The Best of Narratively
10+ most popular Narratively articles, as voted by our community.
Narratively on Addiction
The Day I Realized I Could Never Make My Mom Grow Up
My stepdad always kept my mother’s mental illness and alcoholism under control. But after he suffered a massive stroke, everything went haywire.
Narratively on Culture
The First Family of Human Cannonballing
David and Jeannie Smith gave up their day jobs for a life of daredevil stunts —with six children in tow. Five decades, thousands of cannon shots and multiple Guinness World Records later, this…
Narratively on Economy
The Hidden History of the Economy
From "tulip mania" to Colombian cocaine, these stories pull back the veil on how global economic forces really affect humans around the world.
Narratively on Mentality
I Escaped the Cult. But I Couldn’t Escape the Cult Mentality.
After leaving the Children of God, I was so proud to join the Army. But then I had to ask myself: Was I trading one culture of blind obedience for another?
Narratively on Minecraft
These Architects Are Using Video Games to Rethink Modern Living
How the future of building might very well emerge through Minecraft and other popular gaming platforms.
Narratively on Pilates
The Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates in a Prisoner of War Camp
Interned during WWI, circus entertainer Joseph Pilates used found materials and his fellow prisoners as his test lab, and imagined an exercise system that would captivate millions.
Narratively on Politics
The (Literally) Unbelievable Story of the Original Fake News Network
Once upon a time in Guatemala, the CIA hired a cocky American actor and two radio DJs to launch a revolution and oust a president. Their playbook is being used against the U.S. right now.
Popular
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The Secret Society of Lightning Strike Survivors
After the sudden and intense drama of getting hit, they suffered from devastating symptoms that wouldn’t go away. It seemed like no one could help—until they found each other.
The Obsessive Life and Mysterious Death of the Fisherman Who Discovered The Loch Ness Monster
A humble Scotsman saw something strange in the water—and daringly set out to catch it—only to have lecherous out-of-towners steal his fame and upend his quest.
The Man with the Golden Airline Ticket
My dad was one of the only people with a good-for-life, go-anywhere American Airlines pass. Then they took it away. This is the true story of having—and losing—a superpower.
I Can't Die Before My Son
After raising a severely autistic son to adulthood, a single mother’s brush with death raises the horrifying question of what will happen to him when she's gone.
I Lost My Life to Airbnb
Obsessively renting out my home was the only way I could make it in the gig economy. When I found myself sleeping on the subway, I realized I’d gone too far.
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