Hi 👋 

It’s been a very hectic week for me. So many things have been happening all at once and I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed, so I wasn’t really sure that I’d have a lot of material for you.

But apparently I do. Maybe I’ve been using reading as a way to escape from the craziness of my life at the moment. (Not to worry! It’s been a good type of hectic.)

Anyway, this edition has quite the reading list. There’s an incredible true-crime story that could only have been written by fate itself (and the next best thing: Tom Junod). There’s also a really compelling (at least to me) essay about how complex human relationships are often flattened by social media these days, in service of clicks and likes and clout.

News bits are at the bottom, but I admit it’s a bit… blah. Either nothing was jumping out at me this week, or I was too overwhelmed to be checking the news as regularly as I typically do.

Happy reading!

One long read…

I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what I want to say about this story, but I keep settling on: It’s beautiful.

Maybe it’s the pretty wings of the butterflies. Maybe it’s how a community banded together to save a dying species. Maybe it’s because this is a nice clean piece of science writing (to which I’m always partial to, as a science writer myself).

Or maybe it’s the elegant metaphor of freedom and transformation that underpins much of the story.

Whatever it is, it hooked me. I’ll admit that I had a hard time getting into the story at first, but then something clicked and I couldn’t look away anymore. That’s saying something, because while I appreciate a good science story, they don’t usually have the hold of a crime story or a really compelling essay.

I’d say one of the hardest things in science writing is to find a way to be illustrative enough to draw the reader in and convince them to stay by explaining why the story is important—all while finding the balance between simplicity and scientific accuracy.

The writer struggled with that a bit, I think. There are parts in the story that were just so immaculately written, while others felt a bit sparse and too technical. But I think that’s just part of the natural push and pull of a science story. Plus it really doesn’t take away from the article. It’s still a beautiful piece and you should definitely find the time for it this week.

🕓 This one is pretty long. I’d say an hour or a bit more.

… and then some

1 - The Hero of Goodall Park: Inside a true-crime drama 50 years in the making| ESPN, Free

At the risk of sounding over-the-top, Tom Junod (the author of this masterpiece) is my writing god 🙌 I read and studied much of his work—this story included—when I was just starting out as a young journalist. He’s so good that ESPN decided to run an article that is easily 5,000 words, despite it being just very marginally related to sports. So if you’re not into sports, don’t let that hold you back from the pleasure of this haunting and heart-warming story.

🕓 This one is a beast. I’d say 1 hour and 45 minutes at least, but it’s divided into bite-sized ‘chapters’ that make it easy to jump in and out.

2 - Uncovering the Higher Truth of Jay Shetty | The Guardian, Free

I love these types of stories. They fulfill my need for 🍵, while still being low-stakes. (Well… low-stakes for me, anyway, because I don’t really know who Jay Shetty is beyond the errant TikTok clips on my FYP). Anyway, if you have that kind of itch, too, then this story will fly by quickly for you. It’s a classic online scam exposé, except the scam has become so large and normalized that it’s been embraced by the most influential people on the planet.

🕓 This one went quickly for me. Maybe 1 hour with distractions.

3 - The Myth of Codependency | The Atlantic, $

Speaking of TikTok, I sometimes find my feed inundated with clips from these pseudo-gurus and faux relationship therapists who so casually flatten some of the most complex human interactions into very simplistic platitudes. It’s annoying and harmful, but I’m often too taken by their charisma and sense of certainty that I end up getting swayed myself. This article tries to inject some much needed context and nuance into one of the internet’s newest (misunderstood) buzzwords: co-dependency. Shame it’s behind a paywall.

🕓 This one isn’t long. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes, distractions included.

4 - “Between the Hammer and the Anvil”: The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé | The Intercept, Free

This is one of the most important stories I’m sending you this week (if not the most important). It looks into the NYT’s dynamite story of the allegedly systemic sexual abuse committed by Hamas during the October 7 assault against Israel. Citing insider sources and various other media reports and interviews, The Intercept pokes holes into the NYT’s narrative and reveals alleged (critical) lapses in journalistic standards. Of course, the final score hasn’t been settled yet (and it might never be), but this is really revealing—and deeply disappointing.

🕓 This is long (and honestly a bit confusing structure-wise), so maybe 1 hour and 30 minutes.

5 - The Enduring Mystery of the Amber Room, Coveted by Tsars, Nazis, and Treasure Hunters | Atlas Obscura, Free

I’ve always appreciated Atlas Obscura’s thing of picking out some of the most obscure—but nonetheless interesting—stories from history and just really diving deeply into it. No regard for how newsy or relatable or how current it might be. Just running on the pure appeal of a good story. And the same is true for this one, too. It uses the allure of a very extravagant room to draw you in and take you through different eras, some more recognizable than others. I found it very entertaining.

🕓 This one isn’t long, but it’s also not terribly gripping. Maybe 1 hour, tops, with distractions.

6 - Lord of the Deep | Businessweek, Free

Loved this one, and I’m not even into ships or antiques. But I have to admit, the allure of sunken treasures is too difficult to pass over. The story will take you from the bottom of the ocean to the glitzy world of venture capitalists and through the corruption-infused underbelly of world governments. It’s quite a trip. Props to the writers, too, because they were able to get some very important details in here that had been hidden away for years.

🕓 I found it hard to step away from this one. Maybe 1 hour and 30 minutes?

7 - What Is a Species, Anyway? | The New York Times, $

Leave it to science writing master Carl Zimmer to come up with a piece about one of the most fundamental units of taxonomy—the basis of our entire evolutionary tree. And look: I’m a science nerd, okay, so it didn’t surprise me that experts can’t really agree on what a species is. But I didn’t realize that there were so many different criteria for a species. Carl also does a great job of showing why this matters and how it could derail conservation efforts.

🕓 This is an easy read, though not necessarily exciting. Probably 30 minutes if you stay focused.

8 - For These Young People in Privileged Parts of the World, the Pandemic Was an Opportunity | Los Angeles Times, Free

I’m always happy to recommend stories from Asia. Sadly, there aren’t a lot of those, especially really well-written longform stories. This one is a pleasant exception. It follows some of the more privileged people in rich countries who were able to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to make mini fortunes for themselves. At the risk of sounding too critical: I wish the story also paid the same kind of attention and detail to people who were ravaged by the pandemic. That is, after all, the more common experience, right?

🕓 I’d say around 1 hour, with distractions. This one isn’t too long but at some point, I found my mind wandering.

Around the world

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

1 - After 200 years, Sweden has finally joined NATO.

2 - Scientists say we’re not yet in the Anthropocene, the geological era that is defined by human activity.
+ These scientists know infinitely more than I do so I won’t be snarky. Instead, I will share an explainer from Vox.

3 - Think twice about that boba. Sweetened beverages apparently aggravate the risk of heart disease.

4 - Scientists snap a “once-in-a-lifetime” photo of two humpback whales having sex. And it turns out to be gay sex. That’s the best thing ever.

5 - An old German man has taken his COVID-19 booster more than 200 times.

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, please feel free to share The Lazy Reader with friends or family who you think might want to join us in reading more.

Until next Sunday! 👋