Must Reads: Growing up amid gunfire

The 5 compelling, ambitious reads you can't afford to miss this week.

Compelling, ambitious reads you can't afford to miss. Must Reads is finally here! We know some of you have been waiting a long time — thank you for signing up. We hope you enjoy this weekly curation of some of The Post's best work. Every year, thousands of stories are written about American children affected by violence, almost always told from the perspective of the adults involved. Not this deeply moving piece by John Woodrow Cox. Working with photographer Ricky Carioti, Cox takes readers inside the world of 8-year-old Tyshaun McPhatter, one of millions of children being raised in high-crime communities across the country. For these kids, the unrelenting threat of violence shapes every aspect of their lives: the playgrounds they visit, the pictures they draw, the nightmares they have, the number of parents they come home to. The portrait of Tyshaun is the first in a Post series on children and violence, told through the eyes of the children themselves.  — Lynda Robinson, Local Enterprise Editor  Tyshaun McPhatter, 8, in the bedroom he shared with his father. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) For a 2nd grader, gunfire, lockdowns, then the worst violence of all For kids in Tyshaun's neighborhood, the threat of violence shapes almost every aspect of their lives. John Woodrow Cox | Photos by Ricky Carioti  •   Read more » 'I was all set to terminate': Inside Trump's sudden shift on NAFTA The president's impulsive move on trade policy caps his tumultuous first 100 days in office. Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker, Damian Paletta and Karen DeYoung  •   Read more » A 70-year-old socialite's unlikely journey from Park Avenue to the poker table Mystery novelist Jane Hitchcock is one of the rare women playing a young man's game Roxanne Roberts  •   Read more » Doctor at center of USA Gymnastics scandal left warning signs at Michigan State More than 100 women have filed sexual assault complaints against Larry Nassar, who had been a celebrity of sports medicine. Will Hobson  •   Read more » Warring cousins, a grisly execution: A Tunisian family torn apart by the Islamic State As the fighters face pressure in Syria, Iraq and Libya, they are expanding their reach in the lawless mountains of this tiny nation. Sudarsan Raghavan | Photos by Lorenzo Tugnoli  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT

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