Hi 👋 

We’re back again with another reading list of some of the best longform journalism across the internet ✨

I finished a lot of very-longreads last week—just these absolutely massive pieces of storytelling that often span many parts and have a borderline-overwhelming amount of details.

I freaking love it.

So our list this week is the tiniest bit shorter, but I'm still so very proud of it. Plus it's not short of compelling narratives. Quite the opposite, actually.

Here's a bit of a taste of what you can expect:

• This domestic dispute story taken to the extreme.

• An investigation (sort of) into a killer killer whale.

• The doomed tale of a city-slash-cruise ship, care of the crypto bros.

• This massive retelling of the tragic Columbia space flight.

Also: TLR has hit a bit of a wall in trying to grow, and we need your help! Aside from this newsletter, where else do you get your longform reads? And what social media platforms/websites do you usually hang out in?

Let me know by replying to this email, or by filling out this form:

As with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below.

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

Story in Spotlight

I’m a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes books (short stories, actually, but you get the point) so I was immediately all-in on this story.

And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I’d say it far exceeded expectations. But this was written by the David Grann, after all, so I guess I should have expected that.

If you’re familiar with the Sherlock Holmes stories, then this one will be recognizable straight away. The article follows fanatics (no better word for it, sorry) who dedicate so much of their time and money to Sherlock Holmes and, more to the point, the writer Arthur Conan Doyle.

In particular, David zeroes in on the man widely considered to be the foremost expert on Conan Doyle, and who has done so much reliable scholarship on the writer—enough that he’s even built a relationship with Conan Doyle’s surviving family. But things quickly take a sinister turn: The scholar ends up dead, his legacy is tarnished, and the field reels from the sudden loss of a leader.

David’s genius is on full display here. At some point partway through, this story starts reading like a Sherlock Holmes case itself. And the twists and turns are expertly paced, with enough tension to keep you hooked.

Very long. But it’s not dragging at all. I enjoyed every bit of it and it doesn’t have that typical slowdown that usually comes with these types of extreme longform stories. Still, I’d say it’s best to set aside 1 hour and a half ish for this.

The Longform List

👩‍👧 Framed: She Was the PTA Mom Everyone Knew. Who Would Want to Harm Her? | LA Times, Free

It’s stories like these that make me regret (only slightly, though!) that we have just one spotlight story per week.

On its surface, this might seem like just one of those lightweight domestic disputes type of stories. But my golly does it turn the dial up to 11 in almost all aspects. The victim in the story is this almost-spotless type of mom-turned-volunteer that everyone loves, while the villains (if you can call them that) are these cartoonishly nefarious characters with a scheme that’s also borderline caricature. The hearings were also wild, with lots of twists that I found to be genuinely surprising (well, some were, at least).

This story was so over-the-top that if this had been a work of fiction, I’d think the author was too on-the-nose. But this actually happened. In real life. Which is what makes this story absolutely incredible.

Very, very long. But also gripping. I had no trouble reading through this and didn’t feel like any part was particularly slow. I took a bit less than an hour.

🐬 The Killer in the Pool | Outside Magazine, $

Like the previous story, this one was also a close contender for the spotlight this week. It fell slightly behind only because some parts felt the tiniest bit dragging—but that absolutely doesn’t take away from how good this story is.

I’ve always had complicated feelings about zoos (and I guess aquariums, too) and this story articulates that in a really clear way, while also giving me something new to think about. I'm torn between: zoos help promote awareness and the appreciation of wildlife (not to mention they facilitate scientific research) versus these displays constitute animal abuse. Then there’s also the added wrinkle of the animals being unable to survive on their own if we send them back into the wild—but then they’d never be in such a precarious position in the first place if it wasn’t for us.

This story indulges all of those thoughts, all while focusing on yet another important, but often underappreciated, dimension of wildlife displays: That they pose actual bodily harm to humans. Often to deadly effect. Absolutely a great reading experience. Oh and that closing paragraph was 🤌

Very long, too. And can get thick with details and names and histories in some spots, which can become difficult to follow. I’d say commit an hour at least.

👨‍👨‍👦‍ Widespread Adoption Fraud Separated Generations of Korean Children From Their Families, AP Finds | The Associated Press, Free

Not to identify ourselves with rage or anything, but TLR seems to have earned a reputation for running a signature Infuriating Story of the Week™ in our lists. This one fits that category perfectly.

Because what the actual f—. Adoption agencies worked with governments (both South Korea’s and those of many “Western” countries) to essentially steal babies away from their parents, offering up several bullsh— excuses. In some cases, parents were even gaslit into giving up their child after being made to believe that they wouldn’t be able to care for them. I don’t know exactly why these “Western” countries had such a pressing demand for adopted kids (I wish the story dug more into that, honestly, and also did more investigation into these countries), but it couldn’t have been serious enough as to absolutely rip families apart. Completely disgusting.

Not too long, but can be an emotional, infuriating read. Again, if anger drives you, you’ll probably finish this really quickly. As a Rage Reader™ myself, I only took around 30 minutes.

⚖️ America Tested 100,000 Forgotten Rape Kits. But Justice Remains Elusive. | USA Today, Free

Speaking of rage reading…

The headline should already clue you in here, but believe me: this story is much more unbelievable—in the most frustrating way possible—than what its title lets on. USA Today investigates the country’s truly ridiculous backlog of untested rape kits, which itself is already a grave miscarriage of justice and really shows how law enforcement doesn’t take women seriously.

But the article goes much, much deeper and actually probes the reasoning that several police offices and prosecutorial agencies employ when they choose not to pursue sexual abuse cases. Many of the quotes here, particularly the interviews with imperfect victims, triggered a shocking degree of anger in me. So much so that I had to take many breaks in between so as not to get carried away.

Please take that as a warning. And also needless to say, this story is very dense with themes of sexual abuse and minimization of assault. Please be careful when reading, and if this is something that can trigger you, consider skipping this story.

Long and very difficult to read. But I’d argue that it’s a very important story. Read if you can. And if you do choose to read, I’d say allot 1 hour and 30 minutes ish for this. Give yourself enough time for sanity breaks. 

🪙 The Disastrous Voyage of Satoshi, the World’s First Cryptocurrency Cruise Ship | The Guardian, Free

Look. I won’t lie. Reading through this story, I had trouble keeping my judgements in check. I’m not exactly what you would call a fan of crypto (okay, fine—it’s more like I have an active disdain for the concept). Nor am I libertarian. But honestly, even if I had friendlier sentiments, I think I’d still find the entire Satoshi project foolish at best, arrogant (or just absolutely stupid) at worst.

And I understand the appeal of seasteading: Carving out your own slice of quiet, free from the dictates of governments. But… I don’t know. Maybe I recognize that too much of it is naive, wishful thinking? And that pulling it off to any decent degree will entail some intense and deep reprogramming of how we understand society to be. Which is to say that I think it’s a pipe dream, mostly for people with too much time and money for their own good.

Am I being too judgey?

Not too long, and also not a difficult read. Maybe 20 minutes if you can stay on it.

🏝️ A Tech Billionaire is Quietly Buying Up Land in Hawaii. No One Knows Why | NPR, Free

On a similar, digustingly gratuitous note, this story again looks at the excesses of the extremely wealthy—only this time, it’s land and culture and entire communities that are at stake.

I have to say, though, the writer did a really good job at teasing out the tension between capitalistic philanthropy and just straight up greed. The tech CEO in the story, Marc Benioff, has pumped hundreds of millions into Hawaii, which is good. The money helps locals improve their schools and hospitals, lets them build community centers and provide better services. But does that somehow entitle Benioff to buy vast swathes of land for himself?

I feel like there are bigger questions about egregious wealth undergirding this story, but they just weren’t explored enough. That might be a bit too big of an ask for any single journalist or outlet (especially in America, where media companies are often owned by billionaires themselves), and that’s something that the industry needs to grapple with sooner rather than later.

Not long. Maybe 15 minutes if you can stay focused.

🎰 How One Man Hacked His Way Into the Slot-Machine Industry | WIRED, $

This is a fun take on a crime story.

Personally, I didn’t think the stakes were too high, but clearly, U.S. law enforcement and the victim company don’t agree. I mean… sure, there were hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, but it’s in the gambling industry, which in my opinion, by definition, operates on excess money. Money that can be done away with, anyway. But I also understand how that’s a twisted way of looking at things. A crime is a crime, after all. Fraud is fraud.

Still, I can’t help but think that the punishment was way too excessive. If the criminal had opted for a trial, he could have been imprisoned for up to 45 years. In a foreign country. Which is crazy. And at the end, he finds himself stateless, still stuck in the U.S. prison system because of some messed up paperwork. I think that’s a bit too much.

But then again, America doesn’t take kindly to people who threaten its profits.

Not excessively long, but it gets a bit thick with the technicalities of how slot machines work and the science behind the crime. Could run you up to an hour if you really take the time to chew on the technical, science-y details.

🚀 Columbia's Last Flight | The Atlantic, $

A warning upfront: This is a massive science story, complete with prime scientist arrogance and the highest of stakes. But that also means that, yes, it’s incredibly thick with technicalities and details and jargon.

I understand that that can be very off-putting for many people, but this is still an absolutely incredible example of storytelling. So I’m still putting it on this week’s list, just at the very end—sort of as a compromise.

Now, if you’re still here, then I’m assuming that I’ve at least piqued your interest. Great. This is a blow-by-blow breakdown of what went wrong during the catastrophic Columbia flight, one of the most disastrous U.S. space voyages. Untold billions of dollars went up in fire (partly literally, because the Columbia burned spectacularly as it re-entered the earth). Seven of our top astronauts died.

Very, very long. And as I said, very very thick with details. But if space flight is a niche interest of yours, then this will be an absolutely great experience. Allot 2 ish hours for this. Or an entire afternoon if you want to do it leisurely.

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. Alternatively, you can fill out this super quick survey form. I promise it won’t even take five minutes of your time, and it’ll be a HUGE help!

ALSO: I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those. Send me a message and let’s see what we can do 😊

Until next Monday! 👋