Five Great Reads: After the flood, leaving Maga, and sex doll ethics

This week, we have selected stories that will move you. A dispatch from a disaster zone, where rescue teams are sifting through scattered, buried remnants, a feature about walking away from a community that once welcomed you, and a piece on running just to see how far you can go.

Enjoy.

1. After the flood

In the aftermath of the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster, thousands remain missing and access to aid remains hindered by treacherous conditions. On the ground in some of the worst-hit areas, our south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, and journalist Gaurav Pokharel write that while the scale of the damage caused by the flood is unfathomable, so too is the human suffering as communities almost wiped out of existence reckon with what comes next.

Notable quote:

“Even now, I cannot believe that she is gone. That’s why I keep walking around looking for her. I still feel as if she might be walking around somewhere here. I keep getting this feeling that she might still be here, looking after the chickens and the goats.”

Scattered fragments: The ruins of the lives of thousands are now buried in and among the debris. “Kettles, teddy bears, a record-keeping book, saucepans, medicine packets, a pair of glasses” remind rescue teams of the hundreds still missing.

How long will it take to read: Three-and-a-half minutes.

Further reading: Trapped workers could still be alive, families hope DNA can be used to find their loved ones, and desperate relatives of the missing fear attention is already drifting away from the ongoing crisis.

2. Walking away from the cult of Trump

Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” (Maga) base of supporters have come to dominate American politics. For many Trump followers, the movement built on lies and conspiracy theories offered a shared identity. For others, it became something closer to religion. But after more than 10 years, some devotees are finally walking away, making amends, and offering support to others who are reckoning with their role in Trump’s America.

What drew people into the Maga “cult” and why did they leave? Rich Logis found a second family in the Maga community. He found belonging, camaraderie and a common enemy. But after the politicians he lionised platformed Covid anti-vaxxers he started to diversify his news sources. Logis slowly began to realise that what he believed was false and he had been “complicit in dividing this country”.

Notable quote: “My loyalty wasn’t to Trump. My loyalty was to God and the church.”

How long will it take to read: Four-and-a-half minutes to read, and less than one minute to share with a friend who has fallen down a rabbit hole.

Further reading: You can learn more about Life after Maga, and how the non-profit Leaving Maga is fighting Trumpism like a disease.

3. Freddie Mercury’s one-time girlfriend on the Queen frontman’s untold story

Mary Austin was the quiet girlfriend of rock band Queen’s flamboyant figurehead. They dreamed of marriage until they both finally spoke the unspoken. Thirty-five years after his death, Austin’s new book lays out Mercury’s life in lyrics.

‘No, Freddie, I think you’re gay’: Austin and Mercury had been living together for four years when they both realised Mercury was only attracted to men. But rather than destroying their relationship, Austin says the revelation felt like a relief. They continued living together for the next 18 months and, as Queen and Mercury became a global phenomenon, Mary and Freddie became better friends.

Mercurial money: Austin has inherited half of Mercury’s estate (now estimated at about £150m). Asked where the money will go when she dies and if much of it will go to charity, she said, “It’s going to go to my children.”

How long will it take to read: Just over 13 minutes. Enough time to listen to Bohemian Rhapsody two times through.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Further reading: Check out Freddie Mercury’s “splendid things”, or pick up a copy of Mary Austin’s book from the Guardian Bookshop.

4. The ethics of sex dolls

On a quiet country road south of Sydney, two distressed citizens stumbled across what they assumed was the mangled corpse of a woman stuffed into a suitcase. But the woman was not a woman at all and, after forensic analysis revealed it was a sex doll, questions about the booming sex doll industry have garnered global attention.

A flourishing trade: Estimates show that the global sex doll market is valued at more than US$6bn. But as the industry grows, Madison Griffiths asks, does it matter how these dolls get treated?

How much? Lifelike sex dolls are now increasingly customisable and you can walk away with one for about US$1,790. But Caitlin Roper, the Australian author of Sex Dolls, Robots and Woman Hating: The Case for Resistance, calls these kinds of dolls “replica female sex slaves”.

How long will it take to read: Just under four minutes.

Further reading: The rise of “sex robots”, how police mistook a sex doll for a “body”, and what can we learn about male desire in a sex doll factory?

5. A week-long run in the park

In a remarkable feat of physical and mental endurance, the Australian endurance athlete Phil Gore ran 6.71km every hour for an entire week just to see how far he could push himself.

Finding your limit: Having already set the world record in 2025, Gore knew he had “a lot more left to give”. But the rules of backyard ultra running require the final runner to stop one lap after the second-place runner drops out – limiting the potential boundaries of the winner. Gore wanted a challenge that would push him further. This time around, competing only against his own body and mind, Gore says, “that’s what I’ve done. Maybe [there is] a little bit of disappointment that I wanted my limit to be a bit further away.”

Fuel fit for a champion: Running for a week straight requires calories. A steady stream of “speckled snakes and Nerd clusters, jelly cups, custard pouches, simple sugars like that” kept Gore going for days.

How long will it take to read: Just over two minutes.

Further reading: What happens when you don’t finish a race, and why would anyone run an ultramarathon anyway?

Sign up

If you would like to receive these Five Great Reads to your email inbox every weekend, sign up here. And check out out the full list of our local and international newsletters.