17 Longreads You Really Must Check Out

The best longform reporting, feature stories, and personal essays from BuzzFeed UK over the last month.

1. 7 Things I Learned When My Mum Had Cancer - Ailbhe Malone

Sian Butcher / BuzzFeed

Think of it as a slow-motion rollercoaster.

2. The MP Behind "Tory Glastonbury" Has Big Ambitions To Revive The Conservatives And Beat Jeremy Corbyn - Alex Spence

Rex / Tim Lane / BuzzFeed

George Freeman is on a mission to woo young voters from Labour. First he just needs to take control of his party.

3. This Doctor Turned Comedian Wrote A Memoir And He's Holding Nothing Back - Laura Silver

Laura Gallant / BuzzFeed

Doctors are laughing and crying over Adam Kay’s diary extracts, which he said show “the warts-and-all version of what the job is”.

4. I Have A Kind Of Synaesthesia That Lets Me Taste Colour And Light - Lydia Ruffles

Sian Butcher / BuzzFeed

This is what it's like to live in a world where light tastes of smoke and the number nine is cheeky and a bit shy.

5. A Record Number Of People Are Representing Themselves In Court. This Is What It's Like - Emily Dugan

Rebecca Hendin / BuzzFeed

Exclusive: The number of people seeking support in court because they have no lawyer is up 520% since 2011. BuzzFeed News spent three days in Birmingham's courts to find out how these people cope.

6. The Spaceship That Took Some Of The Greatest Images Of The Solar System Has Died - Tom Chivers

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute / Via saturn.jpl.nasa.gov

After 20 years in space, some amazing science, and some unbelievable images, the Cassini-Huygens mission finally came to an end. We asked two of the scientists who worked on it what the mission meant to them.

7. How Watching "Skam" Made Me Feel Seen - Mariam Ansar

Eleanor Shakespeare for BuzzFeed

Sana speaks with certainty. She swats away microaggressions. She attends parties with her friends. She isn't good at peeling carrots. And best of all, she is portrayed as more than her religious identity.

8. These Adults Have ADHD But Were Misdiagnosed For Decades - Kelly Oakes

iamharvey for BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed News spoke to adults who learned that they have ADHD after being misdiagnosed for years with conditions including borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, with life-changing results.

9. Read This Short Story From New BAME YA Anthology "A Change Is Gonna Come" - Aisha Bushby

Lucy Banaji / Stripes Publishing

A Change Is Gonna Come is a new YA anthology featuring 12 stories and poems on the theme of change.

10. This Gay Man Was Given Repeated Electric Shocks By British Doctors To Make Him Straight - Patrick Strudwick

Claire Hewitt / Sian Butcher

While studying for his A-levels, Jeremy Gavins was sent to NHS psychiatrists to "cure" his homosexuality. Here he tells BuzzFeed News how the treatment, forced on him by doctors, teachers, and the Catholic church, destroyed his life.

11. This Is How Scotland's Recovering Addicts Organised To Fight Stigma - Jamie Ross

Scottish Recovery Consortium / BuzzFeed

A community of Scots in recovery from substance abuse has grown rapidly over the past decade. At their first ever national conference, they told BuzzFeed News about their plans – inspired by the LGBT pride movement.

12. How A Town With One Of The Highest Rates Of Knife Violence Is Trying To Protect Its Young People - Hannah Al-Othman

Laura Gallant / BuzzFeed

In 2008, the number of young people stabbed to death in London reached an all-time high. With that trend threatening to return, BuzzFeed News spoke to those working to save lives.

13. 7 Times Studying Science Taught Me To Be Brave - Lauren James

Rebecca Hendin / BuzzFeed

You’re expected to make mistakes along the way, however terrible it feels at the time when you do.

14. A Major UK Domestic Violence Organisation Faces Accusations Of Failing Victims And Taking Inappropriate Payments - James Ball

Getty / BuzzFeed

Following reporting by BuzzFeed News, Labour's shadow policing minister has called for an immediate government investigation.

15. Here's What Rae Earl Has To Say About Anxiety In Her New Book - Rae Earl

Jo Harrison / Wren & Rook

An excerpt from the new book on mental health from My Mad Fat Diary creator Rae Earl.

16. These Young German Voters Explain Why Angela Merkel Is On Course For A Fourth Term As Chancellor - Alberto Nardelli & Tobias Schmutzler

Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters

Merkel’s handling of the refugee crisis has won the support of a new generation of voters who have made her the clear frontrunner to win again this Sunday after 12 years in power.

17. This Is What It’s Like When A Court Tells Your Abusive Ex-Partner Where You Live - Patrick Smith

Rebecca Hendin / BuzzFeed

Civil courts are supposed to keep the safe addresses of domestic violence survivors secret – but BuzzFeed News has spoken to two women who had theirs released to their abusive former partners.