Hi 👋 

Welcome back to TLR, where we dig into some of the best longform writing across the internet 🤓

We’re reading a diverse set of stories this week—from the wilderness of the Internet’s forest to the tangle of cables deep beneath the oceans.

We’re also diving into the body with a deeply personal (and frankly nauseating) essay about what it’s like to not be able to eat due to a gut disease, and a peek into one of medicine’s first attempts at making pig organs work inside a human.

Our spotlight story this week is a knock-out, too, exploring some of the most shameful thoughts someone can harbor. But don’t let it put you off: The author did a wonderful job of staying compassionate and kind. (Plus she kept most of the characters anonymous, which was really helpful).

Not to toot my own horn, but I think I outdid myself this week 💪 I read through many more stories than usual to give you a particularly great list.

But… the flip-side of that is that our news blitz down below is a bit… spare. Sorry 😅 I think I lost myself a little bit too much in the longreads that I kind of forgot to keep track of the news cylce this week.

In any case, as with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below. 🙏

And we’re trying to grow the newsletter! If you like what you read, please consider sharing the gift of longform stories with your friends, colleagues and family! 🫶

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

One long read…

Shame is one of those very core human emotions that many people (myself included) shy away from. But this story looks it dead in the eye. So much so that, despite having regret in the title, I think shame is really what’s at the heart of this story.

The writer does an incredible job here. 🙌

She confronts shame but does it in a very kind and humane way. She’s able to draw very raw and honest words from her sources while still giving them a safe-enough space to not feel attacked or judged.

As a reporter myself, I can’t understate how hard it is to strike and keep that balance: Establishing enough closeness and familiarity with your sources while maintaining an appropriate level of professional distance.

And if her story is any indication, I think R. O. Kwon did really well here.

From the POV of a reader (and a son), I think this story planted some very difficult but important questions in my head.

I’m not inclined to have a child at the moment, but if I do, will I regret it, too? Did my parents regret having me? What would their lives have been like without me? Do they still have some regret? Or have I done them proud enough that they think it’s all worth it in the end?

All heavy questions. Much heavier than the story itself actually is. Don’t let it scare you away, but maybe just be mindful that the article could dig these types of sentiments up.

🕓 Not terribly long, and honestly not too difficult. Maybe 30 minutes, tops, distractions included.

… and then some

1 - Inside the Crisis at NPR | The New York Times, Free

This was almost our spotlight this week. I was this 🤏 close. If you’ve followed the very public almost-implosion of NPR (I haven’t), then you’ll love this one. The NYT was able to dig deep into the broadcaster’s troubles and, in turn (wittingly or not), bare the problems of the wider Media industry.

🕓 A relatively quick read. Maybe 20 minutes, if you stay focused.

2 - The Cloud Under the Sea | The Verge, Free

This, in my opinion, is pretty much the ideal longform story: It identifies a relatively unknown, painfully underappreciated phenomenon, and gives it so much space to breathe. Glowing praise, I know, but I promise it’s well-deserved.

🕓 A hefty story that can get a bit technical in some spots. But definitely try and carve out some time and brainspace for this. Easily over 1 hour.

3 - Don’t Believe What They’re Telling You About Misinformation | The New Yorker, $

Hmm… does it seem to you, too, that everyone is regarding fake news as the problem of our times? Look—I’m not saying misinformation is not a problem, but I think that sometimes the widespread alarm over it is a bit overbaked. (⚠️Controversial Opinion alert⚠️). This article makes the case much better than I can.

🕓 A pretty long story. Maybe an hour at most if you’re focused.

4 - The New Quarter-Life Crisis | The Atlantic, $

Do you have that friend (or friends) who just suddenly got into running? Like pretty much out of nowhere 🏃🏽‍♀️ I used to be that friend, but now I’m on the receiving end of it. And this story couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. It makes some pretty profound points about why we run, which might be true for many others but I’m not sure was the case for me.

🕓 Easy read. Probably just 15 minutes, tops.

5- Doctors Combined a Heart Pump and Pig Kidney Transplant in Breakthrough Surgery | Wired, $

Disclaimer up top: This might read more like a news-feature rather than a full-on feature story, but I think scientific marvels always make for good stories, regardless of format. And this one is as marvelous as they come, I’d say. Plus, aside from breaking down the science of pig organ transplants, the author also looks into the admittedly short history of the cutting-edge procedure. If you’re into that.

🕓 Also an easy read, and pretty short, too. Another 15-minute commitment.

6 - We Need To Rewild The Internet | NOÉMA Magazine, Free 

If you’ve been reading TLR for quite some time now, you know that NOÉMA is quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers. This story only furthers that. It argues—very well, might I add—that the Internet has an impending consolidation crisis. It gets pretty technical in some spots, but I think its case is compelling enough to stick with it.

🕓 Very long and, honestly, can get difficult to read. Might take you 1 hour and 30 minutes.

7 - Insatiable: A Life Without Eating | Longreads, Free

If you’re into deeply personal essays, then you’re going to love this one. The author goes into frankly painful detail about what it’s like to have Crohn’s disease—an inflammatory gut disease—and not be able to eat. He explores the many difficult dimensions of hunger from a first-person POV, which is fascinating, sure, but is also honestly tough to read.

🕓 Not too long, but can be hard to get through. Maybe allot 45 minutes.

8 - How Big Tech Funds the Debate on AI Ethics | The New Statesman, $ (If you’ve burned your three free articles)

As the new big thing, AI is probably on everyone’s minds lately—especially corporations, it turns out. This story finds that some of the biggest companies on the planet may be influencing the wider conversations about AI. That’s alarming in and of itself, but I think it raises some bigger questions about academia. Tech and AI, after all, aren’t the only fields of science that receive funding from industry.

🕓 Not too long or difficult. Maybe 45 minutes at most, distractions included.

9 - Mother Trees and Socialist Forests: is the ‘Wood-Wide Web’ a Fantasy? | The Guardian, Free

First thing’s first: “wood-wide web” is a genius bit of alliteration. Second, this is a wonderful piece of science writing. The writer dives into something that might seem innocuous and drums up enough intrigue, scientific divide, and sense of purpose that, by the end, I found myself very invested in trees. Great work from Daniel Immerwahr.

🕓 Pretty long and, frankly, not too compelling. Could easily take you 1 hour.

10 - Why Everything is Getting Louder | The Atlantic, $

I’ll admit I was skeptical of this story: Why make so much fuss over noise? It can’t be that bad. The writer recognized this, too, but very quickly shot me down and whatever doubts I still might have had. Then she opened my eyes to the ways that the problem will get worse in the future—and how this is all unavoidable because of how modern society is oriented.

🕓 A very long story. Though it picks up quite a bit, I’d still say you’d need more than 1 hour.

Around the world

Here are some of the most important/interesting/infuriating news bits from around the world last week:

1 - Pro-Palestine protests sweep through U.S. college campuses.
+ Law enforcement arrests peaceful protesters in the world’s leading democracy.
+ Amid these tensions, Senate passes a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Taiwan, and… you guessed it: Israel.

2 - South Korean woman loses $50,000 after the Elon Musk she was dating online turns out to be fake.
+ Speaking of Musk, the edgelord millionaire is locking horns with Australia and Brazil for the their alleged efforts to stifle free speech online.
+ Meanwhile, the self-declared champion of free speech is cozying up to Chinese officials in a bid to broaden the horizons of his self-driving tech.

3 - Also in China is U.S. State Secretary Anthony Blinken, who is giving the CCP a stern warning over their support for the Russian war.
+ Meanwhile, the U.S. has been a consistent supporter of Israel and its decades-long occupation of Palestine.

4 - Another incentive to stay fit: People of better metabolic health (ie: healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels) are more likely to reap greater benefits of their vaccines.

5 - Japan takes on Google with anti-trust sanction for alleged unfair practices against a local competitor.

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those, too!

Also, I’d appreciate it so much if you help me grow by sharing The Lazy Reader with friends or family who you think might also enjoy a good longform story 🫶

Until next Monday! 👋