The best stories of the week, as chosen by the editors of Longreads.
nonfiction
Posted inNonfiction
The Remnants of War: A Meditation on Peleliu
Our latest Exclusive is a new essay by Anna Vodicka about the island of Peleliu, which was home to one of World War II’s bloodiest battles.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
The Remnants of War: A Meditation on Peleliu
Our latest Exclusive is a new essay by Anna Vodicka about the island of Peleliu, which was home to one of World War II’s bloodiest battles.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
The Most Influential Box on Earth
The container’s efficiency has proven to be an irresistible economic force. Last year the world’s container ports moved 560 million 20-foot containers—nearly 1.5 billion tons of cargo altogether. Though commodities like petroleum, steel ore, and coal still move in specially designed bulk cargo ships, more than 90 percent of the rest—everything from clothes to cars […]
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Quotes
Stories Make Us Human
Journalist Jacqui Banaszynski’s advice for reporting on the lives of others.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
What Goes into Japan’s Famous Powdered Green Tea
Matcha ─ you’ve read about its health benefits, you’ve seen it in chic cafes sold as bright green lattes and iridescent bubble teas. Consumed in Japan since the 12th century, it’s suddenly trending in America. So what is it and where does it come from? In Serious Eats, food writer Matthew Amster-Burton provides a rare look […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
The Ever-Shifting Definition of ‘Progressive’
Who gets to be a “progressive”?
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
On Being Eritrean
In her essay in Pacific Standard, Rahawa Haile writes about identity, the anxiety of origins, and the search for a grounded life in unstable, isolating locales. Born to Eritrean parents, Haile grew up in Miami, Florida, speaking English and Tigrinya in a low land of built of hurricane deposits that felt doomed to rising sea levels. […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Searching for Truth in Florida Folklore
In the Oxford American, John O’Connor searches the Everglades for the facts within the folklore of sugar cane farmer and outlaw E.J. “Bloody” Watson.
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Seven Takes on Obama for the Final State of the Union
Stories from Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and more.