All through December, we’ll be featuring Longreads’ Best of 2016. To get you ready, here’s a list of every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
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Posted inNonfiction, Story
The Icy Elegance of Arthur Ashe … And the Passion of Muhammad Ali
The sportsmen’s lives read as a conversation on what it means to be American.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Story
The Boom Boom Song
A toddler teaches her grandfather about the deep emotional structure of babies and adults, the perfect yoga pose for a complete meltdown, and the imperative to boogie.
Best of 2014
Our no. 1 stories, top 10 most popular Longreads exclusives, and favorite essays and writing/reporting across business, science, crime, and sports.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
The Restless Ghosts of Baiersdorf
A small German town is haunted by its Jewish legacy and antisemitic past.
Posted inBlog Post, Nonfiction, Quotes
Muhammad Ali: Literary Muse
What made Muhammad Ali such an appealing subject for so many writers.
Posted inBooks, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Chasing the Harvest: ‘If You Want to Die, Stay at the Ranch’
In this oral history, a former sheepherder describes the loneliness and medical hardship he experienced while tending sheep in California’s Central Valley.
Posted inReading List
Three Stories on Myth and Superstition
Friday, May 13th is the only “Friday the 13th” in 2016. Enjoy these three stories on myth and superstition.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Unapologetic Women
Doing Her Quiet Thing
Concerned that she’s a “bad victim,” a writer is silent about being raped—until she isn’t.
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
The best stories of the week, as chosen by the editors of Longreads.
