Best of 2024: The Stories You Missed

The Longreads editors trawl every corner of the internet to find the best long-form stories to recommend.

Longreads 的编辑们搜寻互联网的每个角落，寻找最好的长篇故事来推荐。

(Well maybe not every corner, but we read what we can!) At the end of each week, we announce an Audience Award—for the story we have picked that our readers loved the most.

（也许不是每个角落，但我们会尽我们所能地阅读！）在每周结束时，我们都会宣布观众奖 - 奖励我们选出的读者最喜欢的故事。

These winners get a shoutout in our weekly Top 5 newsletter.

这些获奖者会在我们的每周前 5 名时事通讯中得到大力赞扬。

But what about our smaller, forgotten choices?

但是我们那些较小的、被遗忘的选择呢？

The Tiny Tims of our editors’ picks also deserve a chance to shine.

我们编辑选出的小蒂姆斯也值得有机会发光发热。

So, for this list, we did some digging to find a few gems we think you might have missed.

因此，对于这个列表，我们进行了一些挖掘，以找到一些我们认为您可能错过的宝石。

Perhaps lost in a week of big stories or from a lesser-known outlet, these wonderful pieces got passed by.

也许是迷失在一周的大故事中，或者是从一个不太知名的媒体中，这些精彩的作品就被忽略了。

So please give the 10 stories below another chance to be appreciated.

所以请再给下面的10个故事一次被欣赏的机会。

They deserve it.

他们应得的。

—Carolyn, Cheri, Krista, Peter & Seyward

——卡罗琳、谢里、克里斯塔、彼得和西沃德

## Paradise Redux

## 天堂终极版

J.

J。

Matt | Places Journal | March 19, 2024 | 6,110 words

马特|地方杂志| 2024 年 3 月 19 日 | 6,110 字

In November 2018, the town of Paradise was devastated by the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history.

2018 年 11 月，天堂镇被坎普大火摧毁，这是加州历史上最致命的野火。

Five years after they first visited Paradise in the wake of that apocalypse, J.

在那场大灾难之后，他们第一次访问天堂五年后，J.

Matt went back to take the measure of the town’s rebirth, and to consider what the Camp Fire continues to mean for those living in the WUI (wildland-urban interface).

马特回去衡量小镇的重生，并考虑坎普大火对生活在 WUI（荒地与城市交界处）的人们意味着什么。

There’s much to mourn here, but there’s also hope for how we might fare in the face of ever-increasing wildfire risk—and the solace we might find in one another.

这里有很多值得哀悼的事情，但也有希望面对不断增加的野火风险，我们可以如何应对，以及我们可以在彼此身上找到安慰。

—PR

——公关

## Locked In, Priced Out

## 锁定，定价

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg and Ethan Corey | The Appeal | April 17, 2024 | 2,697 words

伊丽莎白·威尔·格林伯格和伊森·科里 |上诉| 2024 年 4 月 17 日 | 2,697 字

Ramen that’s more than three times as expensive than it is at Target.

拉面比 Target 贵三倍多。

Water prices that shot up 50 percent in a year.

水价一年内上涨了 50%。

Peanut butter marked up 70 percent.

花生酱涨价70%。

These are just a few of the findings from a nine-month investigation of prison commissaries.

这些只是对监狱小卖部进行为期九个月的调查的一些结果。

This project comes with a searchable database, so that you can get acquainted with the costs incarcerated individuals are forced to bear to access items they need.

该项目附带一个可搜索的数据库，以便您可以了解被监禁的人被迫承担获取所需物品的费用。

—SD

—SD

## Why Make Art in the Dark?

## 为什么要在黑暗中创作艺术？

Izzy Wisher | Aeon | May 6, 2024 | 3,100 words

伊兹·许愿者 |永旺 | 2024 年 5 月 6 日 | 3,100 字

Why did our ancestors draw on cave walls—in the dark?

为什么我们的祖先要在黑暗中在洞穴墙壁上作画？

Izzy Wisher takes a fascinating look at the possible psychology behind cave drawing, and how it reflects on our way of thinking to this day.

伊兹·维舍尔（Izzy Wisher）对洞穴绘画背后可能存在的心理学进行了精彩的探讨，以及它如何影响我们今天的思维方式。

Once she invites you to imagine yourself in a cave, you will be captivated: “You’re standing in a cave, tens of thousands of years ago.

一旦她邀请你想象自己在一个山洞里，你就会被迷住：“你站在一个山洞里，几万年前。

The damp, earthen smell mixes with the warm smoke from your firelit torch and saturates your nostrils.

潮湿的泥土味与火炬发出的温暖烟雾混合在一起，浸入你的鼻孔。

The muted silence is broken only by the subtle crackles of the fire and distant drips of water that echo around the space.” —CW

只有火苗发出的微妙的噼啪声和远处回响的水滴声打破了这片寂静。” —CW

## Into the Wind

## 风中

Laura Killingbeck | Bicycling Magazine | May 22, 2024 | 3,280 words

劳拉·基林贝克 |自行车杂志| 2024 年 5 月 22 日 | 3,280 字

Disillusioned and drained after dancing for a living became too much, Laura Killingbeck packed up her bike and bought a one-way ticket to Alaska.

劳拉·基林贝克 (Laura Killingbeck) 因以跳舞为生而感到幻灭和疲惫，她收拾好自行车，买了一张前往阿拉斯加的单程票。

Cycling and the outdoors brought her true solitude.

骑自行车和户外活动给她带来了真正的孤独。

In those she encountered, she found generosity, kindness, and what she needed most: human connection and community.

在她遇到的人身上，她发现了慷慨、善良，以及她最需要的东西：人际关系和社区。

—KS

—KS

## ChatGPT Goes to Church

## ChatGPT 去教堂

Arlie Coles | Plough | June 6, 2024 | 3,198 words

阿莉·科尔斯 |犁| 2024 年 6 月 6 日 | 3,198 字

Arlie Coles, a machine learning researcher, wonders whether language models have a place in the church.

机器学习研究员阿莉·科尔斯 (Arlie Coles) 想知道语言模型是否在教堂中占有一席之地。

Can a church leverage ChatGPT to organize its materials like sermons and documents, or complete administrative tasks?

教会可以利用 ChatGPT 来组织布道和文件等材料，或完成管理任务吗？

Are there responsibilities that should be left to humans—including writing sermons, interpreting texts, and generating Bible discussion questions?

是否有一些责任应该留给人类——包括撰写讲道、解释文本和产生圣经讨论问题？

This is an essay full of thoughtful questions, from the unique perspective of a churchgoing AI researcher.

这是一篇充满深思熟虑的问题的文章，来自一位常去教堂的人工智能研究人员的独特视角。

—CLR

—CLR

## How to Love an Oyster

## 如何爱上牡蛎

Brendan Borrell | Hakai Magazine | January 9, 2024 | 3,503 words

布伦丹·博雷尔 |哈凯杂志 | 2024 年 1 月 9 日 | 3,503 字

A quick question for raw bar aficionados on the West Coast: Where did your oyster come from?

对于西海岸的生食酒吧爱好者来说，有一个简单的问题：您的牡蛎来自哪里？

Turns out most Pacific oysters grew on the coast, but are originally from Japan—and they’ve crowded out the once-ubiquitous Olympia species.

事实证明，大多数太平洋牡蛎都生长在海岸上，但它们最初来自日本，它们排挤了曾经无处不在的奥林匹亚牡蛎。

That’s where researchers come in.

这就是研究人员发挥作用的地方。

Brendan Borrell turns in an engaging feature about Olys’ many ecological advantages, as well as the race to help them re-establish a shellhold in the reefs of the West Coast.

布伦丹·博雷尔 (Brendan Borrell) 发表了一篇引人入胜的专题文章，介绍了奥利斯的许多生态优势，以及帮助他们在西海岸的珊瑚礁上重建贝壳的竞赛。

—PR

——公关

## The Powerful Potential of Tiny Conservation Plots

## 小型保护地块的强大潜力

Joanna Thompson | Noema Magazine | August 27, 2024 | 3,147 words

乔安娜·汤普森 |诺玛杂志 | 2024 年 8 月 27 日 | 3,147 字

Joanna Thompson writes about the interdependence of life on planet Earth and the importance of fostering biodiversity in our urban gardening efforts.

乔安娜·汤普森 (Joanna Thompson) 撰写了关于地球上生命的相互依存性以及在城市园艺工作中促进生物多样性的重要性的文章。

Today I learned that small plots can be carbon-intensive if we’re not careful.

今天我了解到，如果我们不小心的话，小块土地可能会成为碳密集型地区。

When we’re trying to grow food to feed ourselves and cool urban spaces to aid climate change, we need to remember the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators we depend on to grow food.

当我们试图种植粮食来养活自己并为城市空间降温以应对气候变化时，我们需要记住我们赖以种植粮食的蜜蜂、蝴蝶和其他授粉媒介。

Nurturing biodiversity can mean leaving just a small space in the garden or on the balcony for native plants and perennials that feed and provide habitat for the insects we share the plant with.

培育生物多样性可能意味着在花园或阳台上只留出一小块空间来种植本土植物和多年生植物，为与我们共享植物的昆虫提供食物和栖息地。

—KS

—KS

## In Every Nelson He Visits, Jeff Truesdell Finds the Man He Loved

## 在每次拜访尼尔森时，杰夫·特鲁斯戴尔都找到了他所爱的人

Tyler Harper | Nelson Star | November 21, 2024 | 2,526 words

泰勒·哈珀 |纳尔逊之星 | 2024 年 11 月 21 日 | 2,526 字

How do you deal with loss?

你如何处理损失？

For Jeff Truesdell, remembering his husband, Nelson Figueroa, means traveling to different towns and communities called Nelson.

对于杰夫·特鲁斯戴尔来说，纪念他的丈夫纳尔逊·菲格罗亚意味着前往名为纳尔逊的不同城镇和社区。

At each Nelson he visits, Truesdell poses a cardboard cutout of his partner at local landmarks and also speaks with residents about their town—and their own experiences with grief.

每次拜访尼尔森时，特鲁斯戴尔都会在当地地标建筑上摆出他伴侣的纸板剪纸，并与居民谈论他们的城镇以及他们自己的悲伤经历。

This is an unexpected, feel-good read about loss, love, and the power of connection.

这是一本关于失去、爱和联系的力量的出乎意料的、让人感觉良好的读物。

—CLR

—CLR

## Care, Out of the Closet

## 护理，出柜

Ann Neumann | The Baffler | January 9, 2024 | 3,555 words

安·诺依曼 |挡板| 2024 年 1 月 9 日 | 3,555 字

It’s no secret that the state of elder care in the United States is disastrous.

美国的老年人护理状况是灾难性的，这已不是什么秘密。

Nursing homes have long been under-staffed and under-resourced; the private-equity boom—to say nothing of the pandemic—has only made things worse.

疗养院长期以来人手不足、资源不足；私募股权的繁荣——更不用说新冠疫情——只会让事情变得更糟。

Here, Ann Neumann links this crisis with the specific concerns of aging LGBTQI+ people.

在此，安·诺依曼 (Ann Neumann) 将这场危机与老龄化 LGBTQI+ 人群的具体担忧联系起来。

—SD

—SD

## The Many Lifetimes of an Old Red Bike

## 一辆旧红色自行车的多次生命

Iain Treloar | Escape | March 14, 2024 | 3,214 words

伊恩·特雷洛尔 |逃亡| 2024 年 3 月 14 日 | 3,214 字

Iain Treloar’s great-great-grandfather built the “old red bike” in the early 1940s, but it wasn’t until this year Treloar finally learned of its history.

Iain Treloar 的曾曾祖父在 20 世纪 40 年代初制造了这辆“老红色自行车”，但直到今年 Treloar 才终于了解了它的历史。

In a beautiful essay, he explores themes of family and aging through the lens of a bike passed down through generations.

在一篇精彩的文章中，他通过代代相传的自行车镜头探讨了家庭和衰老的主题。

Treloar narrates his family’s history with respect and self-awareness, a reminder to honor our family treasures and their origins.

特雷洛尔以尊重和自我意识的方式讲述了他家族的历史，提醒我们尊重我们的家族财富及其起源。

—CW

—CW

Browse all of our year-end collections since 2011.

浏览我们自 2011 年以来的所有年终系列。