Going Down the Rabbit Hole: A Brand-New Narratively Reader Shares 3 Must-Read Stories

From a story about hazing at an elite girls boarding school to one about an undercover cop who stood up to his own colleagues, these are one new subscriber’s top picks.

Illustration by Genevieve Ashley

One of our favorite things about Narratively is when a new reader stumbles upon our site and goes “down the rabbit hole,” as several people have described it — jumping from one story to the next. Recently, we noticed a flurry of new comments from one reader on a whole bunch of different Narratively stories, and it piqued our interest. Who was this new reader and how did she find herself on such a feverish story-consuming journey? So, we tracked her down and asked …

Abby Havermann, speaker and illuminative coach (she helps illuminate people’s bad choices so they can make different ones!) had always wanted to write for magazines but, due to imposter syndrome, didn’t think she could. “I’ve just always felt like … I haven’t ever written anywhere, so no one will ever look at me because I can’t say, ‘And she’s been published here, and she’s been published there,’” she says. After working on a memoir on and off for years and developing a bunch of personal essay ideas, she decided to finally make writing a priority. So, she cleared her calendar and started off on a hunt for inspiring personal essays, which is, naturally, how she found herself on Narratively. 😉 

Photo courtesy Abby Havermann

“When I started reading Narratively, I just loved … this idea of really showing up authentically and showing a piece of the personal journey,” she says. Havermann, who moved to Palm City, Florida, last year after living in Colorado for almost 30 years — she was tired of being cold — has always wanted to get straight to the heart of the matter. “So, when I can find a news outlet or a magazine or something that’s really talking about meaningful things, to me, that’s the way the world’s gonna come together, that’s the way the world’s going to heal.” At first, Havermann read a few Narratively stories — and then she kept going. “I just found myself waking up in the morning and looking at my calendar at all the things that I could do, and then I was like, or, I could read Narratively, and that’s also working because I am working on a pitch for them — ” she says, laughing. 

Wondering which Narratively stories resonated most after Havermann’s deep-dive? Check them out below. 

1. Welcome to America’s Most Elite Girls Boarding School. Let the Hazing Begin.

What struck me most about this essay was first the author’s solid sense of self (at any age, let alone 15) and the backlash that standing up for oneself — not even standing up for, just saying, “No thank you, this isn’t for me,” can garner. Powerful on so many levels. I will be thinking about this essay for some time to come.