Best Of Cog
Cognoscenti's best stories of 2023
We published hundreds of essays and commentaries in 2023. These are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains.
Saving Emma: A Daughter's Life, A Father's Powerlessness To Save It
In the face of real emergency, I was only able to help her by surrendering to those who knew better and trusting in their expertise.
Why Paris?
France was the epicenter of the Enlightenment that fairly defines Western civilization. And the jihadis, in their reckless, apocalyptic pathology, detest above all such values.
Can We Measure The Human Cost Of War?
These American wars contain an element of Greek tragedy, beginning with hubris and ending with an unconscious, Oedipal urge to blind ourselves to the horror of what we’ve done.
They came in 104th out of 104 teams. And they won big
In the hills outside of Cooperstown, New York, 11 boys reminded Ted Flanagan that there is still joy to be had in picking up the lance and jousting at windmills....
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Harper Lee, 'Go Set A Watchman,' And A Defense Of The Two-Hit Wonder
Overly-prolific authors always make me think more fondly of writers like Harper Lee. Perhaps her ilk do not publish as much, but I always figured that the quality of their...
Dear State And Federal Representatives: A Hotel Room Is Not A Home
As a society, we must fight for people like me and like my daughter.
In Charleston Shooting, Reason To Reconsider How We Classify Such Crimes
What is the difference between a hate crime and an act of terror?
Does Caring For The Elderly Require Us To Segregate Them?
There’s an undeniable need for institutional support to care for the burgeoning elderly population, but it’s time to develop new models for inter-generational living.
One And Done: Yes, We 'Only' Had One Child — And That's OK
I know people mean well, but enough already with the only child shaming.
Remembering Franz Wright, Poet Of Anguish And Transcendence
In his volumes of verse, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, who died last Thursday, leaves a legacy of what he always sought for himself: a vision of grace in a difficult...
Message To My Younger Self: It Turned Out Just Fine
Cognoscenti says goodbye to a contributor whose last submission, just weeks before her death, was a taking stock of her life.
Cooking Up Tradition, And Keeping A Departed Loved One Close
In the kitchen with her own girls, a daughter remembers her mother and the season she loved most.
Cosby Rape Allegations: It's Time To End The Statute Of Limitations In Sexual Assault Cases
Why should a rape victim's access to the courthouse depend on when the crime was committed?
Campus Rape And The Trouble With Affirmative Consent
Feminists who have long demanded that government stay out of the bedroom are now inviting it into the dorm room.
Boston Isn't An Olympic City. Let's Keep It That Way.
Just because Boston could pull off hosting the 2024 Summer Games doesn't mean it should.
Why I Let My Kids Swear
I want to give my children the power of words rather than giving words power over them.
Killing Parents Softly With Half Days
Please, schools, we're begging, make these random half-days stop.
The Question Of Time In The Aftermath Of Tragedy
A year has passed since the bombing at the Boston Marathon, but what exactly does that mean?
Why Do We Continue To Stigmatize Stay-At-Home Moms?
Maybe if we, as a culture, stopped stereotyping stay-at-home moms, we’d do a better job at providing them the kind of support they need to succeed.