The Boxer and the Batterer
An essay on Floyd Mayweather Jr. as both.
Andy Greenwald covers television for Grantland.
“People are enthusiastic about TV. People want to read about it. They want to talk about it. They want to know more. They want to extend its presence in their lives. People used to talk about the water cooler show, but the internet is that water cooler now and people want to be part of the conversation.”
Thanks to TinyLetter, Two5six Festival, The Great Courses, and Aspiration for sponsoring this week's episode.
Welcome to Pariahville
The author visits City of Refuge in Pahokee, Florida, a community of more than 100 registered sex offenders.
A Rare, Personal Look at Oliver Sacks’s Early Career
Notes from a never-finished biography of the neurologist, humanist and writer.
The Longform Guide to Police Brutality
A report from the NYC race riots of 1964, the perilous existence of confidential informants, and the militarization of American law enforcement — a collection of articles on police brutality.</p>
The Rise and Fall of the Bombshell Bandit
How a 24-year-old nurse discovered Vegas, high-stakes gambling, and serial bank robbery.
The Untold Story of Silk Road (Part 1)
How Ross Ulbricht went from idealistic used-book seller to murderous drug kingpin.
Walking the Tornado Line
Following a storm that took 72 lives in Alabama.
Tony Wheat Has Been Sorry for So Long
In 1965, Wheat was sentenced to death for armed robbery and murder. When his sentence was commuted, he decided to devote the rest of his life to helping people.
Three Days in Beijing With the Global Dissident Elite
A visit with Ai Weiwei, Laura Poitras, and Jacob Appelbaum, three people who live in justifiable paranoia of government surveillance.
The Virtual Candidate
On Elizabeth Warren’s shadow candidacy.
How Exactly Do You Teach Femininity?
As a teenage sales clerk, Monica Prata noticed that men were coming into stores with an interest in women’s clothing and makeup. So she decided to become a “feminine image consultant.”
The Making of Ed Miliband
A profile of the favorite to become the next UK prime minister.
The Deadpan Genius of Buster Keaton
The melancholy comedy of the silent screen star.
The Exile of the Bohemians
The artists are leaving San Francisco.
Don’t Call Them Bums
A history of hoboes in America.
The Art of Butchery
We are disgusted by butchery, even as we eat more meat than ever.
The People’s Republic of Cruiseland
The author boards the Costa Atlantica for several days of line dancing, burlesque and buffets as part of the cruise industry’s new foray into China.
The Best Years of Our Lives
Memories of “Hollywood’s most grinding bore,” Ronald Reagan.
Dab Artists
Inside the world of “Wooks,” the loner-craftsmen behind the coming marijuana-concentrate boom.
Close Your Heart
Two brothers divided by Central African Republic’s civil war.
“Do You Understand That Your Baby Goes Away and Never Comes Back?”
In Arkansas, a small cottage industry of lawyers arranges adoptions of the babies of Marshall Islands immigrants. But are parents only giving up their children based on a cultural misunderstanding?
A Deadly Dance
A doctor loses the woman of his dreams and hires a broke friend to help get her back. The plan is to prank her new boyfriend. Today, they’re in jail for murder.
The Strange Experience of Having My Memoir Turned Into a Movie
Most people think they’d be thrilled to have their memoir snapped up for a movie. The author had a different, more troubled experience.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Peacetime"
An Iraq War veteran, now a paramedic, runs into trouble.
"I rewarded the man with another hit of naloxone, which made him even more alive, even less happy. Karen was busy with the gear, and I thought for sure that the coast was clear. It wasn’t. As soon as I put the note in my pocket, I saw the boy. He stood in the doorway, watching me with a basically impassive expression. He chewed his gum. He blew a splendid bubble."
