Magazine - The Boston Globe

January 24, 2021

For schoolchildren struggling to read, COVID-19 has been a wrecking ball

Kids in need of remedial reading support were already vulnerable before the pandemic. Now they’re facing educational ruin.

Everything about the pandemic has been bad, except this...

At the end of 2020, the Globe Magazine’s Miss Conduct invited readers to share their hard-won lessons from a pandemic year. This is what they had to say.

Three reasons why I know we have a great couple years ahead

I know this seems hard to believe, especially with the country still reeling from the death throes of the Trump administration. So why my optimism?

No gym, no problem. My 20 relatives and I work out on Zoom now

Dinner With Cupid

Blind date: ‘I wore slippers on a date for the first time!’

Recipes: Four dishes that rethink pesto and rev up pasta

Home design ideas: Creating a serene backdrop for a bedroom

How do I get over my ex?

Do you send gifts when you’re invited to a Zoom party?

Homes for sale with metal roofs, in Swampscott and and Ipswich

Five things to do online, Jan. 25-31
Celebrate the Lunar New Year, explore how young people are leading the charge for change, discuss racism with kids, and more.

Letters to the editor of Globe Magazine

Readers weigh in on Bostonians of the Year and a school nurse’s essay.

January 10, 2021

Jujubee’s fierce optimism is what we all need right now

2020 was the biggest year yet for the breakout star of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ but it wasn’t easy. Here’s what got her through.

Jujubee’s guide to making 2021 just a little brighter

Exclusive excerpt

How many friends do we really need to be happy?

On my quest for more meaningful friendships, I took a hard look at the people in my life. Then things got a little weird.

January 3, 2021

Photos of the Year

The Globe photographers’ best photos of 2020

Discover the stories behind some of the most memorable images from a long year.

December 27, 2020

Diagnosed with cancer at age 8, Mateo Goldman needed something like a miracle. He got two

A German stranger’s stem cells became the Massachusetts boy’s first bridge to life. But when his body rejected the treatment, where could he turn?

Dave Barry’s year in review: 2020, what can we say . . .

Murder hornets wound up as a bright spot. It was that kind of year.

December 13, 2020

2020 BOSTONIANS OF THE YEAR

The Front Line

The Front Line

In 2020, they stood up to fight the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. Meet the people leading us through a harrowing year.

THE COVID SCIENTISTS

Stacey Gabriel and the Broad Institute, plus Galit Alter, Lindsey Baden, and Ashish Jha

THE SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES

Monica Cannon-Grant, Queen-Cheyenne Wade, Segun Idowu, and Sofia Meadows

SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES

THE COMMUNITY LEADERS

Gladys Vega and La Colaborativa

THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Health care workers, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, and so many more

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

THE HUNGER FIGHTERS

Erin McAleer and Project Bread

THE ROLE MODEL

Jaylen Brown, activist and athlete

Galit Alter: Connecting scientists to speed up the COVID-19 fight
By encouraging other researchers to share their work, Alter opened doors to new kinds of collaboration.

Lindsey Baden: Taking action on multiple fronts against COVID-19
Baden helped organize efforts to test treatments, co-led the development of a potential vaccine, and opened the floodgates to getting cutting-edge research published.

Ashish Jha: Speaking out for science and for public health in the pandemic
He didn’t want to be a TV personality, but Jha wanted Americans to be well-informed about COVID-19.

December 6, 2020 | Winter Travel Preview

Family fun on our dog-sledding adventure in the forests of New Hampshire

We ventured up north in search of the quiet magic that only falling snow can conjure.

What to expect on New England’s ski slopes this season of COVID

With new safety guidelines in place, resorts are ready for a winter of social distancing for skiers and snowboarders.

How to have a great (and safe) time in Florida if you’re considering a trip this winter

Drive or fly? Stay in a hotel or house rental? Answering questions south-bound travelers have about the Sunshine State.

November 29, 2020

Germany has lessons about containing the damage of COVID-19. It’s not too late for us to start listening

To most German people and politicians, a mask is still just a mask, not a fraught symbol. And that’s making an enormous difference.

Exclusive Excerpt

The origin story of the 2008 Boston Celtics’ Big Three

In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Michael Holley reveals what it took for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen to come together as champions.

November 22, 2020 | Top Places to Work

The 2020 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

In a year when the pandemic upended, well, everything, these organizations put their employees first.

HubSpot: No. 1 on list of largest companies in Massachusetts in 2020

Enterprise Bank: No 1 on the list of large employers in Massachusetts for 2020

Aqueduct Technologies: No. 1 on the list of medium-size companies in Massachusetts

P.J. Spillane Co.: No. 1 on the list of small companies in Massachusetts for 2020

How these companies are digging deep to address racial inequity at work — and beyond

When forced to furlough employees, these companies had one goal: Bring everyone back

A funny thing happened while I was working from home

Getting creative to help workers whose kids are stuck at home

Explore the special issue

November 15, 2020 | Holiday Style

20 ideas to rescue the holiday spirit with family and friends in 2020

Recipes: 5 home-baked treats designed to travel

28 gift ideas from New England stores and makers

November 8, 2020

The Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts

Meet the female power players of the Bay State.

November 1, 2020 | The Medical Issue

I wrote about losing my wife to younger-onset Alzheimer’s. This is what helped me feel less alone

People who had also lost loved ones to dementia wrote to me in droves, showing me the importance of community.

Why are Black Americans twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as white Americans?
New research into a “silent epidemic” suggests experiencing racism may damage the brain.

A DNA mystery: A woman was supposed to get Alzheimer’s by 50. Why didn’t she?
Mass. General’s Yakeel Quiroz led the search for what was protecting a Colombian woman into her early 70s — and if it might hold promise for others.

These lifestyle changes may protect your brain from Alzheimer’s and dementia

5 advances in Alzheimer’s research and treatment that could make a difference
Improved diagnostics, new ideas for prevention, and perhaps finally a drug for the disease.

October 25, 2020

An unsolved 1969 murder of a Harvard grad student. My decade-long quest for answers

After an initial investigation, the mysterious case of Jane Britton’s murder went cold. I heard the story as an undergrad and couldn’t shake it until I learned the truth.

‘In Bikelife, if you know how to ride it doesn’t matter how you look, there’s no discrimination’

Supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs is our best hope for jump-starting the economy

October 18, 2020

Why the Broadway showman who dumped Babe Ruth from the Red Sox was smarter than we think

Your Home | KItchens & Baths

They wanted to fix a chilly bathroom, but wound up updating the house

Carving out room for a bathroom in the attic and family dining space

A supersized kitchen island fit for a family's busy lifestyle

A bathroom goes from locker room feel to bright showpiece

October 4, 2020 | The Education Issue

METCO schools are at the intersection of the pandemic and racism

Five ways you can help kids learn better in online school right now

Why learning pods could be worse for public schools than the pandemic

Will my kid learn anything this school year?

September 27, 2020

I knew getting prostate cancer at 48 would change me. I had no idea how much.

A deeply personal, sometimes harrowing, and often funny tale about a disease that affects millions of men, whether they want to talk about it or not.

Plus: Listen to the new podcast miniseries "Mr. 80 Percent"Check out more stories and resources about prostate cancerJoin the discussion in our new Facebook group

September 20, 2020

Your Home | Relaxing Retreats

Optimizing a home for serenity doesn’t mean it has to be boring

Stay-at-home design: Bright gathering spaces and moody nooks for study and work

Interior design tricks that brought calm to a chaotic open floor plan

Your Home | Guide

How the pandemic is changing what Boston-area home buyers want

After spending months in quarantine, almost every buyer is chasing the same basic criteria.

September 13, 2020 | Fall Travel

A socially distanced father-daughter adventure in New Hampshire’s White Mountains

Ten (mostly) outdoor museums to take in some art and history this fall

Seven easy New England bicycle trails that the whole family will love

August 30, 2020

Your Financial Future

Six smart ways to manage your money through the pandemic economy

What to do if you’re feeling too squeezed to save, how to negotiate with creditors, where to find help, and more advice for navigating frightening times.

PLUS

How to find the right kind of financial coach for you (even if you’re on a budget)

Can anyone afford to retire in Massachusetts?

The looming economic crisis for America’s seniors

Five tips for managing a 401(k) during the pandemic’s turbulence

August 23, 2020

As an underage teen, she was exploited by a sexual predator online. Then he came after her in the real world

Sarah Cooper's road map to keeping kids safe from online predators

A math problem stumped experts for 50 years. This grad student from Maine solved it in days

August 16, 2020

The paper mill was everything to the people of Jay, Maine. Then it exploded

‘Wouldn’t backyard chickens be fun?’ you say. Be careful what you wish for

August 9, 2020

Racing the clock to stop drug-resistant superbugs

If something isn't done now, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill as many as 10 million people a year by 2050. A little-known Boston nonprofit could be our best hope.

Photo essay: The 1975 battle for civil rights on Carson Beach

July 26, 2020

Your Home | Design Refresher

‘I can’t believe this came out of it’: A Provincetown guesthouse gets reinvented as a single-family

Transforming an old Berkshires barn into a contemporary home

Dressing down a stuffy formal home to be bright, light, and easy

July 19, 2020

How a suspicious fire saved America’s first homeless shelter for women
In 1984, in Boston's swiftly gentrifying South End, a blaze tore through Rosie's Place. If it was meant to destroy the shelter, it only made it stronger.

‘Daddy, I’m bored.’ If you’re a parent, you’re hearing that a lot these days. It’s a good thing

Growing up Black in all the wrong places

I grew up in New Hampshire, one of the nation’s whitest states. Returning to my childhood home during the pandemic has led me to a reckoning.

July 12, 2020

They’ve been granted parole. So why can it take years for them to get out of prison?

The Department of Corrections sometimes doesn’t release prisoners for years after they’re approved for parole. Many then are sent back for minor missteps.

How Joe McCarthy (yes, that McCarthy) helped launch the Kennedy dynasty

Without assists from the best-known conservative firebrand of their day, JFK and RFK might never have become progressive icons.

Why words aren’t enough from companies claiming to support Black Lives Matter

The bar for public reckoning has been set low in the United States. But real change is possible if companies examine their own past failures.

June 28, 2020

How can Boston’s bar scene possibly recover from the COVID-19 shutdown?

I helped build Eastern Standard and more of the city's most popular spots for cocktails and celebration. Now, I'm struggling to envision the road ahead.

‘I cried in private’: The stress of being a doctor and parent working in a COVID-19 unit

The ways medical professionals try to protect their own families at home, while treating patients at work.

Inside the world of New England pigeon racing, where a win can bring $100,000

“The racing part is nice, but the joy of seeing that bird come home, it’s amazing."

your home: summer living

A century-old Rhode Island cottage updated to look original

The challenge of building a dramatic home on Maine’s rocky coast

A traditional farmhouse on Martha’s Vineyard, with a very modern twist

June 21, 2020

THANK YOU

To those striving to save lives. To those keeping us going. To those fighting for a better future.

I Find Hope Because of You

By Ayanna Pressley

Health Care Workers Saving Lives

Scientists Searching for a Treatment

By Dr. WIlliam G. Kaelin Jr.

The Heart of Our Restaurants

By Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers

Protesters Are Essential Workers

By Monica Cannon-Grant

See the full list from the Gratitude Issue →

June 14, 2020 | What About Summer?

Boston area bartenders share cocktail recipes you can make at home

5 Greater Boston ice cream shops that deliver

How to plan a perfect picnic

Explore these less-traveled spaces at 8 Boston area parks and open spaces

Seven tips for planting a flourishing container garden

Summer vacation plans fall through? Don’t forget camping or renting an RV

June 7, 2020 | Healthy Living

Welcome to Burnout Nation, where stress makes everything not OK

The Japanese art of tidying up is nice. But what we need in a pandemic is the Japanese way of finding balance

I could really use a robot companion right about now

How to recognize the signs of burnout from stress

May 31, 2020 | Summer Travel

Escape to these hidden lakes of New England

This summer, some travelers will be avoiding the most popular freshwater destinations. Here are some gems off the beaten path.

Here’s how New England hotels and resorts are getting ready for summer travelers

Eight free apps for modern-day naturalistsA few ways New Englanders have tried to ward off bugs

Yellowstone is doing just fine without us, thank you very much

May 17, 2020

The ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author has a message for the Class of 2020

The 5 scariest ways scammers try to rip us off

How to report a scam

I lost both my parents in the COVID-19 era. How do I reopen my own life?

May 10, 2020

The ‘fourth trimester’ and plight of new mothers during a pandemic

Life in the coronavirus era

12 ideas to honor a special 2020 graduate in your life

He long dreamed of publishing a poetry book. A year after his death, he is.

May 3, 2020

The Great Divide

Boston Latin and the biggest test of their young lives

The future of these sixth-graders is on the line as they compete for a spot at one of the country’s best schools. But the playing field is far from level.

Impossible coronavirus decisions and the price tag on human life

Assigning value to human life isn’t as rare as you think. The coronavirus pandemic just makes it more obvious.

April 26, 2020

Jubilee Jim Fisk and the great Civil War score

In 1865, a failed stockbroker tries to pull off one of the boldest financial schemes in American history: the original big short.

Is the coronavirus pandemic Mother Nature’s revenge?

Parents, you can't replace teachers. But you can do this to help your kids

April 19, 2020 | Top Spots to Live

Top spots to live in Greater Boston in 2020

The 24 communities seeing the biggest leaps in house prices north, south, and west of Boston, plus in the city itself.

By region

Top spots to live 2020: Boston neighborhoods

Top spots to live 2020: North of Boston

Top Spots to Live 2020: West of Boston

Top spots to live 2020: South of Boston

Real estate professionals on how coronavirus has changed what they do

Yes, people are still buying and selling homes during coronavirus. Here’s how.

April 5, 2020

75+ things to do while coronavirus has you stuck at home

If cabin fever is setting in, try these options for fun, self-improvement, and some stress relief.

Plus

5 of the world's best museums you can visit from your phone

10 virtual adventures that will take you around the world

6 easy ways to get kids involved with cooking while they're at home

Activities for kids: Tell a silly story, play games, and learn new jokes

March 29, 2020

dispatches from the edge

A week that coronavirus changed everything, too fast and too slow

Dispatches from the Edge

Apocalypse preppers, survivalists, and homesteaders aren't that worried

The latest COVID-19 coverage from The Boston Globe

Green Hospitals

Curing hospitals’ addiction to the fossil fuels that make people sick

More dispatches from the edge

12 small business owners on how coronavirus has affected them

Why we closed: The MFA, ICA, and Gardner Museum directors on their difficult coronavirus decision

How religious leaders are keeping faith during coronavirus, even from a social distance

I have clinical anxiety. If the coronavirus scares you, this might help

My 46-hour hunt for toilet paper

At risk populations: ‘What helps is feeling like you’re not going it alone’

6 voices from college: Alone in a dorm, what a coronavirus diagnosis feels like, and more

‘I have literally lost 11 pounds in the last week’: Trying to keep restaurants afloat during coronavirus

Can AI predict a coronavirus infection before doctors even do a test?

8 songs to wash your hands by (that aren’t Happy Birthday)

I don’t know if I can get married there now

The race to develop a coronavirus test in a New Hampshire hospital

Your Home | Smart Solutions

Ideas to reinvigorate a ranch-style house

Check out life in a 520-square-foot condo

Portsmouth, N.H.

Bringing modern sensibility to a vintage house

March 22, 2020

‘You don’t understand, Captain. He has a gun’: The hijacking of Flight 1320

March 15, 2020 | Spring Travel

Big deals at 8 top New England resorts and inns

Need a change of scenery? Spring mud season is the time to score a bit of luxury for a lot less.

A Tucson local’s guide to Arizona’s hippest city

The dusty western town of old has metamorphosed into a sophisticated urban destination. And the culinary scene is on fire.

A women-only adventure tour through the Andes

What was I looking for? Muscle-burning hiking, good conversation with new friends, and a great steak at the end.

March 8, 2020 | Spring Arts Preview

Problak paints the Boston we often don’t see

Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ is turning Concord into a must-see destination

40+ arts events around New England (some free!) you won’t want to miss

March 1, 2020

How a rollicking Portland league is leading the nationwide comeback of bowling. Yes, bowling.

Joan Lunden: I was in my 50s buying strollers for twins and a wheelchair for my mom

Check out our 2019 archive to catch up on features you may have missed

The 2019 Top Places to Work in Mass.

Help was just a few feet away

How could a woman be left to die outside an emergency room?

Top Spots to Live

What are the top places around Greater Boston to buy a home?

February 23, 2020 | The Parenting Issue

How much can parents really control how their kids turn out?

To raise healthy eaters, break those rules you learned as a kid

Six reasons to send kids to overnight summer camp (that are good for parents)

Parents’ obsession with raising happy kids is a big problem

February 9, 2020

What I’ve learned about how we treat each other from 15 years as Miss Conduct

Amid Irish potato famine, a ship from Boston embarked on history’s first humanitarian mission

Your Home | Makeovers

A Canton couple remakes their home to make way for grandkids

Putting off a move to the suburbs, a young family remakes a Back Bay condo

A gut rehab transforms a Somerville single-family

Renovating a Westwood home, guided by simplicity

February 2, 2020

Success is killing San Francisco. Is Boston next?

Driving in Boston as a man, after my gender transition

The stories we tell ourselves about homeless people

January 26, 2020

The 29 best new restaurants in Boston and the suburbs

Louis C.K. wants to stage a comeback. Does he deserve one?

Where will my son’s journey take him?

January 19, 2020

After 17 lawsuits, 27 years in court, a judge rules in Beverly neighbors’ feud

8 historical Mass. wedding venues for your big day

10 questions you should ask before committing to a wedding venue

My teen brought an 'infant simulator' home from school. Am I a grandma now?

January 12, 2020

How could my wife have Alzheimer’s? She was only 56.

She was the wittiest, smartest, and most talkative person I had ever met. And now all of that was fading away.

Signs of early-onset Alzheimer's: When not to worry, and when to see a doctor

Resolutions You Can Keep

New Year’s resolutions already wavering? Stick to them with these 8 easy ideas

Six ways to be a better friend in 2020

Four realistic steps to eating healthier in 2020

Exercise made easy: The hidden power of taking a walk

How to set a goal to save more money this year

What’s more important than a barbell for exercise? A pencil

Waste less time on your phone with this simple trick

How to be kinder in Boston, America’s fifth rudest city

If you want to read more, you don’t need to start with Shakespeare

January 5, 2020

The best Boston Globe photos of 2019

The Globe's most memorable pictures of the past year and the stories behind them.

We have a law that could reduce gun violence — if only more knew about it

Recommended reading

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 was Boston’s strangest disaster

‘I got lucky, man.’ Dennis Eckersley on surviving his tough times

A cutting-edge brain surgery for tremor, without the cutting

Why are kids today so rude?

2019 Bostonians of the Year

Meet the 2019 Bostonians of the Year: Andrew Lelling and Rachael Rollins

honorable mention

The Celtics’ Enes Kanter stands tall for human rights

honorable mention

This neighborhood learned signed language for one little girl

honorable mention

These economists are finding new ways to fight global poverty

2019 Women & Power

The 2019 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts

Massachusetts isn’t always as progressive as it seems. Our female leaders are fighting to change that

How every woman can protect her financial future (and why she needs to)

How successful female entrepreneurs beat the odds

Six things successful female entrepreneurs do

What I wish I knew then: 11 tips for success from powerful female executives

The problem isn’t that women lack confidence — it’s that men have too much of it