In our next edition of Anna, Age Eight , we might change Chapter Ten’s title Experience being courageous preferred, but not essential. A more accurate title is Courage required. In The Republic , Plato describes civic courage as a sort of perseverance. We agree. We don’t underestimate the bravery and fortitude it will take to prevent the epidemic of childhood trauma and ensure that a fatality like eight-year-old Anna never happens again. I offer a slightly modified excerpt from our final...

Garry Powers stands on Alameda Street near the North Vignes Street overpass, across from a smoke shop and a Vietnamese restaurant. He’s on the edge of Chinatown and a couple of miles north of Boyle Heights, a neighborhood once rife with gangs. The wall behind him is a glowing yellow-gold. Painted on it are outspread blue wings that nearly match the faded tattoo on his neck. He looks swathed in wings. A halo on the wall seems to hover above his head. Powers grew up in Baldwin Park outside Los...

Ben Zimmerman lives in a suburb of Chicago. Like a lot of 9-year-olds, he's fond of YouTube, Roblox, and Minecraft. And, like a lot of parents, his mom and dad wanted to make sure Ben wasn't spending too much time on those activities. They tried to use Google's "Family Link" parental control software to limit screen time for Ben and his older sister, Claudia. Ben went on YouTube to search for a workaround. When he couldn't find one, he figured one out himself. His dad, who happens to work in...

U.S. immigration agents raided an Ohio gardening company on June 5, arresting 114 suspected undocumented workers. This followed other large workplace raids , including a raid on a rural Tennessee meat-processing plant in April. The raids suggest the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is returning to sweeping immigration enforcement tactics not seen since the George W. Bush administration. While the immediate shock and trauma of these raids is visible, there are also longer-term impacts on...

After celebrities Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain died by suicide within days of each other last week , thousands of people picked up their phones. Messages to the National Crisis Text Line more than doubled. Calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline jumped 65 percent. Social media was flooded with news reports and personal messages encouraging people to reach out for help. Mental health advocates hope this bit of viral attention can be harnessed for lasting changes. Dr. Steve...