Featuring stories from Rachel Greenley, Annalisa Quinn, Amit Katwala, Jamie Loftus, and Werner Herzog. (Yes, that Werner Herzog.)
The New Yorker
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
“I was searching for truth. Instead, I found a family.”
Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule
“How the U.S. government came to rely on the tech billionaire—and is now struggling to rein him in.”
What Happens to All the Stuff We Return?
“Online merchants changed the way we shop—and made ‘reverse logistics’ into a booming new industry.”
Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we’re sharing stories from Kamran Javadizadeh, Joshua Hunt, Amy McCarthy, Jaron Lanier, and Andy Greene.
Revisiting My Rastafari Childhood
“Babylon was everything forbidden, and looming all around us—and my father tried to protect us from it at all costs.”
What My Musical Instruments Have Taught Me
“When music made collaboratively with other musicians goes right, I feel a budding, rising warmth and comfort. Is this my mother smiling on me?”
Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Human ingenuity in the face of crumbling infrastructure. One man’s quest to save a bird that might already be extinct. The cultural schism dividing a major musical genre. A personal essay braiding space and family. And a jungle trek gone horribly, horribly awry. These are our editors’ favorite reads of the week. 1. The Balkans’ […]
Country Music’s Culture Wars and the Remaking of Nashville
“Tennessee’s government has turned hard red, but a new set of outlaw songwriters is challenging Music City’s conservative ways—and ruling bro-country sound.”
Bomb the Multiplex: A ‘Barbenheimer’ Reading List
“With people turning a shared release date into a meme-fueled double feature, we rounded up our favorite reads about 2023’s oddest duo.”