Must Reads: A teen's defiance, a serial killer's unsolved crimes and Nascar's uncertain future

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

Nearly all the characters written about by national enterprise writer Eli Saslow are deeply flawed, whether they are drug addicts or white supremacists or hurricane survivors. That was the case when Saslow went to Gillette, Wyo., last month to write about 16-year-old Moriah Engdahl and her father, Alan Engdahl. In a conservative, gun-loving community, Moriah was defying her dad and nearly everyone else she knew by pushing for tighter gun laws. Alan was a complicated guy who'd served jail time for methamphetamine distribution. At times, Saslow said, he was bombastic, homophobic and racist. But he was also self-aware and generous  — willing to help others in need. "He's taking care of his daughter and all these other lost souls," said Saslow, who won a 2014 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting for a series on food stamps. "He loves his daughter, even if he has trouble showing it." Saslow said he finds those contradictions "incredibly humanizing." People who "read perfect on the page" don't feel real. He doesn't leave the discovery of flaws to chance. He reports out the criminal and financial histories of his characters. Have they committed any major crimes or filed for bankruptcy? If they served in the military, what do their discharge records show? That information is crucial, he said, "to help you know what to ask." But it's also necessary to avoid learning something important after a story has been published.  Whatever he finds, Saslow reveals it with honesty and empathy. "When you embrace nuance," he said, "it's a great gift in stories." .  — Lynda Robinson, Local Enterprise Editor A teenager wanted to challenge gun culture in her conservative Wyoming town. Would anyone listen? In conservative Gillette, Wyo., a young advocate finds her voice. Eli Saslow  •   Read more » ‘A lot of dial tones’: The inside story of how Trump’s North Korea summit fell apart The nuclear disarmament meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un crumbled nearly as quickly as it came together. Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey  •  Read more » Two sons of Rev. Moon have split from his church — and their followers are armed A tale of family, theology and the AR-15, with a cameo by Eric Trump. Tom Dunkel  •   Read more » Six black girls were brutally killed in the early ’70s. Why was this case never solved? The case of the Freeway Phantom has faded into history — but not everyone has forgotten. Cheryl W. Thompson  •   Read more » A sale of NASCAR was once unthinkable. Now it may be overdue. Declines in attendance and television ratings over the past decade have many in the sport convinced the France family may put the entire enterprise on the market. Liz Clarke  •   Read more »