Recommending excellent stories by Clint Rainey, Blythe Roberson, Mya Frazier, Katy Kelleher, and Jasper Nathaniel.
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Inside ‘Teflon Joe’s’: Why Your Favorite Grocery Store Is Not What You Think
“How Trader Joe’s remains a beloved brand despite record product recalls, safety violations, worker misconduct complaints, and an environmental record that belies its reputation.”
Is It Okay to Like Chick-fil-A?
“Boycotted for years by liberals—and now by conservatives, too—the Christian-driven brand is trying to walk the narrow path toward growth. What happens next will be enlightening for businesses everywhere.”
Silicon Valley and the Rent-to-Own Trap
“If you want to become a homeowner but don’t qualify for a mortgage, Divvy Homes has a solution: Rent a house from them until you’re able to buy it. What could possibly go wrong?”
A New Leaf: A Post-Legalization Cannabis Reading List
Five stories demonstrating how the green rush nurtured the best and worst that U.S. capitalism had to offer.
10 Short Stories, The Power of Music, and Our Top 5
“I always admired how my father could play so delicately with such brutal hands. They were rough, mired with patches of psoriasis, calloused from playing the charango and the guitar, and scarred, scarred all over.” I have fond memories of playing the violin when I was a child, and over the years I’ve considered returning […]
Meet the Mystery Woman Who Mastered IBM’s 5,400-Character Chinese Typewriter
“Lois Lew operated the improbable, ill-fated machine with aplomb in presentations from Manhattan to Shanghai. 70-plus years later, she’s telling her story.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we’re showcasing stories from Mari Cohen, Brenna Ehrlich, Grace Glassman, Tad Friend, and Imogen West-Knights.
A banger of a Christmas story, best of 2023, and more
“I have enjoyed many happy Christmases and plenty of disappointing ones, like the one I spent eating alone at a Waffle House due to an ice storm, or the Christmas my father accused all the unmarried relatives of being gay. But of all the sad Yuletides of my life, the one I spent guarding $100,000 […]
Can Jollibee Beat American Fast Food at Its Own Game?
“The U.S. introduced fast food to the Philippines. Now Jollibee is serving it back to America.”


