Best of 2021: Readers’ Favorites

Since we started the #longreads hashtag in 2009 to share great reads on Twitter, curation has been the beating heart of Longreads.

自从我们于 2009 年开始使用 #longreads 标签在 Twitter 上分享精彩读物以来，策展一直是 Longreads 的核心。

We highlight our favorite stories in our weekly Longreads Top 5, and at year’s end — in what is now a decade-long tradition — we revisit and reflect on the pieces we loved most.

我们在每周的长读前 5 名中突出显示我们最喜欢的故事，并在年底——按照现在长达十年的传统——我们重新审视并反思我们最喜欢的作品。

This year we did things a little differently — our editors still considered their top stories, but we also reached out to our readers to see what the Longreads community enjoyed in 2021.

今年，我们的做法略有不同——我们的编辑仍然考虑他们的头条新闻，但我们也联系了读者，了解 Longreads 社区在 2021 年的表现。

So today, we’re delighted to showcase 10 stories from the year that our readers loved — and hear why these pieces stood out to them in their own words.

因此，今天，我们很高兴向读者展示这一年中深受读者喜爱的 10 个故事，并用他们自己的话来听听为什么这些文章对他们来说如此引人注目。

## The Epic Family Feud Behind an Iconic American Weight-Loss Camp for Kids, David Gauvey Herbert, Bloomberg Businessweek, August 2021

## 美国标志性儿童减肥营背后的史诗般的家庭恩怨，David Gauvey Herbert，《彭博商业周刊》，2021 年 8 月

Dave Herbert’s piece on Camp Shane is incredible work, and deeply meaningful as a survivor of that weight loss camp.

戴夫·赫伯特 (Dave Herbert) 关于夏恩营的文章是一部令人难以置信的作品，对于减肥营的幸存者来说意义重大。

As an amateur writer — I also have to say that the author weaved a number of different issues and concepts using a fantastic narrative form, coupled with a unifying thread that would resonate with any reader.

作为一名业余作家，我还不得不说，作者使用奇妙的叙事形式编织了许多不同的问题和概念，再加上能引起任何读者共鸣的统一线索。

—Mark Rothenberg

——马克·罗滕伯格

## When the Techies Took Over Tahoe, Rachel Levin, Outside, April 2021

## 当技术人员接管 Tahoe 时，Rachel Levin，外面，2021 年 4 月

I am an American expat living in Australia, and this story gave me the most insightful look at how COVID-19 in the U.S. is impacting work, place, real estate, local culture, and nature — and how the socio-economics pervade everything.

我是一名居住在澳大利亚的美国侨民，这个故事让我最深刻地了解了美国的 COVID-19 如何影响工作、地点、房地产、当地文化和自然，以及社会经济如何渗透到一切。

—Tara Johnston

——塔拉·约翰斯顿

## To Protect Me From America, My Parents Changed My Name Without Telling Me, Leslie Nguyen-Okwu, Harper’s Bazaar, May 2021

## 为了保护我免受美国侵害，我的父母在没有告诉我的情况下更改了我的名字，Leslie Nguyen-Okwu，《时尚芭莎》，2021 年 5 月

I loved this essay’s description about “teetering on a tightrope between Asian America and Black America,” and her powerful explanations of coping with the realities of racism and discrimination from a young age.

我喜欢这篇文章关于“在亚裔美国和黑人美国之间摇摇欲坠”的描述，以及她对从小就应对种族主义和歧视现实的有力解释。

—Vesna Jaksic Lowe

—韦斯纳·贾克西克·洛

## Kevin Durant and (Possibly) the Greatest Basketball Team of All Time, Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine, June 2021

## 凯文·杜兰特和（可能）有史以来最伟大的篮球队，萨姆·安德森，《纽约时报》杂志，2021 年 6 月

The question of profile writing is: What fascinates me about this person, and what does it say about myself or the world?

个人简介写作的问题是：这个人的什么让我着迷，它对我自己或世界有何评价？

The other, especially in sports writing these days is: How can I get enough time and access to get to the core of a character?

另一个问题，尤其是在当今的体育写作中，是：我怎样才能获得足够的时间和机会来了解角色的核心？

Anderson manages to obtain one of the deepest and — given the insane shield put around sports stars these days — most unlikely portraits of an NBA star.

安德森成功地获得了一张最有深度、也是最不可能的 NBA 球星肖像——考虑到如今体育明星周围的疯狂盾牌。

We see the moody, ingenious, unlikely Kevin Durant in a way he’s never been shown to us before.

我们以一种以前从未向我们展示过的方式看到了喜怒无常、聪明才智、不太可能的凯文·杜兰特。

It’s the piece every sportswriter I know is jealous of.

这是我认识的每个体育记者都嫉妒的文章。

—Joseph Bien-Kahn

——约瑟夫·宾-卡恩

## Where There’s Muck There’s Brass: Making Money From Sewage in Kolkata, Amitangshu Acharya, and Sudipto Sanyal, The Economist, January 2021

## 有淤泥的地方就有黄铜：从加尔各答的污水中赚钱，Amitangshu Acharya 和 Sudipto Sanyal，《经济学人》，2021 年 1 月

It’s a story that traverses the very real ecological and sociological issues of our present world — a world at the brink of irreversible damage.

这是一个涉及当今世界非常现实的生态和社会学问题的故事——一个处于不可逆转损害边缘的世界。

Written with poetic articulation, it narrates a well-researched story of the unique wetlands of Kolkata.

它以诗意的表达方式讲述了加尔各答独特湿地的一个经过深入研究的故事。

Despite the imminent urgency of the problems discussed, it still relates an uplifting instance of the human capacity for survival, resourcefulness, and optimism.

尽管所讨论的问题迫在眉睫，但它仍然讲述了人类生存能力、足智多谋和乐观的令人振奋的例子。

Beautifully written and moving.

写得很美，很感人。

—Reshma Matthew

——瑞什玛·马修

## The Depths She’ll Reach, Xan Rice, Long Lead, November 2021

## 她将到达的深度，Xan Rice，Long Lead，2021 年 11 月

This profile about freediver Alenka Artnik blew me away.

这篇关于自由潜水员 Alenka Artnik 的简介让我大吃一惊。

Not only is her story of overcoming grief and mental health challenges inspiring, but it is written in such an evocative way.

她克服悲伤和心理健康挑战的故事不仅鼓舞人心，而且以一种令人回味的方式写成。

I’ve never seen a story designed like that either.

我也从未见过这样设计的故事。

The video of Alenka diving under the story transfixed me.

阿伦卡在故事中潜水的视频让我惊呆了。

—Jenni Blossom

——珍妮·布洛瑟姆

## Once Upon a Time in Central Florida, Katherine LaGrave, AFAR, February 2021

## 《佛罗里达州中部往事》，Katherine LaGrave，AFAR，2021 年 2 月

This is still a story I think about.

这仍然是我思考的一个故事。

After two years filled with so much loss and immeasurable lost time, this feature clung to my heart and made me appreciate how much more time I do have, post-pandemic.

在经历了如此多的损失和无法估量的时间损失的两年之后，这个功能牢牢地占据了我的心，让我意识到在大流行后我还有多少时间。

—Sarah Anderson

——莎拉·安德森

## To Catch a Turtle Thief: Blowing the Lid Off an International Smuggling Operation, Clare Fieseler, The Walrus, November 2021

## 《抓住海龟贼：揭开国际走私行动的盖子》，克莱尔·菲瑟勒，《海象》，2021 年 11 月

It’s an age-old problem that isn’t spotlighted much, and wildlife trafficking interlopes with lots of other types of crimes (e.g., drug trade).

这是一个古老的问题，但并未引起太多关注，而且野生动物贩运与许多其他类型的犯罪（例如毒品贸易）交织在一起。

This was a great article.

这是一篇很棒的文章。

—Lindsey Reeves

——林赛·里夫斯

## The Epic Battle to Break the Mississippi River Canoe Record, Frank Bures, Outside, November 2021

## 打破密西西比河独木舟记录的史诗般的战斗，Frank Bures，户外，2021 年 11 月

I loved this story so much.

我非常喜欢这个故事。

It was a good old-fashioned rip-roaring adventure story, done the way it should be: the biggest, baddest river, a race, a record meant to be broken, petty interpersonal conflict, tension, and terror — all with a dose of redemption at the end.

这是一个很好的老式的、惊心动魄的冒险故事，按照它应该的方式完成：最大、最恶劣的河流、一场比赛、一个注定要被打破的记录、琐碎的人际冲突、紧张和恐惧——所有这些都在最后得到了一剂救赎。

And it was reported from the boats, not after the fact.

这是从船上报告的，而不是事后报告的。

Great stuff.

很棒的东西。

—Jason Albert

——杰森·阿尔伯特

## There Has Been Blood, Diana Hubbell, Eater, August 2021

## There Has Been Blood，戴安娜·哈贝尔，《食者》，2021 年 8 月

This piece on the Thailand palm oil industry, and the violence and harassment against local farmers, shows the strengths and courage of ordinary people — who, although vulnerable and underprivileged, refuse to give up on insisting their rights are respected.

这篇关于泰国棕榈油行业以及针对当地农民的暴力和骚扰的文章展示了普通民众的力量和勇气——他们虽然脆弱和处于弱势地位，但拒绝放弃坚持自己的权利受到尊重。

—Sutharee Wanna

——苏塔丽·旺纳