So much to read, so little time.
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled ten of 2015’s best longreads—from gripping true crime investigations to the humorously surreal global saga of a stolen iPhone—to help you kill some of that time as you travel for the holidays.
“The Lonely Death of George Bell” (N.R. Kleinfield – The New York Times)
Each year around 50,000 people die in New York, some alone and unseen. Yet death even in such forlorn form can cause a surprising amount of activity. Sometimes, along the way, a life’s secrets are revealed.
“Yankees Suck! Yankees Suck!” (Amos Barshad – Grantland.com)
The twisted, true story of the drug-addled, beer-guzzling hardcore punks who made the most popular T-shirts in Boston history.
“Blood Ties: A College Romance That Led to Murder” (Nathan Heller – The New Yorker)
Two brilliant college lovers were convicted of a brutal slaying. All these years later, why has the case become a cause?
“The New Normal: Pieces of Grief” (Stephanie Wittels Wachs – Medium)
Stephanie Wittels Wachs, older sister of late comedian Harris Wittels, reflects on his life and untimely death.
“I Followed My Stolen iPhone Across The World, Became A Celebrity In China, And Found A Friend For Life” (Matt Stopera – BuzzFeed)
The utterly surreal and insane story of how a stolen iPhone in New York City turned into an international tale of celebrity and friendship.
“The Untold Story of Silk Road” (Joshua Bearman – WIRED)
How a 29-year-old idealist built a global drug bazaar on the dark web and became a murderous kingpin.
By 2012, Ross Ulbricht’s online drug bazaar had grown into a worldwide empire. But the feds were closing in.
“Searching For Sugar Daddy” (Taffy Brodesser-Akner – GQ)
Do you ever see a super-old, super-rich guy out on the town with a super-young girl who’s super out of his league and wonder, how the hell did that happen? This is how it happened. An investigation into the bold new transactional-love economy.
“The Fire on the 57 Bus in Oakland” (Dashka Slater – The New York Times)
How a chance encounter on a bus in Oakland inextricably changed the lives of two young people forever.
“Cicada: Solving the Web’s Deepest Mystery” (David Kushner – Rolling Stone)
How one teenage whiz kid found himself in a world of international intrigue.
“The Friend” (Matthew Teague – Esquire)
His wife was just thirty-four. They had two little girls. The cancer was everywhere, and the parts of dying that nobody talks about were about to start. His best friend came to help out for a couple weeks. And he never left.
Happy reading, and safe travels towards a healthy 2016 from all of us at Real Art.
