Below, our favorite stories of the week. Kindle users, you can also get them as a Readlist.

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1. Whoever Saves a Life

Matthieu Aikins | Matter | Sept. 15, 2014 | 37 minutes (9,338 words)

Aikins follows an urban rescue team in Syria: “The members of Civil Defense were attendants to the city’s trauma, one of the few first responders left to care for the civilians caught on the front lines in Syria’s largest city. They evacuated the injured, cleaned up the bodies, and fought fires. But what they were best known for — what they had become famous for in Syria and abroad — were the dramatic rescues, the lives they pulled from under the rubble.”

2. The Last Amazon

Jill Lepore | The New Yorker | Sept. 15, 2014 | 31 minutes (7,938 words)

The little-known story behind Wonder Woman’s origins.

3. Why I Hope to Die at 75

Ezekiel J. Emanuel | The Atlantic | Sept. 17, 2014 | 20 minutes (5,086 words)

Ezekiel J. Emanuel argues that we should rethink life after 75—that we’ve become obsessed with “the American immortal,” and that even if we are living longer, we’re not delaying aging.

4. Is It a Crime to Raise a Killer?

Lisa Belkin | Yahoo News | Sept. 12, 2014 | 23 minutes (5,964 words)

A tragedy in New Jersey raises questions about where parental responsibility ends when a child becomes a murderer.

5. How Gary Hart’s Downfall Forever Changed American Politics

Matt Bai | The New York Times | Sept. 18, 2014 | 31 minutes (7,876 words)

Bai revisits the “Monkey Business” scandal, finding out who really set the story in motion, and how it opened up political journalism to deeper scrutiny of candidates’ personal lives.