Here’s every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
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Why Karen Carpenter Matters
For one brown, queer Filipino-American, Karen Carpenters’ music anchored her to her musical family’s past while helping chart her path in their adopted Southern California.
The Money His Father Left Behind, and the Life it Would Start
When Alexander Chee’s father died at 43, he left behind a trust that would set the course of his son’s life.
This Is What It Was Like Learning To Report Before Fake News Was The Biggest Problem In The World
BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith recalls what it was like working as a young reporter in Belarus in 2001. One of his first major stories resulted in his source being beaten and thrown in jail — or so he thought, until he discovered the truth more than 15 years later.
Alternative Reality: ‘Howard Buffett’s Border War’
Redlining, immersive sound installations, a hidden mural and more in this edition of Alternative Reality.
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“The whiteboy said there was nothing left for me in Houston, he said that I didn’t have to punish myself, and he said my name, my actual name.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Rahawa Haile; Hannah Dreier; Rukmini Callimachi; Mary Anne Mohanraj, Keah Brown, S. Bear Bergman, Matthew Salesses, and Kiese Laymon; and Molly Fitzpatrick.
Could Kratom End the Opioid Crisis?
Only if the US government doesn’t classify it as a Schedule I controlled substance.
Native Americans’ Persecution Continues; Only the Uniforms Have Changed
Between deadly police shootings and a white correctional officer sexually assualting Native American women, the Bad River Band of the Ojibwe nation feels more preyed upon than protected.
The Year of the Cat
Elisabeth Donnelly looks back at a relationship with a wily cat during a lonely time in upstate New York.

