My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard
“Private prisons are shrouded in secrecy. I took a job as a guard to get inside—then things got crazy.”
Longform Best of 2016
We recommended 1,399 articles articles this year, from 1,088 writers and 307 publications.
These were our favorites.
Top Ten
1
2
The Mastermind
Paul Le Roux could have been Mark Zuckerberg. Instead he became a 21st century John Gotti, running a massive criminal empire from his computer until he became an asset of the United States government.
3
The Old West’s Muslim Tamale King
Behind a Muslim community in northern Wyoming — and 20 percent of all Muslims in the state — lies one very enterprising man.
4
The Mysterious Metamorphosis of Chuck Close
The legendary artist has radically upended his distinctive style of portraiture—and his entire life. Why?
5
Interview With a Woman Who Had an Abortion at 32 Weeks
“This baby was unviable, basically. That’s what they say. They say that the baby is ‘incompatible with life.’”
6
Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered
Dee Dee Blancharde was a model parent: a tireless single mom taking care of her gravely ill child. But after Dee Dee was killed, it turned out her daughter Gypsy had never been sick at all.
7
The White Flight of Derek Black
He was white nationalism’s heir apparent. Then he went to college.
8
The Last Taboo
On America’s deep and persistent fear of the black penis.
9
All-American Huckster
The untold story of Napoleon Hill, who practically invented the self-help scam through his 1937 book Think and Grow Rich.
10
The Hell After ISIS
As ISIS retreats, new horrors emerge for a Sunni family.
