You, Free Pressers, have spoken. After reading through all of your recommendations, three clear winners emerged: • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles • East of Eden by John Steinbeck Vote for our first Free Press Forum Book Club selection by commenting below.  We’ll announce the winner shortly afterward, along with everything you need to know to get started. Voting CLOSED on Monday, August 10 at 1 p.m. ET. Let the reading begin.

I wrote this a while ago, but it's no less relevant (and I was encouraged to share my work here): https://jsimonrichard.com/blog/2026-01-31-writing-as-thinking/. In a world saturated with AI-generated content, writing still matters—not as a way to produce more output, but as a way to think more clearly. This essay explores writing as a tool for clarifying beliefs, prompting research, and taking responsibility for our reasoning while acknowledging the benefits and limits of AI as a writing aid.

We asked three Free Press editors which story they couldn’t stop thinking about this week. Read on, Free Pressers... JOE NOCERA, Senior Editor and Writer  “I Made RFK Jr.’s Salmon Cakes. They Were Bad.”  I’m choosing River. Sometimes we can give you a chuckle with a Free Press story.  And sometimes you’ll fall down laughing at one of our stories. River’s hilarious piece about trying RFK Jr.’s salmon cake recipe falls into the latter category. RICK BROOKS, News and Investigations Editor  “To