An investigation of the Thai fishing industry, which has been built on enslaving migrant workers: The price captains pay for these men is a extremely low even by historical standards. According to the anti-trafficking activist Kevin Bales, slaves cost 95% less than they did at the height of the 19th-century slave trade – meaning that […]
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Posted inBooks, Nonfiction
Franklin, Reconsidered: An Essay by Jill Lepore
Jill Lepore revisits the legacy of Benjamin Franklin, who in his time was “the most accomplished and famous American who had ever lived.”
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Ta-Nehisi Coates Calls for Reparations, and a 'Spiritual Renewal' for America
We must imagine a new country. Reparations—by which I mean the full acceptance of our collective biography and its consequences—is the price we must pay to see ourselves squarely. The recovering alcoholic may well have to live with his illness for the rest of his life. But at least he is not living a drunken […]
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Story
Franklin, Reconsidered: An Essay by Jill Lepore
Jill Lepore revisits the legacy of Benjamin Franklin, who in his time was “the most accomplished and famous American who had ever lived.”
Posted inNonfiction, Podcasts, Quotes
The Missing Stories of Slavery
“There are many more narratives to tell about slavery. It’s such a rich subject. It’s like the Civil War, it’s like the Second World War. … I’m happy that they want to [remake Roots] but I think there’s much more—we’ve heard that story already, we don’t have to rehash it. There’s not been a film […]
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Longreads Best of 2014: Essay Writing
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in specific categories. Here, the best in essay writing.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Case for Reparations
Coates traces the history of slavery in America, in all its forms, and how reparations can signal “a national reckoning that would lead to spiritual renewal”: We must imagine a new country. Reparations—by which I mean the full acceptance of our collective biography and its consequences—is the price we must pay to see ourselves squarely. […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficking
Somaly Mam has saved countless girls in Cambodia. Does it matter that her campaign is built on a web of lies? Mam claims to have rescued thousands of girls and women from sex trafficking, a dangerous and formidable feat. Her story becomes even more inspiring when you hear her shocking tale of being sold into […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Where It Hurts: Steve McQueen on Why ’12 Years a Slave’ Isn’t Just About Slavery
Dan P. Lee on the director and Oscar contender: I’d seen 12 Years the night before, at the huge cineplex in downtown L.A. My friend sobbed quietly through a good portion of it. At least one black couple left midway. As we walked out of the Âtheater, no one seemed to be speaking; breaking the […]
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Story
How a Great American Theatrical Family Produced the 19th Century’s Most Notorious Assassin
The celebrated tragedians of the Booth family let Shakespeare’s themes seep into their own relationships. Hubris, glory, the legacy of a dead father, brotherly rivalry, and a powerful delusion led the family—and the nation—to catastrophe.
