All through December, we’ll be featuring Longreads’ Best of 2015. To get you ready, here’s a list of every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
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The Brief Life and Private Death of Alexandria Hill
A two-year-old girl died just nine months after the government had taken her from her family. Her safety had been outsourced to a for-profit corporation. In this piece, Mother Jones investigates what the death of Alexandria Hill says about the privatization of foster care.
Longreads Best of 2015: Investigative Reporting
The best in investigative reporting.
The Mystery of Carl Miller
What if your last name is just the word that comes after your first name?
Truther Love
Uncovering the dating habits of conspiracy theorists and the challenges they face.
Immersive Reporting from the Bakken Oil Fields: A Reading List
Oil production in the Bakken region of North Dakota has topped 1 million barrels a day. The seven-year boom has flooded the area with new residents seeking their fortunes, and many journalists have also joined the labor force, sending dispatches from the new Wild West.
Longreads Best of 2016: Under-Recognized Stories
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here, the best in under-recognized stories.
Longreads Best of 2015: Here Are All of Our No. 1 Story Picks from This Year
All through December, we’ll be featuring Longreads’ Best of 2015. To get you ready, here’s a list of every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
The Freelancers’ Roundtable
A conversation between freelancers Eva Holland, Josh Dean, Jason Fagone, and May Jeong about pitching stories, negotiating contracts, and breaking into a tough industry.
‘Yours Lovingly’: A Collection of Stories About Writing Letters
A man writes to a convicted killer. Fan letters to a troubled country star. Letters by parents. Here are five stories about the letters we write to one another.

