The Endless Self
Exploring animal life beyond the limits of human understanding.
Follow Longreads:
New Longreads Essays and Features
โI Promise You, You Have Your Soul.โ
Three mothers, one struggle: saving their children with schizophrenia.
When Hannibal Lecter Took Over
With “The Silence of the Lambs” hitting theaters, Orion wanted a hit. They didn’t anticipate an antihero.
By All Measures
Our problems are too vast, our distance from them too great. How do we navigate our derangement of scale?
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Weekly Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Spotlighting stories from Ashley Parker, Tim Dowling, Jill Lepore, Luke Winkie, and Cheryl Katz
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Andy Greenberg, Darshana Narayanan, Lauren Lee White, Sarah Stillman, and Gabriel Furshong.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Jasper Craven, Mike Kane, Francesco Pacifico, Dorothy Guerrero and Stephen Harrigan, and Byard Duncan.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Join Longreads today to access our Top 5 archive
Become a paid member to browse our weekly recommendations, along with other benefits.
More Longreads Essays and Features
30 Years Later: Phyllis Hyman, “I Refuse to Be Lonely”
The singer’s first posthumous album deserves to be remembered as the bravest of her career.
Anatomy of Absolute Power
The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monsterโit just depends on who you ask.
Best of 2025: The Stories You Missed
In a year of exceptional reading, these overlooked stories refused to let us go.
Best of 2025: All Our Number Five Story Picks
Every story we selected for the number five slot in our weekly newsletter, in a handy digest.
Best of 2025: All Our Number One Story Picks
Every story we selected for the number one slot in our weekly newsletter, all in one place.
Best of 2025: The Most Popular Editorsโ Picks of the Year
These audience hits were the most-viewed picks on our site in 2025.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Longreads Reading Lists
‘Actually Really Sacred’: A George Saunders Reading List
Nine essays and interviews from literature’s favorite laureate of compassion.
Life on Display: A Reading List on Museums
Hushed halls can speak loud truths.
Map Room: A Radical Reading List on Cartographic Power, Perspective, and Possibility
Seven stories celebrating our fascination with maps.
Science Cheats: A Reading List on Unscrupulous Scientists
Six stories on the shady side of scholarship.
Dimes, Dunks, and Devotion: A Basketball Reading List
Seven essays that go beyond the box score.
Fleeing Family: A Reading List on Estrangement
Seven stories highlighting the perspective of estranged adult children.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
