How Japan found itself on the brink of war in December 1941: By the mid–1930s, much of northern China was essentially under Japanese influence. Then, on July 7, 1937, a small-scale clash between local Chinese and Japanese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge in Wanping, a small village outside Beijing, escalated. The Japanese prime minister, […]
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Posted inNonfiction
The Cold Rim of the World
The rise and fall of Pyramiden, a Russian mining town located in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Springtime in Tiananmen Square, 1989
While teaching English in Beijing, the author witnessed one of the most tumultuous protests in modern history. We were young, and maybe a little naive, and we were angry at injustice. Whenever a group of us foreign teachers got together to share a meal or some beers, Chuck, the most cantankerous of our lot, would […]
Posted inNonfiction, Story
Come Hear My Song
A night at the San Joaquin Valley’s last historic honky-tonk.
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Below, our favorite stories of the week. Kindle users, you can also get them as a Readlist. Sign up to receive this list free every Friday in your inbox. * * * 1. Wrong Answer Rachel Aviv | The New Yorker | July 14, 2014 | 35 minutes (8,962 words) words) Facing increased pressure to […]
Posted inNonfiction, Story
The Cold Rim of the World
The rise and fall of Pyramiden, a Russian mining town located in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Ghosts of the Tsunami
The writer visits a Zen temple in Japan, where he meets with a priest who has been exorcising the spirits of people who had drowned in the 2011 tsunami and taken possession of the living. A story about loss and Japan’s cult of ancestors: Over the course of last summer, Reverend Kaneda exorcised 25 spirits […]
Posted inQuotes
NPR's Nina Totenberg On What It Was Like To Be The Only Woman In The Newsroom
How did sources treat you differently than your male colleagues? The bad news was you weren’t one of the guys so you didn’t chum it up with them and go drinking. The good news was they assumed you were young and stupid. I was young. I wasn’t stupid. They would very often say the most incredible things […]
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List, Top 5
Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Below, our favorite stories of the week. Kindle and Readmill users, you can also get them as a Readlist. Sign up to receive this list free every Friday in your inbox. *** 1. This Is Danny Pearl’s Final Story Asra Q. Nomani | Washingtonian | January 23, 2014 | 30 minutes (7,639 words) Asra Nomani, […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
How the Creators of ‘Street Fighter II’ Figured Out How to Make the Best Game for an Arcade
Looking back on the creation of ‘Street Fighter II.’
