75 Years After ‘The Lottery’ Was Published, the Chills Linger; The New York Times, June 26, 2023

Scott Heller , The New York Times; 75 Years After ‘The Lottery’ Was Published, the Chills Linger

Stephen King, David Sedaris, Carmen Maria Machado and others on how Shirley Jackson’s eerie classic first got under their skin.

"Josephine Decker

Filmmaker, “Shirley”

The first time was in middle school, and I think it affirmed my nascent understanding that the world has cruel rules, and no one understands why they are there. I recently worked with a teen mother whom Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) separated from her child for two weeks because her partner “smelled like marijuana.” No actual evidence. Shirley Jackson managed to get to the core of something incredibly true, which is that people will be attacked, without mercy, and society will approve. Because it’s something we’ve always done."