Looking for some quality reading this holiday season? We’ve crunched the numbers and compiled a list of the year’s most popular long reads: the 10 most-read pieces of longform journalism on Macleans.ca.
Read on for links to some of this year’s most thought-provoking cover stories, investigations and features, from the gluten-free craze to the federal muzzling of scientists, the genius of a teenage physicist to why it’s time to legalize marijuana. Note: As some stories have evolved since publication, we’ve kept this list to those pieces we felt remained timely, relevant and engaging for a later read. When you’re finished with our top posts, peruse the rest of our most popular long reads.
 by Paul Wells As a young child, he was diagnosed with severe autism. But his mother saw the spark of brilliance. |  by Cathy Gulli Could one of the year’s most prominent health fads be doing more harm than good? |
 by Chris Sorensen Why a generation of well-educated, ambitious, smart young Canadians has no future |  by Chris Sorensen With more excuses than solutions on the table, Canada’s skills mismatch could sink the economy |
 by Ken MacQueen After decades of wasted resources, clogged courtrooms and a shift in public perception, let’s end the war on weed |  by Brian Bethune Heaven is hot again, and hell is colder than ever. Why so many people–including scientists–suddenly believe in an afterlife |
 by Jonathon Gatehouse With the muzzling of scientists, Stephen Harper’s obsession with controlling the government’s message verges on the Orwellian |  by Charlie Gillis Home ownership has troubling side effects, distorting the economy and taking a toll on our minds and bodies |
 by Tamsin McMahon Why the world’s best and brightest struggle to find jobs in Canada, of all places |  by Kate Lunau He saw Earth from above, and shared his experience aboard the ISS with millions |