Manhattan Burning
Before the Jan. 6 insurrection, there was the Nov. 25 arson campaign, when violent anti-government conspirators sowed chaos in the heart of New York City.
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Love Wins
“Two women promised they would see the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time once they were together. They had no idea how long that would take.”
Communion
How a lonely man in his 30s found welcome and community in an unlikely place: spin class.
Danger on the Divide
“If I’d felt more confident on the route, if he hadn’t made that comment, if we’d been communicating more, would I have pushed for another day off? If, if, if.”
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Kickstart your weekend by getting the week’s best reads, hand-picked and introduced by Longreads editors, delivered to your inbox every Friday morning.
Weekly Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories from Elizabeth Kolbert, Joshua Hammer, Tan Tuck Ming, Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, and Atossa Araxia Abrahamian.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Lizzie Presser, Richard Smith, Drew Magary, David Fowler, and Douglas Starr.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Ryu Spaeth, Kit Chellel, Dave Eggers, Holly Haworth, and John Semley.
Essays and Features
The Great Debate: Recorders vs. Notebooks
On how one narrative journalist decided never to use a tape recorder in his reporting—and why it matters.
A Journey of 6,000 Miles
Layan Albaz is one of thousands of Palestinian children who have lost limbs in Israeli air strikes—and one of the very few evacuated to the US for medical care.
Predator or Prey
“I still want to feel each meal, each touch, each body I absorb into mine.”
Open to the Outlandish: A Conversation with Rebecca Renner
On getting that first draft down, the importance of a strong editor, and how a story evolves from pitch to publication.Â
How to Run 314 Miles After a Traumatic Brain Injury
After a horrific accident, doctors told Todd Barcelona that he’d likely never race again. So he and his wife decided to run farther than they ever had before.
Creation of Woman: Evangelical and Transgender in the Bible Belt
How a spouse’s confession freed a young couple from gender expectations in the Deep South.
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Reading Lists
Not Just Communes: A Reading List on Intentional Communities
Six stories highlighting communal lifestyles, past and present.
Bad Blood (Longreads’ Version): A Musical Feuds Reading List
Whether competition between artists or strife within a band, popular music features some of pop culture’s messiest rivalries.
Wild Talk: A Reading List On Artificial Intelligence and Interspecies Communication
AI is opening up the possibility of communicating with other animals. But will we listen? And can we ever truly understand?
Untold Fortunes: A Reading List on the Creative Uses of the Tarot
Five stories that explore cultural and literary references to the tarot.
Knife Insurance: An Extreme Surgery Reading List
Never before have so many people sought medical intervention to address their insecurities—and never before has that intervention gone to such lengths.
Girls Will Be Girls: A Reading List on Consumerism in the Internet AgeÂ
Are the scores of girl personas on TikTok just a marketing campaign? Let’s do the (girl) math.
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