The twenty-five best New York stories of 2021

In its early days, 2021 seemed like a time of re-emergence. The arrival of vaccines seemed to signal that the end of the pandemic was near. It also seemed that a frightening period of our politics would soon be behind us. But, instead, the year had a suspended quality. Trumpism persists, even though Trump is gone; the arrival of the Omicron variant marks the start of a new phase of the pandemic. We are in an interregnum and optimism escapes us.

The best of the year New Yorker the stories seem to reflect our in-between moment. The list includes a plethora of stories about democracy under threat, but also two articles about the possibility that aliens have visited Earth, an essay on marital loneliness and an article on the science of energy and how to get it. (We’ve compiled this year’s list using data that tracks what people read on their way to becoming New Yorker Even though he left the White House on Jan.20, the 45th President continued to gain the attention of readers: nine articles on the list – three of which each by Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow – speak of his disastrous Presidency, the insurrection of January 6, or his election lies. Luke Mogelson’s courageous reporting from the Capitol seat is listed twice, in written form and in a poignant video he filmed from the Senate floor.

Perhaps the most significant story in the second half of 2021 has been the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. We published Anand Gopal’s comprehensive report on rural Afghanistan, which shows how America lost its longest war. A Jia Tolentino and Farrow investigation into Britney Spears guardianship is perhaps the least surprising piece on the list, given its stardom. But I was encouraged by the fact that readers also appreciate less flashy offerings, like a ruminating essay by Ann Patchett on offloading her possessions.

I found the fact that there was only one piece on COVID––A striking photo essay that celebrates women growing gray hair in their forties –– both expected and unexpected. Pandemic exhaustion has set in. Sometimes readers just turned to us for entertainment. Comedian David Sedaris posted two essays on the list; a Daily Shouts imagining “Amazon Reviews a Star by Fran Lebowitz” became a hit. People have been licking a haunting profile of “Estate” actor Jeremy Strong, who insists the show is not a comedy. We all try to laugh. May we do it more often in 2022.

The Capitol was violated by Trump supporters who had said, rally after rally, that they would make violent efforts to keep the president in power. Chronicle of an announced attack.

Using his phone’s camera as a journalist’s notebook, Luke Mogelson followed Trump supporters as they made their way into the Senate Chamber.

How the pop star’s father and a team of lawyers took control of her life and held it on for thirteen years.

The Texas-based pilot was part of a group that descended into the office suite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

After the assault on Capitol Hill – and after losing his seat as majority leader – the senator finally denounced the outgoing president. Was it a moral judgment or some other act of political interest?

Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy are promoted by wealthy and powerful conservative groups who are determined to win at all costs.

I wanted to get rid of my possessions, because the possessions stood between me and death.

Insiders say the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation has escalated significantly since the former president stepped down. “It’s like day and night,” said one of them. According to another, “They are serious. “

Instead of “Welcome”, the doormat should say “OK OK. You are here. I am here. Let’s get it over with. “

For decades, flying saucers were a punch line. Then the US government overcame the taboo.

With government approval, a renowned sex therapist ran a dangerous program. How could this happen?

“I take it as seriously as I take my own life,” he says of his character, Kendall Roy.

The new “Scenes of a Wedding,” on HBO, eschews the dark questions Ingmar Bergman faced in the original.

How Rudy Giuliani and Alex Jones’ claims prompted a parent of eight to become one of the Capitol Riot’s biggest mysteries and an FBI fugitive

“Roadrunner,” by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville, portrays Bourdain as both the hero and the villain of his own story.

The strange fate of a group of skiers in the Ural Mountains has sparked endless speculation.

A prominent astrophysicist maintains that signs of intelligent alien life have appeared in our skies. What are the proofs of his extraordinary request?

After thirty years together, sleeping is the new fuck.

Young people in a college town in Missouri kept killing themselves. A relative of a victim is convinced that his son’s friend encouraged the deaths. Has a sinister figure been exposed or is this misplaced blame?

In the assault, organized groups with military experience played an active role.

A final dispatch from Trump to Washington.

The pandemic has forced – or allowed – many women to go gray. They still rely on transformation.

“Who are you?” I want to ask the nice gnome in front of me. “And what did you do with Lou Sedaris?”

We all know people who have more energy than us, but the science of the phenomenon is only just beginning to emerge.

In the countryside, the incessant killings of civilians pitted women against occupiers who claimed to be helping them.