LongReads Round-Up Volume Nineteen

"The 10 Best First Crush Stories," introduced by Jessica Coen for Jezebel. Coen put out a call for readers to submit their first crush stories, and what we got is a frank, intimate selection of pieces to which I think everyone can relate. One had me sniffling and crying, while others made me laugh and a little embarrassed at memories of fourteen year old Emily, who really, really related to Some Kind of Wonderful too. What's probably my favorite part of this collection is just how fresh and unvarnished some of the stories read- because they were submitted via the comments section, and not collected and polished and edited, they felt more valuable and accessible. "In my fantasy he would hand it back to me and his message would read: You are stunning. I want to 1) kiss you on the mouth 2) do all the sex stuff 3) marry you and make attractive, intelligent, artistic, musical genius superhero babies 4) play Nintendo with you forever until we grow old and can no longer hold the controllers anymore because of arthritis."

"The Secret of Bezos: How Amazon Became the Everything Store," by Brad Stone for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. I gave up my soul and first born son to Amazon long ago, probably around the same time I was offered a free Prime account for a year. Stone investigated the rise of Amazon, and its driven CEO, in a new book, which is here excerpted in Bloomberg. The excerpt covers CEO Jeff Bezos's intense boardroom manner, provides anecdotes of Amazon's ruthless tactics in company takeovers, and reveals a little known story of Bezos's past. Also, did you know Bezos has a rocket ship company? No big deal, just Amazon in Space. "Some employees love this confrontational culture and find they can’t work effectively anywhere else...But other alumni call Amazon’s internal environment a “gladiator culture” and wouldn’t think of returning."

"'Afghan Americans': A Study in Duality," by Elissa Curtis for The New Yorker. This slide show and brief interview with photographer Andrea Bruce captures the experiences of Afghan Americans seeking balance and identity between the two countries they call home. Bruce, who was also an embedded photojournalist during the Iraq War, wanted to expose Americans to the realities of war and its effects on citizens. Her series combines portraits, landscapes, and images important to her subjects, pairing them with sentiments about their identity and countries. "'Because I am Afghan American... I can see it in the eyes of the young people. They are craving to be a part of the world society ... They are the ones that give me a lot of hope.'"—Mustafa Ali Nouri

"Portrait of an Iranian Witch," by Alireza Doostdar for The New Inquiry. Just in time for Halloween! Doostdar follows a young, trendy woman in Tehran and her attempts to carve into the middle class with a career as a witch. Mersedeh the witch, with her makeup and chic apartment, differs from other wizards and occultists Doostdar met during his time researching superstition and magic practices in Iran. She reworks the traditions of witches to fit into the upwardly mobile young adults of Iran, practicing ancient arts with a fusion of modern spirituality, including The Secret. Doostdar also explores the perception of class differences between native Tehrani and newcomers to the city such as Mersedeh. "Rare is the analysis that places modern witchcraft in the context of individualistic aspiration, set against more than two decades of economic privatization and the increasing valorization of personal responsibility and agency."

"With New Abortion Restrictions, Ohio Walks a Narrow Legal Line," by Erik Eckholm for The New York Times. Laws in Ohio make abortion seekers jump through hoops, including a rule that providers must offer women a chance to view fetuses on an ultrasound and listen to the fetal heart beat. As an attempt to limit women's access to abortion procedures, conservative law makers and activist groups support laws that complicate women's Supreme Court supported right to abortion procedures - Catch22s that include forcing abortion providers to have partnerships with hospitals, but outlawing public hospitals from signing such agreements, and legalizing only outdated methods of medical abortions. Here's what I have to say to anti-abortionists: when you outlaw abortions, only outlaws will provide abortions, and those abortions will be dangerous and decrease the quality of health in women. "...the annual number of nonsurgical abortions plummeted to 90 in 2012 from more than 600 in earlier years. But “there’s no evidence that this cut down on abortion,” said Ms. France, the clinic director. “Women just said, ‘Never mind, I’ll get a surgical abortion.’ ”"

"The Naked Man," by Michael Thomsen for Guernica. The fragility of masculinity in modern America is one of my favorite topics. Thomsen tackles the vulnerability of male nudity head-on (pun... intended?). In his efforts to pose nude for a series of portraits, he faces struggles with issues of patriarchy and the male egoism that is the "dick pic" sext, and also his own personal qualms about the intimacy of getting naked in front of the camera. He ends with a reflection on our modern culture's love of oversharing and shredding the veil of intimacy. Is worrying about naked photos on the internet passé? "Penis is patriarchy, and patriarchy is violence. To show one’s penis is to endorse its metaphorical power and the historical privileges that have come with it."

"Ebony Bones: 'When Did We Stop Asking These Questions?'" by Coral Williamson for DIY. Ebony Bones' new album, "Behold, A Pale Horse" isn't a political album, per se, but it is an album about political issues. Bones uses her music as a medium to convey questions and skepticism about the current state of affairs, in a time when little popular music is political or controversial. The riots that have taken place around the world - from London to the Arab Spring - inspired her to push her audience towards questioning the ethics of society. Bones asks, "What is this fear-based society which crucifies people who dare question or speak the truth?"

"A Question of Silence: Why We Don't Read or Write About Education," by Houman Harouni for The American Reader. What Harouni offers here is a scathing call to arms about the state of education in America, distributing blame for its sorry state on many. He proposes that the real purpose of education is rarely discussed, and that critical discourse about education has been largely ignored. Radical theory about education has largely died out as Americans became complacent with a system run by educationalists. This essay is assuredly aggressive and provocative. "Schooling, in its current form, is primarily neither a science nor an art. It’s a public service industry, and a traditional one to boot. "

Two for One! "Why "Sex Positive" Feminism is Negative For Me," by Kelly Rose Pflug-Back, for Huffington Post Canada, and a response "Semi Serious Thoughts On Feminism: Sex Positive Feminism vs Negative, or, I'm Sorry, Kelly Rose Pflug-Back," by yours truly. Pflug-Back wrote an article for HuffPo about her problems with "sex positive feminism," which could be considered one of the more popular schools of thought in this current wave of radical feminism. Sadly, in my opinion, Pflug-Back sees sex positive feminism in a limited, ill presented view, one that doesn't support survivors of sexual assault and caters only to white cis women, where my experiences have always been radically different.