Why do we keep what we keep — and who decides? An archivist digs and collects longreads on how objects and materials shape public memory.
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Judge a Book Not By its Gender
Lisa Whittington-Hill suggests there’s a distinct gender bias in celebrity memoirs. Where female celebrities are expected to expose all, male writers get to write about whatever they want.
In Defense of Boris the Russki
Ayşegül Savaş calls into question a kind of racism in Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, and laments the liberal reluctance to rebuke discrimination outright, regardless of its targets.
Andrew O’Hagan on The Grenfell Tower Fire, One Year Later
“Everyone who died that night died above the tenth floor.”
Finding a Path in a Broken System
Thailand is a top destination for gender confirmation surgery. Its success is a symptom of Western failure.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from John Lanchester, Bethany Barnes, Stephen Kearse, Warren Ellis, and Soraya Roberts.
Grandiose and Claustrophobic: ‘Prozac Nation’ Turns 25
Elizabeth Wurtzel’s bestseller is deeply rooted in a specific, Gen-X cultural moment. Can it still speak to us in 2019?
Swipe Right: A Reading List about Online Dating
Jacqueline Alnes shares her own dating app experiences and nine stories about the pitfalls of finding a partner online.
England’s National Health Service Is Suffering Growing Pains
While England’s National Health Service institutes large-scale reform, the country’s understaffed, overcrowded hospitals are in crisis.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Amanda Mull, Allegra Hobbs, Andrew O’Hagan, Andrew Kay, and Joe Veix.

