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Best of Longform.org 2021

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Curated by Longform.org
Updated Sep 15, 20269 essays
What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind
What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind8.0(2)

Grief, conspiracy theories, and one family’s search for meaning in the two decades since 9/11

The Other Afghan Women
The Other Afghan Women7.0(1)

In the countryside, the endless killing of civilians turned women against the occupiers who claimed to be helping them, Anand Gopal writes.

How I Helped My Dad Die
How I Helped My Dad Die0.0

His body wrecked by ALS, my father insisted that his death, like his life, was his to control.

On “Succession,” Jeremy Strong Doesn’t Get the Joke
On “Succession,” Jeremy Strong Doesn’t Get the Joke0.0

Michael Schulman writes about the actor who portrays Kendall Roy on the HBO series. “I take him as seriously as I take my own life,” Strong says of his character.

One by One, My Friends Were Sent to the Camps
One by One, My Friends Were Sent to the Camps0.0

In a rare, first-hand account, Uyghur poet and filmmaker Tahir Hamut Izgil shares what it’s like to live through and escape the genocide in Xinjiang.

The Subversive Joy of Lil Nas X’s Gay Pop Stardom (Published 2021)
The Subversive Joy of Lil Nas X’s Gay Pop Stardom (Published 2021)0.0

A peek into a hot boy summer filled with new highs, disappointment and growth.

He couldn’t get over his fiancee’s death. So he brought her back as an A.I. chatbot
He couldn’t get over his fiancee’s death. So he brought her back as an A.I. chatbot8.0(2)

The death of the woman he loved was too much to bear. Could a mysterious artificial intelligence website allow him to speak with her once more?

Who Is the Bad Art Friend? (Published 2021)
Who Is the Bad Art Friend? (Published 2021)0.0

Art often draws inspiration from life — but what happens when it’s your life? Inside the curious case of Dawn Dorland v. Sonya Larson.

The Journalist and the Pharma Bro
The Journalist and the Pharma Bro0.0

Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world?