Six Great Reads for Labor Day

Learn stories about the myth of poor millennials, Amazon’s big secret, and more.

family photo on the beach — Smith Collection / Gado / Getty; The Atlantic

September 2, 2024, 7:00 AM EST

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Our editors have gathered these six stories for your Labor Day reading. Spend some time with stories about the questions we should be asking our families, Amazon’s big secret, the myth of the broke millennial, and more.

Reading list

Questions We Don’t Ask Our Families But Should

Many people don’t know much about their older relatives. But if we don’t ask, we risk never knowing our own history.

By Elizabeth Keating

Amazon’s Big Secret

Almost 30 years after the company was founded, we still don’t know where its profits come from. The answer will be important in the antitrust case against it.

By Stacy Mitchell

What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind

Grief, Conspiracy Theories, and One Family’s Search for Meaning in the Two Decades Since 9/11

By Jennifer Senior

This is exactly what Trump’s team feared

The campaign that was optimized to defeat Joe Biden must now be redesigned.

By Tim Albert

The Myth of the Broken Millennial Generation

After a rocky start, a generation is thriving. Why doesn’t it feel that way?

By Jean M. Twenge

The Real Reason People Don’t Have Kids

This is a need that cannot necessarily be met either by government subsidies or by better family policies.

By Christine Emba

Essay

When Labor Day meant something

By Chad Broughton

Somewhere along the way, Labor Day lost its meaning. Today, the holiday means little more than the end of summer and the beginning of school, weekend sales, and maybe a barbecue or a parade. It is no longer political…

However, Labor Day was not only intended to honor individual employees, but also their achievements. Together through activism and organizing.

Read the full article.

Cultural break

To watch. Blink twice (in theaters), a horror movie about the dangers of befriending the rich and powerful.

To listen. Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Short and sweet (out now) explores the annoyances of being a young, heterosexual, and single woman in 2024, writes Spencer Kornhaber.

Play our daily crossword.

Photo album

Take a look at the Ocean Photographer of the Year finalists, featuring the best coastal, drone and underwater shots.

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