Evidence of a convicted murderer’s possible innocence sat buried in a case file for more than two decades. Now, a prosecutor in Brooklyn will have to answer for the mistake. On the afternoon of July 18, 1990, James Leeper, a newly minted homicide prosecutor in Brooklyn, had to make a challenging closing argument. The man […]
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Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Longreads Best of 2014: Essay Writing
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in specific categories. Here, the best in essay writing.
Posted inNonfiction, Top 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. Ghosts of Greenwood Nikole Hannah-Jones | ProPublica | July 8, 2014 | 27 minutes (6,891 words) words) “Freedom Summer baptized Mississippi as […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Dangerous Business of Laughter in Ancient Rome
Humor in Ancient Rome could be a matter of life and death, at least when an emperor was involved. Laughter and joking were just as high-stakes for ancient Roman emperors as they are for modern royalty and politicians. It has always been bad for your public image to laugh in the wrong way or to […]
Posted inNonfiction
It’s Time to Stop Saying ‘Drink the Kool-Aid’: Interview with Jonestown Author Julia Scheeres
“It reduces a mass tragedy to the level of banality.”
Posted inNonfiction, Story
Come Hear My Song
A night at the San Joaquin Valley’s last historic honky-tonk.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Being Gay in Iran
What happens when a young man in Iran is outed by a documentary: “May I ask you something personal?” I know what’s coming. I look at my aunt as she takes her time to assemble the correct words. She is a tiny, sweet woman wearing a loosely draped head scarf, staring at me with shining […]
Posted inMember Pick, Nonfiction
The Bomb in the Bag
How America’s first suicide attack changed one man’s fortune forever.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘We weren’t out to change government, we were out to destroy it’
How an Army private plotted murder, and attempted to form an anti-government militia made up of U.S. soldiers: After extra duty one night, Aguigui remembers, Salmon told him that “the leader of the resistance in the game was identical to how he envisioned me.” When Aguigui responded, “We could do this,” Salmon told him, “I’ll […]
