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 Secret Life of Max Stern

Sara Angel | The Walrus | Sept. 22, 2014 | 21 minutes (5,272 words)

The Nazis stole his family’s paintings. He emigrated to Canada and became one of the country’s foremost gallery owners. And now, twenty years after his death, he is changing the rules of restitution.

2. Larry Ellison Bought an Island in Hawaii. Now What?

Jon Mooallem | The New York Times | Sept. 23, 2014 | 32 minutes (8,099 words)

Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of the Oracle Corporation, bought 97 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Ellison wants to make Lanai a premier tourist destination and “the first economically viable, 100 percent green community,” but things haven’t gone as planned.

3. Who Is Su

Dan P. Lee | New York Magazine | Sept. 25, 2014 | 34 minutes (8,594 words)

When she was 22, Su Meck got into an accident and lost all her memories. At 49, she still learning about the man she married, the family she raised, and who she really is.