Great Reads

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Great Reads

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February 21, 2026

Welcome to Great Reads, where we share a selection of provocative, inspiring, and delightful stories worth your time this weekend.

ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP/Getty Images

The tragic war in Ukraine has become tragically normal

Mark MacKinnon

Senior International Correspondent

Four years after Russia began its full-scale invasion, the rest of the world is distracted by other news – but the conflict is more violent and devastating than ever

Charity Rachelle/The Globe and Mail

Out of nowhere, Canada became poorer than Alabama. How is that possible?

Tim Kiladze

For an overdue wake-up call, The Globe travelled to the Deep South to understand how the state is breaking stereotypes and, at times, looking richer than Canada

Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press

Canada’s defence industrial policy would rather Buy Canadian than Buy the Best

Andrew Coyne

By prioritizing a Buy Canada mantra, the new Defence Industrial Strategy will manage to make our military weaker and our economy poorer

Jesse Winter/The Globe and Mail

Tumbler Ridge high-school building unlikely to reopen, official says

Joe Friesen

Postsecondary Education Reporter

Portable trailers are being set up near the elementary school, but it’s expected to take time before classes resume for secondary students

Photo Illustration by Nikki Ernst. Sources: Margaret Atwood/Supplied

How science has influenced the life, world view and work of Margaret Atwood

Ivan Semeniuk

Science Reporter

Canada’s most celebrated author reflects on why our brains are hard-wired to tell stories