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. What Really Happened to Baby Johan?

Elizabeth Weil | Matter | Feb. 2, 2015 | 30 minutes (7,565 words)

After a father drops his three-month-old son, a family tragedy becomes a criminal case that raises questions about controversial nature of shaken baby syndrome.

2. My Dad the Pornographer

Chris Offutt | New York Times Magazine | Feb. 5, 2015 | 19 minutes (4,991 words)

Andrew Jefferson Offutt V published more than 400 pornographic novels using 17 different pseudonyms. After he died, his son Chris sorted through his belongings and learned more about his father’s private life.

3. Justice Deferred Is Justice Denied

Jed S. Rakoff | New York Review of Books | February 2015 | 12 minutes (2,937 words)

Judge Jed S. Rakoff breaks down the failure of prosecuting corporate crime in the United States. Using “deferred prosecutions” to target companies, rather than individuals within a company, has led to few true punishments for anyone.

4. When Will We Stop Punishing Working Women for Having Babies?

Rebecca Traister | The New Republic | Feb. 5, 2015 | 12 minutes (3,128 words)

Another strong argument for sane parental leave policy in the United States: “Women are now having babies smack in the middle of their peak earning periods and that their earnings are crucial to the economic stability of their families.”