At the end of each month, the editors of The Atlantic’s Business section compile a list of the best things they’ve read (or listened to or seen) in the past few weeks.

In August, there was no shortage of powerful, thought-provoking pieces across the web. Some favorites from the past month showed the personal pain of a family trying to cope with Flint’s poisoned water supply, explained how the process of civil forfeiture in New York remains murky, explored investor letters as a literary genre, and more.

If you’ve missed a recent month’s roundup, you can find some here, here, and here.

“Flint Is Family”

Mattie Kahn | Elle

Shea, 32, clamped her mouth shut in the shower and barred Zion from drinking from school water fountains. She used bottled water to brush their teeth. She made her mother, Renée, 55, promise to swear off tap water, too. Even so, Renée noticed her hair was falling out. It had been thinning for months. But now it was coming off in clumps. She obsessed over it—they were so careful. Finally, it clicked. Renée worked for General Motors. She drank coffee every day, sipping it to stay alert during the punishing third shift. It was brewed with water from Flint.

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“The NYPD's Civil Forfeiture System Has Taken Millions From Low-Income New Yorkers”