The Great Read

Every weekday, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

He Was an Online Drug Lord. Now He’s a Crypto Entrepreneur.
After Blake Benthall was arrested for running Silk Road 2.0, the infamous illegal drug bazaar, things didn’t go the way you might expect.
By Ryan Mac and Kashmir Hill
Why Katharine Graham’s Washington Home Has Sat Vacant for 22 Years
The home of the former Washington Post publisher was once a hub of power and comity. But after an “insane” renovation spat, its new owner is looking to sell.
By Elizabeth Williamson
The Decathlete Who Picked Up a Gun
About 500 top-level Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died in the war. Volodymyr Androshchuk promised his loved ones he would make it back.
By Jeré Longman and Oleksandr Chubko
How Two Wandering Cows Started a Culture War
When Hornee and Blackee strayed from their pasture, they set off a chaotic chain of events involving death threats, chicken rustlers and Joaquin Phoenix. The town of Newfane, N.Y., hasn’t been the same since.
By Christopher Maag
She Danced Naked at Woodstock. She Dated Serpico. At 93, She’s Not Done.
Betty Gordon came to New York to become an actress (and have a good time). But her greatest talent may have been helping others.
By David Waldstein and Sarah Blesener
The Art Forger Had Fooled Thousands. Then He Met Doug.
When a man obsessed with woodblocks began to do business with a man obsessed with medical antiques, their relationship flowered — until it soured.
By Christopher Kuo
Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps
Nostalgic for a time before ubiquitous connectivity, a writer ditched his phone and relied instead on serendipity — and maps made by people he met along the way.
Photographs and Text by Ben Buckland
The Global Profile
The Poet Who Commands a Rebel Army
“Revolution is the job of poets and artists,” says Ko Maung Saungkha, leader of a rebel militia fighting the Myanmar dictatorship. He is not the only poet commander in a country with a strong tradition of political verse.
By Hannah Beech and Daniel Berehulak
I Put Up a Fence in Maine. Why Did It Cause Such a Fuss?
The goal was to shield our house from the road, but it soon turned into something much more revealing.
By Heidi Julavits
Is Cutting Off Your Family Good Therapy?
Encouraged on social media, many Americans are estranging themselves from their families as a therapeutic step.
By Ellen Barry