The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Below, our favorite stories of the week. Kindle users, you can also get them as a Readlist.

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1. The Boy with Half a Brain

Michael Rubino | Indianapolis Monthly | Aug. 26, 2014 | 19 minutes (4,866 words) words)

Jeff and Tiernae Buttars made a difficult decision to have a portion of their son’s brain surgically removed to eliminate his seizures. The decision changed all of their lives.

2. Florida Owes Devaughn Darling’s Family $1.8 Million. Thirteen Years Later, They’re Still Waiting

Michael Kruse | SB Nation | Aug. 27, 2014 | 25 minutes (6,498 words)

The story of disgraceful behavior by the state of Florida. Florida State football player Devaughn Darling died after a team workout. The family sued, and settled with the state for $2 million. They still only have received a small portion of that money.

3. The Emotional Toll of Witnessing 278 Death Row Executions

Pamela Colloff | Texas Monthly | Aug. 23, 2014 | 24 minutes (9,409 words)

For more than a decade, Michelle Lyons’s job at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice required her to witness the state’s executions. “I started thinking about it all in very personal terms after I had a child, and that was my downfall.”

4. The Aftershocks

David Wolman | Matter | Aug. 25, 2014 | 22 minutes (5,586 words)

Seven Italian scientists were convicted of manslaughter after a magnitude-6.2 earthquake hit the city of L’Aquila, killing 297 people and injuring thousands. Scientists across the globe are worried about the effect this case will have on experts who are asked to provide an opinion.