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

If this past week is any indication, then the next four years are bound to be… eventful, to put it very, very mildly. In a twisted way, that’s going to be good for TLR—there will be greater need for more in-depth, critical journalism, not to mention stories that distract, and we’ll be here to provide those—but absolutely awful for everyone else.

But we’ll get there when we get there.

In the meantime, here is quick sneak peek at what you can expect in this week’s newsletter:

• A history of the company behind Ozempic, and their uncertain future.

• The silent torture that insomniacs go through every night.

• The worst year in whale history.

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!

PS - Thanks again to 1440 Media for sponsoring this week’s newsletter. Please, please consider clicking the ad below (comes after the list). It’s free and it helps me out a ton! Thank you!

Story in Spotlight

There’s so much that’s already been said in recent months about the conflict in Gaza. And even more if you stretch that timeline back years, and expand your scope to cover the entire Middle East. TLR has taken part in this, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.

But this story easily cuts through all of the noise. It’s a very raw, very emotional, very personal essay by someone who has a very deep connection to the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict. By someone who lived at a point in time when peace was a real and genuine possibility, and who had come so close to achieving it.

But then, as it always does, violence and hate and impunity killed that hope. And, as it happened, so did those things claim the life of a promising young man.

I’m always wary of pieces that are overtly, explicitly personal then use small, isolated experiences to draw conclusions about large, systemic problems. And while that remains true for this story, I think the writer handled it really well. He rarely speaks about the conflict broadly (though that is unavoidable). Instead, he centers the essay on hope— from its slow build-up through a life-shattering event that destroys it, and follows it through a slow, torturous death.

I think everyone has had that kind of experience. And the motions of the writer’s despair is clearly recognizable here. That made the story extremely relatable, even to the point of being deeply emotional. Definitely one of the most poignant pieces about the Palestine conflict that I’ve read, if not the most.

Not too long. Very, very raw. I’d set aside 40 minutes, already inclusive of some breaks that you might need to take. 

The Longform List

🏕️ The Strange & Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit | GQ, Free

Okay look. I am very confidently, comfortably a product of the modern world. I would never—never—willingly put myself through what the hermit in this story did. I don’t even like to go camping.

But I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t moved by this story, and by the hermit’s rock solid resolve to stay away from civilization. (That I found admirable even if it was completely unrelatable). I don’t know if that’s because of the act itself, or a testament to how well the piece is written, or, most likely, a healthy mix of the two.

There’s a lot to unpack here, as always. One that stands out to me in particular is how the legal system just crumbles in the face of such a unique case. Even I didn’t know where I stood, both legally and ethically. Then there’s also the question of isolation itself. How does an extremely isolated lifestyle change a person? Is it even possible in the first place?

Long and, to me, very thought-provoking. I took an hour ish here, but I concede that some of that is because I spent a bit more time chewing on some bigger questions about, well, everything.

👨🏻 My Uncle, the Hit Man | The New Yorker, $

I know that for many people (especially those who are of a certain generation), taking yourself out of the story is a core, uncompromisable tenet of journalism.

But truthfully, some of the most exciting and compelling pieces of longform journalism I’ve ever read involve some degree of active participation from the writer. This one, for instance, has the writer dig through his own personal family history to report on one of the biggest criminal figures in the U.S.—who turns out to be his uncle.

If that sounds like it’s going to be fraught with conflicts of interest, that’s because it is. The writer himself confronts this several times in the story; he tries but mostly fails to interview his family members, who want nothing to do with the titular uncle. But still he persists with his story. The result is this very tense, very introspective narrative that winds back through time and across the different Mob-ruled cities in the country.

Very, very long. But also very riveting. I’d set aside 1 hour of focused reading. 

🛥️ Murder at Sea | Hakai Magazine, Free

I don’t know if it’s just because of my particular tastes in non-fiction, but I feel like stories about the lawlessness of the high seas have become a bit too common. Like they’re bordering on being overdone.

So I didn’t really go into this story with high expectations. Now that I’ve come out the other side of it, though, I’m starting to think that I was maybe being a bit too unfair.

Hakai, as per usual, does an incredible job at reporting this one out. Granted, much of the heavy-lifting was already done by the investigators that Hakai followed, but still. This story, through very detailed accounts of the crime and comprehensive interviews with experts, not only shows how dangerous maritime labor can be, but also how opaque and insular and purposefully complex it is. How no one is truly, genuinely interested in making sure that workers at sea are safe and protected, and that justice will be attainable for victims of violence. I think that point is worth bringing up over and over and over again.

Long and can be heavy in some spots. Maybe 40 minutes?

😴 What an Insomniac Knows | The New Yorker, $

This one got recommended to me by a reader who remembered one of my off-hand comments in a previous newsletter edition that I had trouble sleeping. (I found that very thoughtful of them, if I’m being honest.)

And to be sure, this story landed really well for me. It made me feel seen and heard, like I wasn’t alone in weathering the distress and panic of insomnia. That there were countless others who were, like me, just trying to survive the night, desperately willing sleep to come.

And I concede that this is one of those stories whose prose is just a bit too lyrical for my tastes, but that doesn’t mean that I found it poorly written. Quite the opposite, really. So much so that there’s this passage that I don’t think can be said any more aptly, and which I think will stick with me for life:

Long—not too long, but can be difficult to read. Took me more than an hour.

🚁 The Terrifying Ride of Copter 17 | The New York Times, $

I saw the news recently that another fire broke out in California. There’s so much noise around that now, but I hope we all remember that there are people at the center of it all.

This story, out of all that I’ve read on the fires, captures that the best. It follows the people who, after serving in various armed forces units, now dedicate their time to search and rescue—and firefighting—missions. And the story also follows the old helicopters that had to be retired from active military duty, and have now find a second life in saving people in crises.

There are many grand points to be made about the fires, I’m sure. (And this story alludes to a few of its own, don’t get me wrong). But I think this story shines brightest in its plain telling of the human story at the heart of this tragedy. That’s a grand enough point, I think.

Not too long, which is unfortunate (but understandable). 20 minutes tops.

🐳 How Whales Found Peace in War | bioGraphic, Free

This is one of those cookie-cutter science stories, where the writer just jumps into the literature and follows its development from paper to paper, researcher to researcher. It’s a tried-and-true format, but not something that I typically find exciting enough for TLR. In fact, if it weren’t for the subject matter, this story wouldn’t have made it to this list.

This story takes that tired structure and applies ito whales. And to a very specific time in history when Douglas MacArthur—you know the one—refused to heed all sane counsel and just ordered a fleet of boats under his command to hunt whales down. With that context, the story then is able to present technical scientific details in a striking and convincing way, highlighting the ways in which science can be used to move us toward progress.

In that sense, I guess, this one is a very effective piece of science communication.

Pretty long, and I recognize that this can feel a bit slow to others. But if animals and nature and the environment are all your speed, then this one should be easy to read. Maybe 40 minutes at most. 

💉 The King of Ozempic Is Scared as Hell | WIRED, $

Everyone can’t seem to stop talking about Ozempic. I work in biotech media (probably the hundredth time I’ve said that here), so you’d think I’d be absolutely sick of it by now.

And you’d be right. But still, I open Ozempic stories from non-trade publications in hopes that they’d have some unique angle or insight or whatever. And to a certain extent, that’s true here. WIRED follows Novo Nordisk—the company that owns Ozempic—from its inception through today, as it tries to maneuver a pivotal moment in the company’s history. Novo is forced to grapple with questions central to its brand’s identity, while also struggling to maintain its leadership status in the extremely competitive obesity market.

I have to say: The arguments here are compelling, which is a plus for WIRED’s angling in this story. But aside from that, I feel like this one glosses over some of the most foundational questions around obesity and Big Pharma more broadly. At some points, it reads like a puff piece in favor of Novo.

Long and I personally found it slow in some spots, especially in parts where I’d have wanted a more critical look at Novo, instead of what the article paints as the company’s dedication to its duto to human health. I took 50 ish minutes.

🏘️ I Rent a Million-Dollar Home | Slate, Free

I first read this early last year, before things truly descended into madness. It was interesting to revisit this essay last week, if not a bit depressing to see that things have gotten so much worse now.

I recognize that this may seem like such a petty, privileged problem for a lot of people. Some don’t even have houses to speak of, much less the hope of aspiring for a million-dollar property. And I definitely agree. But I took this story to mean that the U.S. housing market is in such a huge crisis that even those higher up the societal pyramid (those who are typically insulated from these sorts of stuff) are starting to feel the squeeze, too. I wonder where we’ll go from here.

Not too long, honestly. And also not terribly gripping. Maybeee 30 minutes, distractions included.

Bonus!

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Until next Monday! 👋