Readers Respond to the April/May 2024 Issue

Taste of Nostalgia

I never pass by a child’s lemonade stand without stopping to buy some and then offer a generous tip (“Sweet Dreams,” April/May 2024). It’s not the beverage that I seek—that is usually over- or under-sweetened and sometimes served under less than sanitary conditions. I enjoy seeing the smiles on the faces of the children as they become flush with cash and conspire to determine what happiness that cash will buy after the stand is closed. The aftertaste of these cool drinks is always a déjà vu of the memories of my own childhood lemonade stand. That’s why I usually buy two glasses. —John M. Nonnemacher | Hazleton, Pennsylvania

Young Revolutionaries

I graduated college 43 years ago with a bachelor’s in history. This is the first time I’ve ever heard about the Wide Awakes (“Taking Up the Torch,” April/May 2024). Props to Jon Grinspan on his informative and well-written article. —Douglas J. Gladstone | Gansevoort, New York

Wild Works of Art

I really enjoyed the Prologue article “Noble Beasts” (April/May 2024) on German painter Franz Marc. I was somewhat familiar with his work, but thought his painting Tiger was brilliant and also one of my favorite animals! The sad coda to the story was reading about his death in World War I. —Mike Van Roo | Diamond Bar, California

Amazing Mollusks

What a wonderful story about the colorful and interesting nudibranchs! (“Slugs in Paradise,” April/May 2024) And no, we’d never heard of them either. Thanks to the equally interesting and colorful Gary Cobb who studies them, the story has enriched our understanding of sea creatures so few of us will get to see up close. —James Nelms | Baltimore

I was delighted to see a nudibranch gracing the cover, with an in-depth article to match. Finally these trippy slugs get their due with a wide audience. —April Pedersen | Reno, Nevada

I wanted to comment on the article on the fascinating nudibranchs. One interesting and relevant factoid about nudibranchs is that they were the specialty of Emperor Hirohito of Japan, who occupied the Chrysanthemum Throne while we were at war with his country during World War II. In addition to being an almost or actual god in the eyes of his people, Hirohito was also a scientist who studied these species. —David Lauer | Philadelphia