Top 10 Articles of 2020
We couldn't leave it at just 5...
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And now, our favorite articles and essays from 2020. We had a hard time narrowing down some really, really good writing and analysis from this year, so we’ve made our own rules and expanded it to 10 articles.
Top 10 Articles for 2020 (in no particular order)
“Prep for Prep and the Fault Lines in New York City’s Schools” (New Yorker)
Vinson Cunningham (including his article on Thomas Jefferson in Monday’s subscriber-only update) has written some of our favorite articles of the year. This one looks at how low-income student programs might hide inequalities in the NYC school system.
“Eat Me, Drink Me, Like Me” (The New Atlanticist)
Tara Isabella Burton on the “attention economy” — a beautiful piece.
“The Prophecies of Q” (The Atlantic)
Adrienne LaFrance with one of the seminal articles covering the rise of QAnon and mainstreamed conspiracy theories.
“What the Bible Says About Black Anger” (NYT)
Esau McCaulley with incisive thoughts coming out of the wave of protests against police brutality this summer.
“The New Reconstruction” (The Atlantic)
Adam Serwer on how this summer’s reinvigoration of anti-racism and racial reconciliation movements suggest the possibility of sweeping reform.
“F*** the Bread. The Bread is Over.” (The Paris Review)
Sabrina Orah Mark writes a gorgeous essay asking some really essential questions about her purpose and and career.
“I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” (NYT Magazine)
Brit Marling, writer, creator and actress, writes a thoughtful essay on the confounding paradigm of being a woman in pop culture.
“Baking Bread in Lyon” (New Yorker)
Bill Buford writes beautifully and poignantly about a baker he apprenticed with in Lyon, France. This one made me cry on another read, months later.
“The Environmental Burden of Generation Z” (Washington Post Magazine)
Jason Plautz writes about a key issue we think will have ramifications for policy, politics, and social cohesion for years to come: besides the real threat of climate change, the psychological burden of fighting climate change is weighing very heavily on Gen Z.
“The Man I Saw Them Kill” (NYT)
Liz Bruenig writes one of the most haunting essays of the year on the death penalty, and it was worthy of inclusion on our list despite the fact we shared it in the Top 5 last week.