The best stories of the week, as chosen by the editors of Longreads.
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Why Fiction Haunts Us: Pulitzer Prize Winner Viet Thanh Nguyen on His Ghosts
Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen talks about how ghosts and authors of fiction share a similar role in today’s culture.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
The best stories of the week, as chosen by the editors of Longreads.
Is This the Most Crowded Island in the World? (And Why That Question Matters)
An amateur geographer travels to an undocumented island off the coast of Haiti after stumbling upon it on Google Earth.
Moira Donegan is the Anti-Katie Roiphe We Need
Katie Roiphe’s moment is over.
Bundyville Chapter Three: A Clan Not to Cross
A look into the Bundy family’s history reveals how they began to distrust the federal government. From nuclear testing programs in the 1950s to the decades-long Sagebrush Rebellion starting in the 1970s, Cliven Bundy came to believe that the government was out to get him and became emboldened to fight back.
Bundyville Chapter Four: The Gospel of Bundy
The Bundys have found momentum in the Trump era. Ryan Bundy is running for governor and politicians are joining the Bundys at public events. They say they’ll do “whatever it takes” to defend their rights.
The Collected Crimes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio
The president chose to pardon an extremely bad man before providing aid to Texas.
Longreads Best of 2016: Arts & Culture Writing
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here, the best in arts and culture writing.
Kara Walker’s Subtlety
In the summer of 2014, Kara Walker’s sphinx posed a riddle about women, sweetness, and power.

