Table of contents for July/August 2016 in Reader's Digest

ONCE UPON A TIME, a little girl worked at her desk in the purple bedroom of her childhood home in Lyndhurst, Ohio. The girl’s homework assignment was to write a “true story.” Simple. Yet there she was, fiddling with it long past her bedtime. So entranced was the girl—changing words to enhance the mood, erasing passages to move the story along, reading out loud to perfect the rhythm— that she jumped when she felt her father’s hand on her shoulder. Dad was a business executive. He liked to relax and watch TV at night. It was not his habit to check in on her. “Daddy?” she said, looking up at him. “I think I just decided what kind of job I want when I grow up. I like to write…

SCRIPTURE SAYS YOU SHOULD put aside childish things when you grow up. I take that to mean willfulness, self-centeredness, and things like that—not imagination, creativity, and joyful curiosity. DICK VAN DYKE, actor, in his memoir Keep Moving DRAWING HELPS ME remember the ideas I am having. I certainly think the pencil is one of the most powerful tools for invention ever … I pick one up and I feel like inventing. ADAM SAVAGE, industrial designer, in Popular Science I DON’T THINK there is any book that can’t teach you something, even if it is how not to tell a story. MARY HIGGINS CLARK, mystery novelist, in the book By the Book THERE IS NO greater threat to the critics and cynics and fearmongers than those of us who are willing…

Cruise the Last Frontier • BOOK: An Alaska voyage. For an unexpected summer vacation, hit the cool waters of the Gulf of Alaska to spot moose, observe glaciers, and visit old gold rush towns. Several large cruise companies, including Princess Cruises, Holland America, and Celebrity, offer excursions for as little as $599 for a seven-day trip. • PACK: Duct tape. This strong and supersticky tape is a cruiser’s best friend, according to Linda Coffman on cruisediva.com. Use it to repair a broken suitcase, close the gaps in the curtains to keep morning light at bay, strip lint from your formal dress, and secure drawers that open when the ship is rolling along. “There are literally thousands of uses for it,” Coffman writes. • AVOID: Nausea. Reserve a room on the…

You never stop getting your age wrong Swear you feel like 35—not 55? That’s good for longevity, according to a recent British study. The subjects who felt three or more years younger than their real age—this group was 65-plus—were less likely to die over an eight-year period than were people who felt their age or older. The findings were so powerful—feeling older was linked to a 41 percent increased risk of dying—that the study authors recommended that doctors ask patients how old they feel as part of their annual physicals. You eat more of these two things Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently, according to a University of Michigan…

Everyone has a story, and those stories have always been the beating heart of ReaderÕs Digest and of real life. By turns wise, funny, and inspired, these 12 were told before exuberant audiences at events held by the Moth, the most celebrated live storytelling group in the country, and chosen by our editors. They show that for all our differences, together our experiences merge in the telling into the single narrative of America. ★ Told live at a Moth show at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CA BY NESHAMA FRANKLIN I was at the bottom of the grand Canyon, and I was really sick. Nine months earlier, John, my husband of 35 years, had died. We had two grown children and a new granddaughter. What was I doing down…

1914: Aboard the SS Imperator, Harry Houdini performs a mind-reading magic trick on former president Theodore Roosevelt. A baffled Teddy later insists Houdini tell him “man to man: Was that genuine spiritualism or legerdemain?” Houdini admits it was “hocus-pocus” but does not reveal his secret until years later. 1944: After surviving D-day, 25-year-old infantryman J. D. Salinger marches into Paris to find author and war correspondent Ernest Hemingway already guzzling champagne at the Ritz hotel bar. The two drink and chat for hours and remain pen pals through the war 1957: Marilyn Monroe shows up at 90-yearold Frank Lloyd Wright’s hotel to discuss plans for her dream home— a hillside mansion with domed ceilings, a 70-foot-long pool, and a curved driveway for limousines. Her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, rejects the…

According to Gallup, Pew, and other polling data taken from American adults ... 70 percent could name Alexander Hamilton as a U.S. president (he wasn’t). 70 percent describe themselves as dog people. 64 percent own a smartphone; 67% of them will check it even if it didn’t ring. 55 percent say they get enough sleep on workdays. 52 percent have money invested in the stock market (a 20-year low). 39 percent of homeowners don’t know their neighbors’ names. 37 percent have never moved from their hometowns. 34 percent say they are “engaged” (read: “not bored to tears”) at work. 21 percent say they are online “almost constantly.” 21 percent speak a language other than English at home. 11 percent buy their pets a gift on Valentine’s Day. 10 percent have…

THE MORE YOU SWEAT IN TRAINING, THE LESS YOU WILL BLEED IN BATTLE. NAVY SEALS People are the only animal on the planet that are in denial that they are an animal. BEN HARPER, musician Games are won by players who focus on the playing field—not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard. WARREN BUFFETT, CEO and businessman BEING UNDERSTOOD IS BETTER THAN BEING PRAISED. IRVING FELDMAN, poet The upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than the downside of blissful ignorance. SHERYL SANDBERG, technology executive PERFECTION IS GOD’S BUSINESS. I JUST TRY FOR EXCELLENCE. MICHAEL J. FOX, actor and philanthropist Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. MAYA ANGELOU, poet and novelist…

Secrets Your Body’s Trying to Tell You I started reading your cover story, and in a compulsively impulsive way, I just had to highlight one tip after another. Thanks for the wealth of healthy ideas. SUDEEPA PATHAK, Williamstown, North Carolina Editor’s Note You gave your daughter Olivia a beautiful name for a beautiful child. Only someone with a compassionate heart could relate to the bison she saw at Yellowstone Park and then burst into tears when she saw bison on the menu at a restaurant. God bless her. SUZI MEGLES, Lakewood, Ohio 13 Odd Things That Happened on Friday the 13th I can say that I personally enjoy Friday the 13th. My favorite number is 13, and I am 13 years old. To whoever is stressing out about Friday the 13th: Keep…

I BELIEVE IN BARBECUE—as soul food and comfort food and health food, as a cuisine of both solace and celebration. When I’m feeling good, I want barbecue. When I’m feeling bad, I just want barbecue more. I believe in barbecue in all its regional derivations and ethnic translations, in forms that range from whitetablecloth presentations of cunningly sauced costillas to Chinese take-out spareribs that stain your fingers red to the most authentic product of the tar-paper rib shacks of the Deep South. I believe that as with sunshine and great sex, no day is bad that has barbecue in it. I believe in the artistic genius of generations of pit men who worked in relative obscurity to keep alive the craft of slow smoking as it’s been practiced for as…

• Big goals. “Running brought me back to life by making me forget all my traumas and sorrows,” Fauja Singh, 104, told CNN. The Indian-born greatgrandfather ran his first marathon at 89 and has since competed in similar races around the world. • Luxury. “You can never get too old to wear fancy stuff,” said Susannah Mushatt Jones, 116, when doctors were surprised to see her wearing lacy lingerie at an EKG exam. Jones, an Alabama native now living in New York City, has long had a weakness for splurging at the lingerie department at Bloomingdale’s, said her niece in Time. Custom. Oatmeal and push-ups for breakfast, then fish and vegetables for dinner is how New Yorker Duranord Veillard says he made it to 109. According to USA Today, Veillard…

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 Miles above the ragged terrain of Washington State, Autumn Veatch, 16, watched through the window of the six-seater plane as it tracked the lonely highway snaking through the mountains. She’d been visiting her mom and stepdad in Kalispell, Montana, and had expected them to drive her home to Bellingham, in Washington. But her step-grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, offered to fly her back instead, to nearby Lynden. Over the past two weeks, she and Leland had bonded over their shared love of music, while Sharon’s ability to make Autumn laugh reminded her of her mom. Flying home with them had sounded like a great idea. Then she saw the plane—a cramped white-andred Beechcraft Bonanza A35 propeller plane built in 1949. As she boarded, she texted her…

Idler ('iyd-ler) A lazy person. A man allegedly stole $4,000 from a New Jersey bank. Clearly sapped of energy from his day’s work, he was caught by police soon after while taking a coffee break at a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. Source: nj.com Mountebank ('moun-tuh-bank) A charlatan. A farmer in China bought two puppies from a man who said they’d make good watchdogs. Over the next two years, the black, coarse-haired pups grew large and consumed massive amounts of food. Indeed, they were excellent watchdogs, probably because they weren’t dogs. The farmer had been sold black bear cubs. Source: thedodo.com Pilferer ('pil-fer-er) One who steals petty objects. A man allegedly stole a book from the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center and then tried to resell it at a bookstore. The…

From the land that gave birth to baseball, Budweiser, and bebop, we bring you this homegrown mix of words, phrases, and names. Need help with your Americana? Ask your uncle Sam—or check the next page for answers. 1. pompadour ('pahm-puh-dohr) n.—A: parade uniform. B: convertible top. C: men’s hairstyle. 2. El Capitan (ehl 'kahp-ee-'tahn) n.—A: Alamo general. B: Yosemite rock formation. C: Civil War stronghold. 3. jackalope ('jak-uh-lohp) n.— A: rabbit with antlers. B: rodeo bronco. C: crusading journalist. 4. barnstorm ('barn-storm) v.— A: travel around performing. B: dance at a hoedown. C: give a ranting speech. 5. ponderosa (pahn-deh-'roh-suh) n.—A: gold mine. B: pine tree. C: mountain range. 6. fake book ('fayk book) n.— A: recipe folder or container. B: stack of marked playing cards. C: collection of songs.…

SOMETHING STRANGE was happening inside LeeAnne Walters’s Flint, Michigan, home. During the summer of 2014, twins Gavin and Garrett, then three, each broke out in a skin rash that wouldn’t go away. By November, 14-year-old J.D. had stomach pains so severe, he couldn’t climb the stairs. He was out of school for a month, but three ultrasounds, a colonoscopy, and a CT scan found nothing wrong. Daughter Kaylie, then 18, lost clumps of her long brown hair in the shower. LeeAnne and her husband, Dennis, both 37, lost hair and suffered rashes, dizziness, and headaches. LeeAnne even lost her eyelashes. “We had all these puzzle pieces but still couldn’t figure out what was going on,” says LeeAnne, a former medical assistant. By winter, the family’s health problems were getting worse,…

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, my mother’s best dish was store-bought Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookies. MICHAEL IAN BLACK, from Navel Gazing (Gallery Books) MY THREE-YEAR-OLD daughter stuck out her hand and said, “Look at the fly I killed, Mommy.” Since she was eating a juicy pickle at the time, I thrust her contaminated hands under the faucet and washed them with antibacterial soap. After sitting her down to finish her pickle, I asked, with a touch of awe, “How did you kill that fly all by yourself?” Between bites, she said, “I hit it with my pickle.” CINDY YATES, Mill Valley, California I’D NEVER HAD SURGERY, and I was nervous. “This is a very simple, noninvasive procedure,” the anesthesiologist reassured me. I felt better, until … “Heck,” he continued, “you…

1 LOSE OLD LAYERS Twice a week, scrub skin with a brush, an exfoliating scrub, or a salicylic acid wash to brighten it and allow lotions and serums to absorb more deeply. If your skin becomes irritated, exfoliate just once a week. 2 CLEANSE WITHOUT CREAM As the weather warms, switch from a cream cleanser to a gel variety, which is lightweight yet still soothing. If you have oily skin, try a foam cleanser. Be sure to wash your face every night in the summer: More time outside means more exposure to harmful air pollutants, which can attach to moisturizer and makeup and exacerbate signs of aging. 3 LIGHTEN THE LOTION TOO Heavy creams contain lipids that can cause clogged pores and pimples in more humid months. Instead, opt for…

FOUR REASONS YOUR CAT IS YOUR BFF Dogs are funny, and hamsters are quiet. But cats have your back. Here, now you have a good reason to cry. HE HELPS YOU MOURN That’s his new girlfriend? She’s even uglier than you. HE HELPS YOU THROUGH LONELY NIGHTS Hey, are you sleeping? Heyyyy! You asleep? Hello? Woo-hoo, answer me! Are you sleeping? Yo, answer! Are you awake or what? Come on, be cool— tell me if you’re asleep or not! MY GIRLFRIEND AND I often laugh about how competitive we are. But I laugh more. CHOOSING A MOVIE? Don’t trust these extremely abbreviated plot explanations. The Shining: A family’s first Airbnb experience goes very wrong. @JANMPDX The Lord of the Rings: Group spends nine hours returning jewelry. @ESERUNSALAN Titanic: Everyone tries…

JANIS JOPLIN AND PATTI SMITH New York City: August 1969. Janis Joplin is hanging out with her band at El Quijote, the restaurant attached to the Chelsea Hotel. She is the toast of hippie America. She doesn’t seem to notice the girl who has just strolled in. Patti Smith and her friend Robert Mapplethorpe have recently moved into room 1017, the smallest bedroom in the hotel. At 23, Smith is a bookstore assistant who yearns to be an artist of one kind or another. The Chelsea represents her aspirations. She enters it as a novice might enter a convent. Dressed in a long rayon polka-dot dress and a straw hat, she puts her head round the door of the bar. The scene is almost absurdly characteristic of its era, scattered…

Milk-Bottle Pyramid Can you beat it? Yes, but it’s unlikely. Why? This is one of the more winnable games, if you know what you’re doing. Many carnivals use leaded glass for the bottom bottles, making them heavy enough to withstand getting hit with a ball (a ball that is sometimes filled with cork to make it lighter, no less). The trick? Aim for the middle of the bottom row, and throw as hard as you can. Ringtoss Can you beat it? Probably not. Why not? The rings are barely big enough to go around the bottles. Plus, they’re made of hard plastic that bounces if you don’t land the ring directly on the bottle. If you want to win, put spin on your throw to slow the ring’s momentum and…