“The pieces that rose to the very top of our editors’ lists.”

Longreads editors compile their top picks of 2025: Michelle Shephard revisiting a terrorism case to find redemption through mentorship, Clint Rainey investigating why Trader Joe’s maintains its brand despite recalls and misconduct, Charlotte Bailey weaving personal loss into the history of corporate asbestos coverups, and David Roth’s skeptical CES dispatch questioning technology’s relentless push toward commercializing human experience.