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Hi 👋 

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

Well. That just happened.

I think we all deserve a bit of a break from anything election-related, don’t you?

Good news is that there’s a lot of that in this week’s list. (Might not be strictly true for the spotlight pick, but it’s definitely very possible to look past its more overtly political hue and just see it for the exciting narrative that it is).

And just a quick reminder to everyone that it’s okay to step away from the screen for a minute if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Take the time to breathe. And put your wellbeing first. That’s not to say that we should abandon all civic responsibility—definitely not—but we won’t be of much use to anyone if we're under too much distress.

Anyway, here’s some of what you can expect in this week’s TLR:

• A heart-breaking and heart-warming story of perseverance.

• The catastrophic voyage of a ship that ran straight into Hurricane Sandy.

• People pushed by poverty to brave the Sundarbans mangrove forest for honey.

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

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Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

PS - This week’s edition of TLR is supported by 1440 Media, the knowledge company for the intellectually curious. 1440 is the best supplement for TLR (and I believe vice versa, too) because they curate news from a wide variety of sources, spread all across the ideological spectrum.

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Story in Spotlight

Okay — this might not be the longest story on this week’s list, nor might it be the most interesting (a highly subjective criterion, I concede) or have the best prose (ditto).

But it is, by a considerable margin, the craziest.

Imagine being harassed on a nearly daily basis by a person who spews the most vitriolic hate imaginable, who all but threatens to physically harm you and your family, but being unable to do anything about it. And not because the harasser is anonymous—quite the opposite actually. You know who he is, where he lives, and what his deal is, but law enforcement still can’t go after him because he technically hasn’t done anything unlawful. Hate that’s legal by a very frustrating technicality.

Oh and he’s a career diplomat, too.

Maybe that’s how he got off mostly scot-free many times over, and how he was able to still keep up his harassment tactics despite having been sent to jail and being on supervised release. The State Department, which knew of the harassment and the crimes, had allowed him to retire peacefully and collect his pension for years.

Meanwhile, the Arab-Americans who he barraged with hate get nothing. Just a small semblance of justice and peace some 10 years after the entire episode started. But at that point, honestly, it was way too late. People were already traumatized, were already too used to looking over their shoulders for a balding white man who might, at any point, riddle their bodies with bullets.

And then there’s the prospect of what happens after jail. None of the people that were harassed are even under a shred of delusion that their peace will last. The hate will start as soon as the troll is a free man.

There’s a lot to unpack here, particularly in the midst of… everything. This story was published three years ago, but the timing of it being shared here isn’t a coincidence. Though as usual, I don’t want to spell the morals out for other you. I don’t want to tell people what to think. That’d be such a huge disservice to you. But I think that there are crucial lessons to be learned here, particularly as we navigate the coming years.

Long, but this is not one of those novella-type articles. You might need to commit 25 minutes or so.

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The Longform List

💥 Rules of Engagement | Vanity Fair, $

I’ve been on a Langewiesche kick lately, and I’ve been absolutely enjoying it.

And I think I’ve started to get a grip on his narrative style—he has this incredible ability to find one event in history and turn it into an emblem of something bigger. And then he just goes to town: He digs and digs, eventually hitting upon a deep human truth that he twists and tortures, eventually arriving at a unique vantage point. That’s how he’s able to deliver some of the sharpest insights I’ve ever read.

(Of course, I may be completely off and might be sounding like an absolute moron 🤷‍♂️)

In this case, Langewiesche zeroed in on an attack on an American military convoy in Iraq, which in turn triggered a killing spree against the local community; a vendetta of sorts. That entire incident resulted in a flurry of official investigations and proceedings, which is where most reporters would have stopped. But instead, Langewiesche continued to zoom further out and situate the entire thing in the context of the U.S.’s war on terror—in the process creating what is personally one of his best stories ever.

That said, I do think that he sometimes dips into some tired tropes about Iraq here, though given that this was written in 2007, I’m willing to look past that. Langewiesche also seems to be very willing to give the soldiers the benefit of the doubt—seemingly without acknowledging the fact that they’re not in their home country, and are essentially brutalizing locals—but I can also dismiss that as him trying to hew too closely to the truth.

Very, very long. Most likely will take you well over an hour. 

⚓ The Sinking of the Bounty | The Atavist, $

It’s been a while since I last recommended an Atavist story, but we’re back—and with an incredible maritime narrative, too.

This, at its core, is a story about the conflict between one exceptional man and an even more exceptional environmental catastrophe. We never hear from the man, but everyone around him had full faith in his abilities, and so they stuck by him even as he made increasingly questionable decisions. Decisions that, if they had been made under any other circumstance, would not have turned lethal. But Hurricane Sandy, one of the strongest in the U.S.’s history, had other plans.

And so aside from this conflict, this is also a story about how one small mistake can compound into bigger, deadlier, even historical mistakes. And that the fallout can be spectacular.

This is so well-told, with research so comprehensive that I can’t even understand how the writer pulled it off.

Just a quick gripe: I don’t know what the issue is, but there are words missing here and there in every paragraph. It really takes you out of the immersion, but it at least doesn’t break the story completely.

Also incredibly long, but otherwise a really enjoyable reading experience. I’d set aside 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

🧠 The Boy with Half a Brain | Indianapolis Monthly, Free

This one is a deeply heart-breaking but also heart-warming story about an impossible decision parents need to make after they figure out that their son has a severe neurological disorder—and about the life that they have to live with as a result of this decision.

I don’t want to spoil this story for you too much, but suffice it to say that the writer did some impressive work here. At many points, I felt like I was right there with the parents, feeling their pain and confusion and exhaustion and desperation and fear. It helps, maybe, that there are two very young kids in my family right now, so that could have made it much easier for me to empathize.

But then the writer also delivers one of the most satisfying payoffs in a longform story that I’ve ever seen. I had such a strong emotional response to it that I had to physically put some distance between me and my phone (where I read these stories) and just close my eyes for a bit.

Definitely, definitely worth it.

Long, but not excessively so. Plus it’s a really great story. I’d say maybe 40 to 50 minutes, distractions included. 

🎭 In Love with a Delusion | Medium (Jack El-Hai), Free

Yet another gem from Medium!

And this one represents a favorite journalism subgenre of mine (which I think is unfortunately underappreciated): hidden histories. In this case, writer Jack El-Hai explores the field of psychodrama, a now largely defunct approach to therapy for people who suffer from severe mental health problems, like psychosis and schizophrenia.

The practice is nothing short of fascinating. Instead of the usual CBT or talk psychotherapy, psychodrama surrenders the reins almost completely to the patient, who acts out their psychoses and obsessions on a theatrical stage. In the process, psychodrama gives them the opportunity to engage with their demons and, with the help of a trained professional, chart a path toward healing and recovery—however that might look like for the patient.

Reasonably long, I’d say. The notice up top says 15 minutes, though you might need 25, with distractions and breaks. 

🦅 How the US has Hidden its Empire | The Guardian, Free

Just a quick note that this is an excerpt from Daniel Immerwahr’s book How to Hide an Empire, which is a really enlightening book about the U.S. and its imperial history and designs. (At least from what I’ve read so far. I started it a few years ago but got sidetracked by life, and haven’t yet found the motivation to return to it).

In any case, the book has been great so far, and its arguments have been very eye-opening (if not infuriating, as someone who lives in this shadow empire that Immerwahr refers to), but this excerpt is poorly assembled, in my opinion. It feels very shallow and presents really just the most basic arguments that Immerwahr makes in his book—and instead does away with some of the more controversial (but personally more incisive) of his critiques.

Still, I think it’s a very important subject, and I’m of the opinion that people living in the heart of the empire—and actively benefiting from it—should know the full extent of their history.

Not long. Which is unfortunate, because this is a topic that deserves so much more space than this. 20 minutes.

🍯 The Honey Hunters | Longreads, Free

Stories like these make me deeply appreciate Longreads. It supported this story in partnership with the quarterly Lucky Peach, which has since gone out of business.

It feels a lot like how Medium empowers people outside the legacy Media landscape to also tell deeply reported stories. I don’t know—something about democratizing storytelling feels very important to me. Especially right now.

And this story is truly a prime example of that value. Because really and practically, what big media outfit would go deep into the Sundarbans mangrove forest and explore the dangers and economics of honey gathering, of all things? I’m hard-pressed to think of even one.

But crucially, what this story shows us is that there is still a valuable place for this ancient agricultural practice in modern day—and that despite its dangers, many people continue to be forced into desperation by the current state of things, enough that they still need to risk their lives for honey. And that also, in the midst of the poverty and the exhaustion and the oppressive heat of the Sundarbans, honey stands as a golden beacon—quite literally—that lights the way for people to hope for a better life.

Long, but not without reason. It gives a really good 360 view of the honey-gathering practice and the culture that’s sprouted around it. Might need to set aside 30 to 40 minutes. 

🦀 Trapped in the Tide of Organized Crime | Hakai Magazine, Free

Hakai is always a reliable source of top-notch science journalism. That’s why it’s absolutely devastating that they’re closing down by the end of this year—unless they can muster enough resources to keep its operations going, and find a new home for the publication. If you can pitch in, or if you have suggestions, please reach out to Colin.

This story is one of many, many others that prove why Hakai needs to survive. They’re one of the very few media outlets that can weave science with society in such a seamless, non-forced and compelling way. And they also put a premium on stories like these, which require so much bravery to report and finesse to write out.

Not too long, and definitely a good reading experience. Might take you only 15 minutes, which makes it a really worthwhile time sink.

🫂 Two Strangers Bond Over Country Music and Beer. Then the Gunshots Started. | Washington Post, $

It’s a really interesting experience to read these types of stories from a place that is sufficiently removed from the crisis at the heart of it. And years after the fact.

Because really what stands out to me in this story is the beautiful human connection that runs through it, like a really sturdy thread of calm surrounded by the chaos and confusion of the shooting. And I’m sure it’s not the writer’s intention to sideline the shooting here, but at least to me, that was the overall effect.

And I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. I’m sure that there have been stories ad nauseam about this shooting. Instead of hopping on that train, the writer chose to find something heartwarming in the middle of the pain, and in my opinion found the perfect story for that goal.

Not long at all, but very heartwarming and very emotional. 10 minutes will probably be enough. 

🗳️ When a Trailblazing Suffragist and a Crusading Prosecutor Teamed Up to Expose an Election Conspiracy | Smithsonian Magazine, Free

This one came out so close to the election that I can only think it was done on purpose. Perhaps as a way to distract people from the stress of the news cycle, while still keeping everyone vaguely on-topic?

And if that was the goal, then this story largely succeeded. It follows what is probably the first successful fair voting campaign in U.S. history, which ironically was galvanized by women even though they couldn’t even vote at the time. (Just goes to show, really, that they hold up half the sky. Likely even more).

And in a country that is so violently torn by partisan politics, I think it’s helpful to spotlight that sometimes, people from different backgrounds can unite under a common cause to achieve big things. But I won’t pretend: I don’t buy that too much. I’m not a hopeful person.

Long, though not overly so. I’d say it also gets slow in the middle in some spots. Maybe 40 minutes? With breaks and distractions.

🤑 The Broligarchs Are Trying to Have Their Way | The Atlantic, $

This one is also apt to read after the elections—no matter who you voted for.

There is a class of entrepreneur (you know who they are) that genuinely, truly thinks that they live above the law. And that they are higher beings of some sort just because they’re in command of a lot of money. And of course, that comes at the expense of everyone else. At our expense.

And this story doesn’t address it at all, but the U.S. has for years been dealing with this shade of oligarchy, only that it’s been living in denial. Oligarchy, after all, is a word that seems to be reserved only for Russia and China. That Silicon Valley and Wall Street elites have the same relationship to the government is no matter. Maybe there’s another, prettier, less malignant word for that.

Not long at all, which is unfortunate because I think that this needs a lot more exploring, a lot more interrogation. But maybe I’m expecting too much from The Atlantic here. 20 minutes, tops.

Thanks for reading!

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! 👋