Ballooning in the 19th century. Adapted from Levels of Life, a book by Julian Barnes about love, loss and ballooning: “Aeronauts were the new Argonauts, their adventures instantly chronicled. A balloon flight linked town and country, England and France, France and Germany. Landing provoked pure excitement: a balloon brought no evil. By the Normandy fireside […]
September 2013
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘Chivo’s Favorite Phrase Was “This Is a Disaster”‘
Dan P. Lee profiles director Alfonso Cuarón and the difficult journey making his new film Gravity: “When Cuarón first dreamed up Gravity, he thought that he’d essentially hacked the Hollywood system: Here was a potentially audience-friendly adventure movie, and as long as they landed an A-list actor, production would fall into place. He and Jonas […]
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College Longreads Pick: 'Undocumented but Unafraid' by Yanan Wang, Yale University
Every week, Syracuse University professor Aileen Gallagher helps Longreads highlight the best of college journalism. Here’s this week’s pick: Yanan Wang’s sympathetic story about undocumented students at Yale University begins with a strong image of a little boy, alone: ‘The first time he arrived in the United States, three-year-old Juan Cerda ’15 was on a […]
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Poison Tree
An open letter to Grand Theft Auto IV’s protagonist Niko Bellic about Grand Theft Auto V and video game culture: “Almost everyone I know who loves video games — myself included — is broken in some fundamental way. With their ceaseless activity and risk-reward compulsion loops, games also soothe broken people. This is not a […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
College Longreads Pick: ‘Undocumented but Unafraid’ by Yanan Wang, Yale University
Every week, Syracuse University professor Aileen Gallagher helps Longreads highlight the best of college journalism. Here’s this week’s pick.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Public Enemies: Social Media Is Fueling Gang Wars in Chicago
Gangs in Chicago have used social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to spread inflammatory messages about rivals and incite violence: “We naturally associate criminal activity with secrecy, with conspiracies hatched in alleyways or back rooms. Today, though, foolish as it may be in practice, street gangs have adopted a level of transparency that might […]
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Longreads Member Pick: My Family Tree, in Black and White, by Dionne Ford
This week we’re excited to share “My Family Tree, in Black and White,” a new personal essay by Dionne Ford and More magazine. The below story comes from the magazine’s September issue, which is not yet online. Thanks to Ford and More for sharing it with the Longreads Member community! Read an excerpt here. Become a Longreads […]
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How Doug Band Drove a Wedge Through the Clinton Dynasty
How the world of politics works. MacGillis tells the story of Doug Band, who rose up to become one of President Clinton’s most trusted advisers, until his own business interests got in the way: “Of course, it was only natural that Band would tap his existing network. What is striking is the extent to which […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Our Longreads Member Pick: ‘My Family Tree, in Black and White,’ by Dionne Ford
This week’s Member Pick is “My Family Tree, in Black and White,” a new personal essay by Dionne Ford and More magazine. The below story comes from the magazine’s September issue, which is not yet online. We’d like to thank Ford and More for sharing it with the Longreads Member community. Read an excerpt here. […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Man Who Buried His Treasure in a Poem
An art dealer diagnosed with kidney cancer formulates a plan to bury some of his treasure and leave clues to its whereabouts in a self-published book: “Dal Neitzel is just one of hundreds of people who have contacted Fenn to let him know they’ve been searching for his haul. Before he set out, after poring […]