“It occurred to me that the winner’s podium was a pretty good place from which to conduct a women’s movement.”
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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring notable stories by Bridget Read, Oscar Schwartz, Mosab Abu Toha, Sierra Bellows, and Stuart Heritage.
Detectives at Work and the Week’s Top 5
“Ronald was my mother’s uncle, a fashion designer who fled Texas for New York at 19. I met him only once. In my memory, we are sitting on the front porch, the hairs standing up on my arms as the sun wanes. His head is bent over a piece of paper, sketching my 7-year-old face. […]
Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England’s Must-Have Garden Accessory
“Wealthy landowners hired men who agreed to live in isolation on their estates for as long as seven years.”
Both Sides Now
A deep look inside the byzantine subculture of high-school debate — and the misogyny and toxic behavior that lurked therein — from a onetime participant. Heart-stopping and eye-opening. Boys who were strong debaters were said to possess Good Debater Syndrome, meaning that their skill made them seem more attractive to their female peers. For girls, […]
Mere Belief
“One of the pivotal purposes of memoir is to unveil the shades of meaning that exist in what we believe.”
We’re More Ghosts Than People
“I believe in redemption in the same way that I believe in heaven: I feel required to.”
The (Un-)Happiest Place on Earth and the Week’s Top 5
“I left Trip House at 8:12 on Saturday morning, having not been murdered, and drove to the Magic Kingdom. The woman at the ticket window asked if I’d come to Disney World to celebrate anything special, and I laughed. If I answered that question truthfully — using unmagical words like ‘genital,’ ‘student loan,’ and ‘gentrification’ […]
At His Majesty’s Pleasure
“Our pints correspondent took the train to Poundbury for King Charles’ coronation.”
I Woke Up With an Allergy to Cold
How can someone become allergic — full-on, allover hives allergic — to cold? This essay from Alison Espach unfolds like a slow walk along a precarious ridgeline: You feel the discomfort, but you also trust the journey enough to enjoy it. There’s a practiced sense of pace here, an easy deliberation that pairs well with […]


