably said. |
After the episode aired, Tilly began receiving letters from people across the U.S. who knew her grandfather. Others wrote to share their own experience of losing a grandparent. |
One of our listeners, Lee Goldman, wrote a letter to Tilly saying, “For those lucky people like you and me, we were blessed with enough time to know our grandparents, and for them to have an impact on us that will never go away.” |
This summer, Tilly has been visiting places she used to go with her grandfather — like the nature reserve near his house. She’s also running through sprinklers, going to the pool and playing lots of Minecraft with her friends. |
That’s it for The Daily newsletter. See you next week. |
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