Our top stories of the week, as chosen by the editors at Longreads.
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Posted inNonfiction
Walking Through the Past Into New Motherhood
A new mother struggles to make sense of intergenerational trauma, biological memory and the guilty privilege of passing as white even though she is Jewish.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
The Joys and Sorrows of Watching My Own Birth
Shelby Vittek reflects on the bittersweet experience of watching herself be born — and her now-divorced mom and dad become parents — again and again.
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction
The Third Life of Richard Miles
Richard Miles spent 15 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The state of Texas compensated Miles for his wrongful conviction, but life after vindication has come with its own set of challenges.
Posted inStory
Two-And-a-Half Minutes to Midnight: Our Fear of Nukes and How We Got Here
Our fear of nuclear conflict has more to do with Iron Man and Godzilla than it does Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction, Story
The Third Life of Richard Miles
Richard Miles spent 15 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The state of Texas compensated Miles for his wrongful conviction, but life after vindication has come with its own set of challenges.
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Our favorite stories of the week, featuring, Outside, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Stanford Medicine, and The Walrus.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction
My Grandfather’s Fateful Goodbye, Reimagined
Karissa Chen tries to reconstruct the moment her grandfather, at 19, left Shanghai for Taiwan on a supposed vacation—a decision that would alter his life forever.
Posted inNonfiction
The Louisiana Environmental Apocalypse Road Trip
Louisiana serves as a terrifying example of what can become of a state that shortchanges science and environmental regulations to boost industry and infrastructure.
Posted inBooks, Business & Tech, Nonfiction
A Sociology of the Smartphone
Smartphones have altered the texture of everyday life, digesting many longstanding spaces and rituals, and transforming others beyond recognition.
