Dear Friends,
This week I’m doing a classic thing that people with fancy newsletters do, which is vamp for time by recommending other people’s work.
But…dear readers, my vamping is nobler than other newsletterers because:
I’m curating something useful
you don’t pay for this newsletter
some third reason that makes this list seem legit
First Crunch
Look, it’s difficult and exhausting to keep up with things. And so, I want to shout out some independent newsletters, which I’m finding especially helpful in letting me get away with spending less time on social media,1 which we all know is more corrosive and incoherent than ever.
And, to be honest, newsletters seem to be taking bigger and less morally confused swings at dissecting What’s Going on in the World right now than many leading publications.2
Methodology: My gauge of The Crunchwrap readership is that it skews (blessedly) away from people who are terminally online. That said, if you are part of the twitching digital masses, this guide will probably not offer anything new for you. (Sorry about that.) Also, I’m going to limit this to just a few newsletters because the only thing worse than creeping oligarchy is having TOO MANY NEWSLETTERS.
Crunchwrap-approved Newsletters
Eclectic news & culture: Every few months, I end up posting something smart from
by Caitlin Dewey, who assiduously collects (and writes) timely and interesting reads. This week, she’s done us all a great service by giving us insight into her media diet and the media diet of other reasonable people trying to stay informed in the hellstorm of news. (For digestible basic rundowns of the daily news onslaught, I like from Dave Pell.)Tech-meets-culture: This is where some of the best and most thoughtful writing is right now. For that, I like
and here’s an incisive, enlightening essay about why Mark Zuckerberg decided to break bad that shows Read’s wicked talent. I also like Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day, which recently had a mini-disquisition about how and why Bluesky – allegedly, the social media alternative to the more overtly Goebbels-y Twitter/X – became a sloppy mess. (Fittingly, he publishes his newsletter on Beehiiv, the alternative to Substack, which also has a problem with platforming some vicious folks.)Righteous rage: Also publishing on Beehiiv is Marisa Kabas’ The Handbasket, which recently scooped the entire newsgathering world by reporting on the (ultimately temporary) pause in crucial federal grants in Hour 48 of the Trump administration. With all the chaos happening, Marisa is staring directly at the sun for all of us and we owe her for that. (For tech-centric righteous rage, which maybe requires the most unpacking right now,
’s Blood in the Machine clarifies a lot about what’s going on for boneheads like me.)
Last thought here: In addition to checking these newsletters out, I’ve also benefited from creating a separate email address for all of my newsletter subscriptions, so as to not be distracted when Brooks Brothers spams you to let you know that the medium-wale corduroy pants embroidered with small beagles you passively eyed ONE TIME are now 62% off! (Hypothetically, of course.)
Also, while we’re promoting the heroic work of journalists…check out my new book, which people (still) seem to like!
Postcard
For the unfortunate souls who only signed up for this newsletter because they thought they were getting thoughtful fast-food content and not liberal handwringing, please take comfort in my annual trip – with the future Mrs. Crunchwrap, of course – to White Castle this past Valentine’s Day.

Per the tradition, we doctored our beverages with bourbon, ordered too many sliders, and were recognized by other people who *also* go to our White Castle every Valentine’s Day for table service, chintzy decor, and top-tier people-watching.
For more on the glory of White Castle’s Valentine’s Day, I wrote about it for The Atlantic allll the way back in 2015 when I went for the first time. I also spoke about the history of White Castle and my special Valentine’s tradition with the NPR podcast 99% Invisible last year. (The V-Day fun begins around Minute 33.)
Come See Me
I’m excited to announce more live events for my new book, 99% Perspiration! I mean, how could you say no to this face. (Don’t answer that.)
March 5/virtual: Family Action Network, 7:00 pm CT (with Kathy Gilsinan)3
March 15/Atlanta: A Capella Books, 3:00 pm
April 3/San Francisco: Book Passage (Ferry Building), 5:30 pm (with Lisa Bonos)
April 7/Los Angeles: Book Soup, 7:00 pm (with Rina Raphael)
April 15/virtual: The Smithsonian, 6:45 pm ET (open to the public, tickets required)
That’s it for now! Thank you as always for your support, kind notes, AMAZON REVIEWS, and stray hellos. It really does mean a lot.
With love,
Adam
Except Instagram, which has its dumb hooks in my dumb brain.
If you’re an assigning editor, I didn’t mean *your* publication!
Free and open to the public; registration link will be in the next Crunchwrap!