Episodes

  • Morality and rules, and how to avoid drowning: what my daughters learned at school in China

    Morality and rules, and how to avoid drowning: what my daughters learned at school in China
    Oct 14 2024
    Our twins spent two years at primary school in Chengdu. Their lessons featured alarming cautionary tales and stories of Chinese superiority, but there was fun and irreverence, too. By Peter Hessler. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: Farewell to America (2015)

    10 years of the long read: Farewell to America (2015)
    Oct 9 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2015: After 12 years in the US, Gary Younge is preparing to depart – as the country’s racial frictions seem certain to spark another summer of conflict. By Gary Younge. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    41 mins
  • The shapeshifter: who is the real Giorgia Meloni?

    The shapeshifter: who is the real Giorgia Meloni?
    Oct 11 2024
    She’s been called a neo-fascist and a danger to Italy. But she has won over many heads of Europe, including the UK prime minister. Should we be worried? By Alexander Stille. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • The cocaine kingpin’s wildest legacy: what can be done with Pablo Escobar’s marauding hippos?

    The cocaine kingpin’s wildest legacy: what can be done with Pablo Escobar’s marauding hippos?
    Oct 7 2024
    The Colombian drug lord’s exotic menagerie fell apart after his death, and now wild hippos are breeding out of control. By Joshua Hammer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • ‘Like a cheese grater raking across my nipple’: why I kept trying to breastfeed for so long

    ‘Like a cheese grater raking across my nipple’: why I kept trying to breastfeed for so long
    Oct 4 2024
    My commitment to breastfeeding exclusively was related to shame. If I couldn’t do it, I felt I would be letting the baby down. By Niamh Campbell. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    28 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: Is this the end of Britishness? (2014)

    10 years of the long read: Is this the end of Britishness? (2014)
    Oct 2 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2014: A shared history of 300 years could be washed away if Scotland votes for independence. What was the complex identity the United Kingdom created – and should we mourn its loss? by Ian Jack. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    43 mins
  • Strange and wondrous creatures: plankton and the origins of life on Earth

    Strange and wondrous creatures: plankton and the origins of life on Earth
    Sep 30 2024
    Without plankton, the modern ocean ecosystem – the very idea of the ocean as we understand it – would collapse. Earth would have no complex life of any kind. By Ferris Jabr. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    27 mins
  • Special Edition: 10 years of the Guardian Long Read

    Special Edition: 10 years of the Guardian Long Read
    Oct 1 2024
    To celebrate 10 years of The Long Read we gathered together the team who launched it to take you behind the scenes. Helen Pidd is joined by editor David Wolf, deputy editor Clare Longrigg, and former editor and founder of the Long Read Jonathan Shainin.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 mins