Forty years after Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, and Gay Talese launched the New Journalism movement, Robert S. Boynton sits down with nineteen practitioners of what he calls the New New Journalism to discuss their methods, writings and careers. The New New Journalists are first and foremost brilliant reporters who immerse themselves completely in their subjects. Jon Krakauer accompanies a mountaineering expedition to Everest. Ted Conover works for nearly a year as a prison guard. Susan Orlean follows orchid fanciers to reveal an obsessive subculture few knew existed. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc spends nearly a decade reporting on a family in the South Bronx. And like their muckraking early twentieth-century precursors, they are drawn to the most pressing issues of the day: Alex Kotlowitz, Leon Dash, and William Finnegan to race and class; Ron Rosenbaum to the problem of evil; Michael Lewis to boom-and-bust economies; Richard Ben Cramer to the nitty gritty of politics. How do they do it? In these interviews, they reveal the techniques and inspirations behind their acclaimed works, from their felt-tip pens, tape recorders, long car rides, and assumed identities; to their intimate understanding of the way a truly great story unfolds. Interviews with: Gay Talese Jane Kramer* Calvin Trillin Richard Ben Cramer* Ted Conover* Alex Kotlowitz* Richard Preston* William Langewiesche* Eric Schlosser Leon Dash William Finnegan Jonathan Harr* Jon Krakauer* Adrian Nicole LeBlanc Michael Lewis* Susan Orlean Ron Rosenbaum Lawrence Weschler* Lawrence Wright* * Search our online catalog to find other titles by these Vintage and Anchor Books authors.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
I had to buy this for a class:
This book is a collection of interviews conducted on innovative writers. It's vaguely interesting if journalism is your thing. I think it could definitely benefit from having some excerpts from the authors work. This would at least provide a frame of reference for the interview.
Worth the time:
This is a great idea, to present some of the best new, new journalism folks around. I did not read all 19 author interviews word for word (some I skimmed), but found all of them enlightening. It was interesting to see the different answers/passions expressed by the writers to standard questions such as do you prepare a list of questions, do you prefer face-to-face to phone or e-mail interviews, etc. Each writer proved why she or he does what they do so well. It is for folks who like getting more from what... more info
Where (New) Journalism and Anthropology meet:
This is a great book, especially for nonfiction writers. It covers everything from the mechanics of writing (e.g., the best time of day to write, the number of words per writing session we promise ourselves) to the complexities of fieldwork and interviewing strategies, how to synthesize vast amounts of information, and how to stimulate the creative process. The fieldwork and interviewing strategies of these journalists very much resemble what I use as an applied anthropologist focusing on Africa, and poorer... more info
Good disection on the present state of the matter.:
First of all, I'd like to say I disagree with previous reviews than mention the repetition of question between the book's interviewees as a flaw. Robert Boynton is trying to offer us a complete radiography of the working processes of current literary journalists, and he interviews a great number of today's best known names. Each time you read one of the interviews you may discover a very different approach towards the methods of the other writers. I consider one of the books strengths' that I can see some... more info
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