Longreads

This week's picks include Fortune Magazine, the Dallas Observer, Priceonomics, Project Wordsworth, the Toronto Sun, fiction from The New Yorker and a guest pick by Emily Schultz.

A boy with kidney disease finds a way to thrive in high school thanks to a robot:

"'His personality helps out a lot,' says Kent Deville, Lyndon's chemistry teacher. 'A shier kid would have problems.' Lyndon isn't afraid to call out when he needs help, and he uses the bot's tricks to his advantage. He can zoom in, take photos of the whiteboard and homework corrections and refer back to everything later. 'It's like H.G. Wells,' Mr. Deville says. Kelsey Vasquez, a classmate, says Lyndon is actually more outgoing as the robot. 'He's shier in person,' she says, at least until he's had time to relax. 'I don't think I could be as happy as he is.'"

A Dallas murder suspect is also a paranoid schizophrenic, and his changing mental state raises questions about whether he can stand trial:

"With medication he becomes someone else entirely, capable even of calm rationality. He would have to be induced into a state of synthetic sanity before he could stand trial for a crime that he allegedly committed while unmedicated.

"For now, though, he was just another uncooperative suspect.

"'We need your help. Are you going to help us?' Thompson's index finger jackhammered the photo. 'Look at him!'

"With his slight build and his short, blond hair, Winder looked hunted, like a boy among men. He looked up at the detectives and murmured, 'I don't remember.'"

"Dock," she said. "You're supposed to pitch today." Ellis focused his mind. No. Friday. He wasn't pitching until Friday. He was sure. "Baby," she replied. "It is Friday. You slept through Thursday." Ellis remained calm. The game would start late. Ample time for the acid to wear off. Then it struck him: doubleheader. The Pirates had a doubleheader. And he was pitching the first game. He had four hours to get to San Diego, warm up and pitch.