We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in political writing.
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For Single Mothers Working as Train Conductors
My Soviet husband said we’d need 24-hour day care for any children we might have. Many years and the fall of an empire later, I finally realized why he said it.
Torching the Modern-Day Library of Alexandria
“Somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25 million books and nobody is allowed to read them.”
Rolling Down the Highway with the Sum Total of Human Knowledge
Google had a plan to scan every book in the world. 25 million books later, the project lost its way.
Enormous Changes… Arrived at Slowly, Over a the Course of a Politically Engaged Lifetime
On the persistent, patient activism of late author Grace Paley and her recurring character, Faith Darwin Asbury.
Smooth Spaces, Fuzzy Lives
The border of Northern Ireland was one Rachel Andrews thought she could never cross. Then it began to dissolve.
Things People Don’t Want Their Kids to Do
Some parents don’t want their kids to know how much money they have. They also don’t want their kids to become opera singers.
A Nuclear Bomb at Ground Zero, and What Happens Next
At the Atlantic, two researchers discuss their study of how humans might respond after a nuclear attack on Manhattan.
‘America’s Deaf Team’ Tackles Identity Politics
In order to survive, Gallaudet University has to blend a diverse student body from very different backgrounds: deaf culture and hearing culture. Can football players show the school how?
An Interview with Sarah Smarsh, Author of ‘Heartland’
The author of “Heartland,” a National Book Award longlisted memoir about growing up poor in rural America, gives her views on politics, identity, and cultural appropriation.
