Good Reads: The underdog, the addict, and the rescuer

This is the second in a new series of weekly posts recommending well-written narrative nonfiction/longform articles.

This week’s picks:

Ra’Shede’s Road by John Rosengren, SB Nation

Ra’Shede Hageman, senior defensive tackle at the University of Minnesota, has the potential to secure a bright future. But he also has a past and a temper to overcome. Though this piece was published November 13, 2013, I found and read it for the first time this past week. It’s one of those with lines that make you pause and think. Powerful story.

Addict. Informant. Mother. by Susan Dominus, New York Times Magazine

Ann — her middle name — is a heroin addict. She has two kids, her husband is in jail, and the police are trying to motivate her to stay clean by paying her off as an informant. How in the world Susan Dominus got the fine details of this story, I have no idea, but she did a spectacular job. Brings you up close to the addict, shows the complexity of the situation, the seeming hopelessness, while providing the possibility of a better future. Maybe.

Raiding Brothels and Taking Names by Laurie Lico Albanese, Narrative.ly

The story of a Cambodian man who’s taking on the country’s sex trafficking and child labor problems, and using his own story of success to inspire the girls he rescues. The author is also working on a book about Cambodia’s children and human rights activists.

Know a magazine or web site that publishes great narrative nonfiction? Comment and tell me about it.