Today’s public intellectuals have their own version of the American Dream, where one person, on their own, can achieve anything — including being the smartest person in the room.
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Falling Stars: On Taking Down Our Celebrity Icons
Celebrities act as a symbol of capitalism. When we question it, we question them too.
Climate Messaging: A Case for Negativity
Nell Zink, Joy Williams, and a different kind of climate skepticism.
Longreads Best of 2018: Business Writing
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in business writing.
When Your Social Worker Thinks You’re Ungrateful
Dina Nayeri’s patience is tried as she accompanies an immigrant family into a bureaucratic nightmare.
On Keeping a Notebook: A Reading List
In this reading list, Jeanne Bonner ruminates on the joys of writing by hand and keeping a notebook.
Treating Drug Epidemics Requires More Than Changes in Law
How Portugal combats its drug epidemic with decriminalization, social services, and new ways of thinking.
When You Carry All That You Love With You
Alice Driver travels into the heart of the caravan.
The No. 1 Ladies’ Defrauding Agency
What a 19th-century scammer can teach us about women, lying, and economic boom-and-bust cycles
Longreads Best of 2018: Profiles
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in profiles.
