Ghosts in Sunlight

“The artist’s memory is a dangerous, necessary thing.” Als’s commencement speech at Columbia University School of the Arts.

Author: Hilton Als
Published: Jul 30, 2014
Length: 9 minutes (2,304 words)

The Transgender Crucible

The story of how CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman who endured homelessness and other hardships as a teen, galvanized the trans and queer community and became a hero after defending herself in an attack.

Source: Rolling Stone
Published: Jul 30, 2014
Length: 26 minutes (6,626 words)

The Skies Belong to Us: How Hijackers Created an Airline Crisis in the 1970s

How the FAA tried and failed to prevent a string of violent skyjackings—an excerpt from Koerner’s book.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jul 30, 2014
Length: 24 minutes (6,186 words)

The Best-Selling, Billion-Dollar Pills Tested on Homeless People

The reporter speaks with people living in shelters—many of which have mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder—about their experiences with participating in pharmaceutical studies for money.

Source: Medium
Published: Jul 28, 2014
Length: 25 minutes (6,460 words)

The Unforgotten

A cadre of college students are working to identify the bodies of illegal migrants who die along the U.S.-Mexico border: “The college students paid for the trip to Falfurrias, in exchange for college credit. They say they aren’t here to take a stand on either side of the fierce divide over illegal migration; they are here in the name of simple humanity.”

Source: Boston Globe
Published: Jul 27, 2014
Length: 25 minutes (6,460 words)

The All-American Expo That Invaded Cold War Russia

“Over the course of six weeks during the height of the Cold War, almost three million Soviets visited an exhibition that celebrated America.” A look back at how it all happened, with help from companies like Pepsi, IBM, Sears and General Motors.

Author: Matt Novak
Source: Gizmodo
Published: Jul 28, 2014
Length: 22 minutes (5,599 words)

The New Face of Richard Norris

Richard Norris became disfigured after he accidentally shot himself in the face when he was 22. He successfully received a full face transplant with the help of Eduardo Rodriguez, a Baltimore reconstructive facial surgeon, but life after the surgery has brought up some unexpected burdens.

Source: GQ
Published: Jul 28, 2014
Length: 34 minutes (8,518 words)

Finding the Words

The poet Edward Hirsch confronts the loss of his son, who died at 22, by writing an elegy: “‘I decided that what I wrote wasn’t going to be just about Gabriel, it also had to be about losing Gabriel,’ he said.”

Source: The New Yorker
Published: Jul 28, 2014
Length: 31 minutes (7,884 words)

Love for the Library: A Reading List

“I put the hottest titles on hold. I stumble upon books I never would’ve thought to read. I can check out giant stacks without feeling any guilt. Libraries are amazing. Here are four stories looking at different aspects of the library system.”

Source: Longreads
Published: Jul 27, 2014

The Coconut Water Wars

Why is coconut water everywhere? Because two companies battled for market share, one yoga studio and corner store at a time.

Published: Jul 26, 2014
Length: 14 minutes (3,633 words)