What We Are Reading Today: The Pioneers by David McCullough

Updated 10 June 2019
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What We Are Reading Today: The Pioneers by David McCullough

  • The settling of the Northwest Territory by dauntless pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals

The Pioneers is a history of the settlement of the Northwest Territory in the years after the American Revolution.

In The Pioneers, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough “rediscovers an important and dramatic chapter in the American story — the settling of the Northwest Territory by dauntless pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would come to define the US,” said a review in goodreads.com.

McCullough’s other acclaimed books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, and The Wright Brothers. 

“Like those 19th-century historians, The Pioneers presents American history as a grand civics lesson, in which the accomplishments of our principled forebears serve as inspirations. Rather than wrestle with the moral complexities of western settlement, McCullough simplifies that civics lesson into a tale of inexorable triumph,” critic Andrew C. Isenberg said in a review for The Washington Post.


Amina Muaddi spotlights Rihanna’s love for her designs

Updated 27 December 2025
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Amina Muaddi spotlights Rihanna’s love for her designs

DUBAI: Romanian Jordanian designer Amina Muaddi this week shared a selection of her favorite looks worn by Rihanna throughout December, highlighting several recent public appearances.

Earlier this week, Muaddi posted an image of the Fenty Beauty founder in Los Angeles, where she was spotted grocery shopping wearing snake-printed pointed-toe heels from the designer’s collection.

Rihanna styled the shoes with a bright-red leather jacket layered over a white top, pairing the oversized, structured piece with loose black wide-leg trousers worn low on the waist.

She later wore a similar snake-print design, this time in boot form, for a dinner outing. For that look, Rihanna opted for a plaid zip-up jacket by Miu Miu, styled with a long Balenciaga skirt.

Another outfit shared by Muaddi was from Rihanna’s appearance at the 35th Gotham Film Awards in New York City. The singer stepped out in a flowing lavender satin gown worn off the shoulders, featuring a relaxed, draped silhouette. She completed the ensemble with open-toe stiletto sandals from Muaddi’s designs in a matching pale lilac shade.

Muaddi also highlighted a more casual winter outing, where Rihanna wore pointed-toe snake-embossed stiletto pumps styled with a brown-and-cream faux-fur coat draped over a black top, paired with slim trousers, tinted rectangular sunglasses and minimal jewelry.

No one has an affinity for Muaddi’s shoes quite like Rihanna.

The singer-turned-designer has an unparalleled collection of heels by the designer, which have become her go-to choice of footwear whether she is attending red-carpet events, fundraising galas, taking an off-duty stroll or stepping out to dinner with her partner A$AP Rocky.

The artists have both collaborated with the designer in the past.

In 2020, the Paris-based designer teamed up with the rapper’s creative agency AWGE on a four-piece collection of flared pumps and lace-up heels.

The collection marked A$AP Rocky’s first foray into women’s footwear and was Muaddi’s first collaboration for her own brand, though she also released a limited-edition footwear capsule collection with Rihanna’s Fenty label that same year.

The collaboration was honored as Collaborator of the Year at the 34th FN Achievement Awards.

Following the sell-out success of the first collection, Rihanna enlisted Muaddi to design yet another collection for Fenty.