The 10 top-performing essays published on Longreads this year.
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The Meaning of Tattoos and Our Top 5 of the Week
“When my father-in-law was growing up in Baltimore and misbehaved in Hebrew school with his friends, their teachers would calmly unbutton their cuffs and roll up their sleeves, revealing their tattoos from Auschwitz. I’ve seen worse, the tattoos said. Or perhaps, This could happen to you.” What does your tattoo mean? It’s a question often asked of […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we are featuring stories from Piper French, Jordan Blumetti, Zing Tsjeng, Ryan Cantú, and Luke Winkie.
The Landlord & the Tenant
“A young mother rents a house near Milwaukee. The previous tenant tells her, ‘Baby, they shouldn’t have let you move in.'”
Remembering, Forgetting, and The Week’s Top 5
Two brand new essays and The Weekly Top 5.
Life on Screen: A Reality Television Reading List
Reality TV: Guilty pleasure or public service?
‘The Fledglings Are Out!’
“Peering in, I see that last week’s eggs are now chicks. Tiny bright-yellow beaks, mouths opening and closing silently. This is the magic.”
Science Cheats: A Reading List on Unscrupulous Scientists
Six stories on the shady side of scholarship.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re highlighting stories by Meagan Gillmore, Teju Cole, Maureen Ryan, Katie Baker, and Imogen West-Knights.
Return to the Saddle Club: A Reading List on Horse Girls
Celebrating the girls with an equine obsession.


