Race and Identity
Rebirth of the Phoenix
Thirty years ago, my family fled their home in war-torn Vietnam to start a new life in New Orleans: kids, a home in the suburbs, a successful business. Then Hurricane Katrina washed it all away. A first-person account of my parents’ struggle to rebuild their lives — for the second time — and discover the true meaning of home.
ALSO: Read my take on the historic election of the first Vietnamese-American to Congress.
{More»}Recession Living
Once-Trendy Crocs Could Be on Their Last Legs»
Could the recession kill Crocs? Only an economy of excess could have produced a shoe so ugly, yet so beloved. A look at the fast-rising fortunes and rapid decline of the shoe that we love to hate (and secretly hate to love).
Consumer Culture
A Race to Keep Up With the Tightwads»The recession has changed the conversation in America.At play dates and happy hours, friends are swapping recipes instead of making restaurant reservations. Teenagers are skipping flashy block-long limos and showing up to prom in minivans. Coupons has become a more popular search term than Britney Spears on Google. Instead of feeling self-conscious about spending less, people are flaunting their frugality.
Food and Fitness
The Tale of Tofurky»
Seth Tibbott was just an ordinary hippie living in a treehouse when he came up with a multimillion-dollar idea that would become a cultural icon and make him the hero of vegetarians around the world.
