The Week’s Best Longreads for February 9, 2013

“A Loaded Gun”
Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker

The tragic past of a University of Alabama neurologist who became a mass murderer.

“Greetings From Williston, North Dakota”
Stephen Rodrick, Men’s Journal

In recession-strapped America, Williston, North Dakota, may be some kind of paradise: a town where oil jobs are plentiful, lap dances are cheap, and desperate—possibly meth-addicted—men can change their luck. On the loose in the new Wild West.

“Frank Ocean Can Fly”
Jeff Himmelman, The New York Times Magazine

Being the hottest thing in pop music means believing you can do absolutely anything you want.

“The Idealist”
Justin Peters, Slate

Aaron Swartz wanted to save the world. Why couldn’t he save himself?

“Who Needs to Win to Win?”
Jonathan Chait, New York

Can a party rule by capturing most of the country but less than half of the people? We might be about to find out.

“Invasion of the Charter Schools”
Anya Kamenetz, The Village Voice

Former city councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, with Bloomberg’s union-busting blessing, is pushing her Success Academy edu-franchise into Brooklyn. The natives aren’t buying.

“The Return of Ruthless Richard III”
Simon Schama, Newsweek

A brutal king comes back to life in a frenzy of forensic romance. Simon Schama looks back at the means Richard III used to create his rock-solid center of power and loyalty—which undid him in the end.

For more great longreads, visit our friends at Longreads.com.