Against the grain

[ March 2 ] The Children’s Books of the Year issue is definitely my favorite. As a youth librarian, I take seriously my role in guiding our patrons to excellent literature. This issue and the children’s books column in every issue are a lifeline in a world overflowing with attractively packaged books filled with untruth. —Darla Dykstra / Kansas City, Mo.

‘It’s well-deserved.’

Baseball star Albert Pujols on his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout’s record-setting contract. The 12-year contract is worth $426.5 million.

Sheep stealing

Protested

50

The number of people killed during a shooting rampage at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. The accused gunman, a white supremacist, live-streamed the attack online.

$13.3 billion

The cost of U.S. productivity losses owing to employees following March Madness instead of working, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

76%

The share of U.S. businesses without any paid employees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pressure to conform

[ Feb. 16 ] Thank you for the excellent article on gender dysphoria. As a family physician, I am distressed by how quickly the medical community has embraced gender dysphoria and encouraged doctors to do the same. Children and adolescents are being seduced into having barbaric procedures without any thought of God’s design and will for their lives. —Kristofer Sandlund / Zanesville, Ohio

‘Say thank you to God.’

Antonis Mavropoulos, recounting what security staff told him after learning the flight he was supposed to be on, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, crashed. The accident killed all 157 people on board. Mavropoulos had arrived just after boarding closed and was the only passenger who didn’t make the flight. He said he had been angry about it: “I screamed to put me in but they didn’t allow it.”