As the first of 70,000 U.S. Marines swept onto Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, victory was all but certain. The Americans had an overwhelming numerical advantage and aerial superiority, isolating the island and preventing Japanese retreat and the arrival of reinforcements. But the dug-in enemy fought ferociously, and the fighting lasted 36 of the bloodiest days of World War II.

In a discussion of her new book, Towson University’s Jeannie Vanasco walks through her lingering trauma, feelings of betrayal, and need for accountability more than a decade her rape by a close friend from high school. Setting the #MeToo-era memoir apart: She also gives voice to her attacker, who spoke to Vanasco at length.

Arguments in the divisive right-to-die debate range from legal to spiritual, ethical, and social. Longtime public radio host and podcaster Diane Rehm found her position and voice—in favor of laws allowing the terminally ill to end their lives with medical assistance—with the 2014 death of her husband.

Merriam-Webster has thrown its considerable weight behind the use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun, expanding its dictionary definition and then proclaiming “they” the 2019 Word of the Year. Traditionalists and other critics argue: miscarriage of meaning!