The Longformist
Vol. 4, May 2026
Hello and welcome to The Longformist, my newsletter of the best longform journalism over the past month (plus a podcast and two non-timely book recs.) I am an investigative reporter based in San Diego. As a reader, I gravitate towards politics, business, crime and history–the more reporter-on-the-ground the better. If that sounds like your interests too, then please subscribe and share.
-Brent Crane (@bcamcrane)
The Best
Pardon Me, Ruth Marcus, the New Yorker
A timely dive into the presidential “pardon economy,” booming like never before under Trump 2.0. “The White House insists that money plays no role in Trump’s pardons. The evidence suggests otherwise.”
Why Steve Kerr Stayed With The Warriors, Wright Tompson, ESPN
I am not an NBA fan but still found lots to keep me glued to this profile examining Steve Kerr’s ambition, grief and triumph at the twilight of his career. “‘You wanna trust yourself but also be suspicious of your own motives. You don’t want to walk away too early but you don’t want to walk away too late.’”
Hard Rain, Wyatt Williams, Harper’s
A long examination of the still-unrealized technology of weather modification could make for a real snooze fest. But Williams hits just the right notes to produce a feature of real distinction. A classic Harper’s piece in the best way. “If cloud seeding could end drought or make water more abundant for a farmer or help prevent wildfires isn’t that exactly what God would want?”
Chasing the Man Who Stole the Gods, Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg Businessweek
Many moons ago I worked in Cambodia as a newspaper reporter. Archaeology was one of my beats, so I read this investigation into stolen Khmer antiquities with great interest–an excerpt from Campbell new’s book. His last one, Dead in the Water, was a banger. “When asked why he stayed, Gordon liked to say he had no choice: Cambodia had him under a magic spell.”
Nonfiction book
Blank Space: A Cultural History of the 21st Century, W. David Marx (2025)
The 21st-century often feels totally incomprehensible. I found this cultural history to be enlightening examination of our odd era, connecting the dots from the rise of reality TV to the Great Recession to MAGA in a way that rings true. “With creators no longer required to pursue artistic excellence, culture has become a lowest-common-denominator fight for attention.”
Novel
Men Without Women, Haruki Murakami (2014)
Murakami for me is always a nostalgic experience. You know what you’re going to get but you’re also always surprised. These seven stories are classic Murakami, full of pathos and odd turns in simple prose.
Podcast
Amitav Ghosh, Take Four Books, BBC Radio 4