In the summer of 1982, three Waco teenagers were savagely murdered for no apparent reason. Four men were ultimately charged with the crime. One was executed, two others were given life sentences, and a fourth was sent to death row only to be released after six years. They all may have been innocent.
James Reston’s problematic proximity to the powerful.
A local reporter set out to profile the celebrated writer. He ended up lampooned in The New Yorker.
Excerpted from Updike.
The downfall of Hugo Schwyzer, feminist.
Feature Writing, Reporting, Essays and Criticism, Public Interest — a full list of the articles nominated today.
Previously: Our picks for the best of 2013.
The Bitcoin ghostwriter who wasn’t.
Tavi Gevinson is the founder and editor-in-chief of Rookie.
"I just want our readers to know that they are already smart enough and cool enough."
Thanks to this week's sponsors, TinyLetter and Atavist Books.
The creators of some of the most distinctive craft beers in the world are identical twins from Denmark. They also can’t stand each other.
Previously: Jonah Weiner on the Longform Podcast.
The perilous attraction of owning exotic pets.
Embedded with G4S, the world’s largest private army.
On the campaign trail with Richard Nixon.
What Rüdiger Heim learned about his father.
Excerpted from The Eternal Nazi.</p>
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Atavist Books launches today with Sleep Donation, a new novella by the great Karen Russell, author of Swampandia!
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Revisiting the street corner where Franz Ferdinand was shot.
In an old mine an hour north of Pittsburgh, 600 federal employees manage paperwork for the government’s retirement system. By hand. On paper. Without computers. The same exact way they always have.
What caused the worst shipping disaster in maritime history?
On the post-prison lives of several men in West Baltimore.
On the FBI's failed negotiations with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco.
Previously: Malcolm Gladwell on the Longform Podcast.
The son of a Red Sox legend, his trail of violent attacks runs back to his teen years. So does the line of judges who somehow saw fit, time and again, to give him one more chance. Now he’s on trial for murder.
An engineering team races to create a next-generation computer.
The first installment of The Soul of a New Machine.
On children accused of sorcery in Congo.
On (not) getting by in the gig economy.
A forgotten birthday cake sets off a chain of unexpected events.
For a daily short story recommendation from our editors, check Longform Fiction or follow @longformfiction on Twitter.
On Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, who died this week.
A report from ringside in Spain.
