Must Reads: Egg freezing's realities, Fat Leonard's corruption and Philly's fanatic Eagles fans

Compelling, ambitious reads you can’t afford to miss.

When health and science reporter Ariana Cha began exploring a story about egg freezing, she remembered a woman who'd posed on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek with a headline that read: “Freeze your eggs, Free your career.” So Cha went in search Brigitte Adams to see how the increasingly popular practice had worked out for the tech marketing executive. What she learned wasn't what she expected — or what Adams imagined either. "It sounds so easy," Cha said. "It's actually not that simple." Having success with egg freezing is often about luck, she explained. There are ways to boost your chances, but no way to guarantee it.

Cha is spending part of this year examining the booming fertility treatment industry, which is marking the 40th anniversary of the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby. Since then, there have been 6.5 million assisted births and billions of dollars spent on a wide range of treatments. "It's one of the most unrelegated industries in health care," she said. "And it's important. It's human reproduction." Reporting on infertility can be a delicate and intimate task. "There's a lot of crying," Cha said. "We're talking about people's children. It doesn't get more personal than that." 

 — Lynda Robinson, Local Enterprise Editor

She championed the idea that freezing your eggs would free your career. But things didn’t quite work out. Bridgette Adams became famous for freezing her eggs. Then, she tried to use them Ariana Eunjung Cha | Carolyn Van Houten  •   Read more »

Leaks, feasts and sex parties: How ‘Fat Leonard’ infiltrated the Navy’s floating headquarters in Asia On the USS Blue Ridge, a long line of officers traded military secrets for a taste of the high life. Craig Whitlock  •   Read more »

An African country reckons with its history of selling slaves Benin was a hub of the slave trade. But many people want to forget their families’ role.  Kevin Sieff  •   Read more » Inside the familiar, fiery and comforting monster of Philly sports radio The Eagles’ Super Bowl trip has passions stoked and call-in shows backlogged with the likes of Arson Arnie, Linda in Mayfair and Levi in Overbrook Park. Dave Sheinin  •   Read more »

‘Why can’t I have my life back?’: In Puerto Rico, living and learning in the dark One-third of schools have no power; 25,000 students have fled. But class is in. Moriah Balingit  •   Read more »