The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Aug 3, 2014

The New Face of Richard NorrisJeanne Marie Laskas, GQFor fifteen years, Richard Norris had a face too hideous to show. Then, one day, a maverick doctor gave him a miracle too fantastic to believe. Richard got a face transplant, a new life, and a new set of burdens too strange to predict.

This is the next Hobby LobbyBy Irin Carmon, MSNBCLaura Grieneisen and Liz Miller have a lot in common. Both are graduate students in biology at the University of Notre Dame. Each wants to prevent pregnancy. Each was told by her doctor she would make her an excellent candidate for an intrauterine device, or the IUD. But that’s where their paths diverged.

The Kids Who Beat AutismRuth Padawer, The New York Times MagazineAt first, everything about L.'s baby boy seemed normal. He met every developmental milestone and delighted in every discovery. But at around 12 months, B. seemed to regress, and by age 2, he had fully retreated into his own world.

What Won’t He Do To Keep TMZ On Top Of The Gossip IndustryAnne Helen Petersen, BuzzFeedTMZ’s real engine — what defines its mission, what legitimizes it and sets it apart — is a unique and controversial mix of scandal mongering and investigative journalism.

The Transgender CrucibleSabrina Rubin Erdely, Rolling StoneAs a homeless trans teen, CeCe McDonald suffered a lifetime of hardships. But when she was charged with murder for simply defending herself, she became a folk hero.