The New York Times Magazine: Jordan Peele Sees Through Us All

“Get Out," his docu-horror-thriller-comedy about race in America was movie of the year. What will he show us next? View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, December 21, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Before Jordan Peele agreed to meet with Wesley Morris for a New York Times Magazine profile, he presented one serious stipulation. The director of ‘‘Get Out,’’ the hit docu-horror-thriller-comedy about race in America, was already at work on his next movie and didn’t want to give away any secrets. But [Peele was happy to reveal]( aspects of his life, his upbringing and the sense of self that informed his movie-of-the-year creation — from being a black nerd (before black nerds were a thing) to hoarding a collection of Garfield shirts in seventh grade to creating his iconic characters on the sketch show ‘‘Key and Peele.’’ Blackness, Morris finds, is the orienting principle of Peele’s art. ‘‘Few have found it as fascinating as Peele appears to,’’ he writes. ‘‘It perplexes, amuses and excites him, the way language obsesses some novelists and food delights certain cooks.’’ In ‘‘Get Out,’’ Peele created a potent metaphor for creeping racism in America. In his next project, he plans on tackling other human demons. Elsewhere in the magazine, Jeffrey E. Stern writes about a human rights lawyer who believes she has [built a convincing defense for her client]( — one of the five accused Sept. 11 plotters held at Guantánamo Bay. Lizzie Feidelson writes about the [high-drama world of youth competition dance](. And Jason Zengerle meets with Carter Page, the onetime foreign-policy adviser for the Trump campaign, who — despite his connections with Russia, the scrutiny of investigators and cease-and-desist letters from former colleagues — [can’t seem to stop talking](. Happy reading, Jake Silverstein Editor in Chief [Peele in Central Park, near where he grew up.]( Peele in Central Park, near where he grew up. Benjamin Lowy for The New York Times [Jordan Peele’s X-Ray Vision]( By WESLEY MORRIS “Get Out,” his docu-horror-thriller-comedy about race in America, was the movie of the year. What will he show us next? [Alka Pradhan in Virginia in November]( Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times [Alka Pradhan v. Gitmo]( By JEFFREY E. STERN The human rights lawyer thinks she has a good defense for her client, one of five accused Sept. 11 plotters imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay — if the government ever actually lets the case go to trial. Photo illustration by Derek Brahney [What Makes Someone a ‘Predator’?]( By MICHELLE DEAN Lately it feels as if it’s not just the most vicious men who earn that label — it’s also the casual, the careless, the not-that-bad. [We Sponsor Refugees. What to Do About Their Patriarchal Ways?]( By KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on negotiating differences in cultural norms, whether to get necessary medical treatment you can’t pay for and more. [Doris Burke Wants More Women in Sports Media]( Interview by MOLLY LAMBERT The sportscaster on accidentally getting into sports media, what she learned from Dick Vitale and taking LeBron James for granted. ADVERTISEMENT [Dancers from the Prestige Academy of Dance in Fairfield, N.J.]( Dancers from the Prestige Academy of Dance in Fairfield, N.J. Dina Litovsky/Redux, for The New York Times [Inside the High-Drama World of Youth Competition Dance]( By LIZZIE FEIDELSON False eyelashes and real tears on the competition dance circuit. Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times [What (if Anything) Does Carter Page Know?]( By JASON ZENGERLE He has been wiretapped by the F.B.I. and grilled by congressional investigators over his suspected Russia connections. But the Trump campaign foreign-policy adviser can’t seem to stop talking. Illustration by Andrew Rae [Beijing Bids Goodbye to Robert Mugabe]( By BROOK LARMER China may have a soft spot for dictators, but the end of Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe suggests its patience isn’t endless when its economic interests are in jeopardy. [A Pastry Fit for a King — or a Queen]( By DORIE GREENSPAN A galette des rois is as much a game as a dessert, and the winner gets to wear a crown. [A Meal of Joyous Excess for the Holidays]( By SAM SIFTON A rich feast of seared scallops, roast duck and hollandaise sauce. If you enjoy our newsletter forward this email to a friend and help the magazine grow. Getting this from a friend? [Sign up to get the magazine newsletter](. Let us know how we can improve at: [newsletters@nytimes.com]( Check out our [full list of free newsletters]( including [C]( Daily inspiration, delicious recipes, and other updates from Sam Sifton and The New York Times, right to your inbox. ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYTimes [Twitter] [@nytmag]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's The New York Times Magazine newsletter. 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