A Palestinian-American writer flies to Israel on her way to visit her sister. Despite having an American passport, she doesn’t make it far: An hour later, the bearded young man who had originally questioned me at the immigration hall became my guard. When I tried to go to the bathroom, he said I was not […]
Guernica
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[Fiction] A sisters’ weekend and an unexpected encounter bring back memories: When Trisha comes to town we have to go out. She’s the bitterest soccer mom of all time and as part of her escape from home she wants to get drunk and complain about her workaholic husband and over-scheduled, ungrateful children. No one appreciates […]
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On riots and race. What has changed, and what’s still bubbling under the surface, 20 years after the riots in South Central Los Angeles: The L.A. Riots (or uprising, civil unrest, or rebellion, depending) are often considered the first ‘multiethnic’ riots. As a pivot point of race and urban relations, they constitute a resonant moment […]
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A family, convinced that homeownership was a requisite part of the American dream, ends up with a foreclosure: We tried to short sale. A realtor named Sharon came by the condo to see the property and talk about our options. Normally a friendly and exuberant child, our two-year-old daughter Amelie was immediately suspicious of Sharon, […]
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An interview with Cuban director Fernando Pérez on life, art and making movies in Cuba: Fernando Pérez: I have one place in the world that I live in, where I was born, and that’s Havana. If you ask me why, I wouldn’t know, but then, that’s why I make films. In Cuba and specifically in […]
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[Fiction] A favor from an ex, with a catch: DENNIS Let me guess. Is this about money? Now that I have it? Or do you suddenly need me on some emotional level heretofore unrealized? Pause. JOSH Yes. I need money. Silence. “Turnabout.” — Daniel Reitz, Guernica See more #fiction #longreads
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[Fiction] Pepa’s not afraid of anything: For two weeks, her parents were gone, and during this time Pepa took care of her brother as she did when they were not in the jungle. She prepared meals. She went to the market and mopped the floors and fed the chickens, of course. She made sure that […]
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[Fiction] An adolescent girl’s discoveries about her beautiful, elusive mother: “At the time, what I saw struck me as a strange dream, one that I managed to forget for many years. I was so angry with my mother for so long. Now I’m old enough to recognize the disillusion I saw dawning on her face […]
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Featured Longreader: The prolific Matthias Rascher. See his story picks from History Today, Guernica and more on his #longreads page.