“At the bottom of what motivates me is a very optimistic, very joyful commitment to the idea that the more you learn of the world the better.”
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Ikea’s Race for the Last of Europe’s Old-Growth Forest
More than half of Romania’s timber is illegally harvested. Since 2015, IKEA has been the company’s largest private landowner.
Red America’s Compassion Fatigue: A Report From Mobile, Alabama
“But what, I wondered, about people living in red America who have embraced immunity? In the national battle over vaccination, their voices have largely been drowned out.”
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Rebecca Solnit
The author of The Beginning Comes After the End talks about jackrabbits, her own “informational hypervigilance,” and the one word she won’t stop using.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Megan Evershed, Mark Mann, Jaelani Turner-Williams, Minelle Mahtani, and Kim Cross.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring notable stories from David Pierce, C.J. Chivers, Paige Kaptuch, Michael Adno, and Jessica Winter.
How Silence Protects and Harms Us (plus the Week’s Top 5)
“We still fight with the same Vietnamese stubbornness that is in our blood. I struggle with knowing far more English than Vietnamese. As you age, I fret about the ultimate silence of losing you. Although this dynamic will never go away, there have been new rhetorical tools to soften our challenges. Phrases like ‘I’m sorry’ […]
We’re Hurtling Toward Global Suicide
“Why we must do everything differently to ensure the planet’s survival.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending reads from David A. Taylor, Rebecca Solnit, Nicholas Russell, D.T. Max, and Jori Lewis.
Our 500th Edition! (And the Week’s Top 5)
“The alchemy between rescuer and rescued is strange: like a romantic relationship, only faster moving. The euphoria of starting simply at hello, I’m here to help before moving on and culminating at what feels like deep attachment.” We may be happy that this is the final newsletter of January (come on, spring!), but we’re thrilled that it’s […]


