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83 reviews for:
The New Kings of Nonfiction
Bill Buford, Mark Bowden, Dan Savage, Chuck Klosterman, Lawrence Weschler, Ira Glass, Michael Pollan, David Foster Wallace, Coco Henson Scales, Susan Orlean, Jack Hitt, Lee Sandlin, James McManus
83 reviews for:
The New Kings of Nonfiction
Bill Buford, Mark Bowden, Dan Savage, Chuck Klosterman, Lawrence Weschler, Ira Glass, Michael Pollan, David Foster Wallace, Coco Henson Scales, Susan Orlean, Jack Hitt, Lee Sandlin, James McManus
between being a magazine major, a new yorker subscriber and a faithful follower of "The Best American Non-required Reading" series, I think there were only a couple of stories in here that I hadn't previously read. BUT Ira Glass is wonderful and all the proceeds from the book benefit 826 CHI, a really cool non profit afterschool writing center in Chicago, and I'm willing to bet most of y'all haven't read most of these stories, so, go, GO! and buy it! and read it! and feel smarter after reading about Lois Weisberg, and a little scared after reading about British thugs (don't call them hooligans!) and want to know a 10-year-old after reading about Colin.
Took me a while to finish, as I tend to set books down a lot when they're conveniently divided into digestible chunks. However, I really did end up enjoying most of these pieces. Many other reviewers complained that most of the pieces were older and had already been published elsewhere. Luckily I had only previously read the Michael Pollan piece (in The Omnivore's Dilemma). While some pieces were just OK, many were delightful and eye-opening. Favorites include: Malcolm Gladwell's "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg," Bill Buford's "Among the Thugs," David Foster Wallace's "Host," and Lee Sandlin's "Losing the War." Also, I realized that I should give David Foster Wallace's non-fiction a chance (I tried his short stories/fiction once and could not get into it). One critique would be that the "new kings" of non-fiction only included two women. :(
In general, a great collection of articles, stories, and profiles from a wide range of sources and covering an even wider range of topics. There are several excellent pieces in here and if Ira Glass puts together another collection, I'll want to read it.
Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - About a kid who was found guilty of securities and trading fraud; good 3/5.
Toxic Dreams - About a small town's fight against an environmental mess that turns out to not be very harmful but the town's economy has become too wrapped up in the fight to stop. Very good 4/5.
Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg - Fascinating look at how some people are connectors and how they influence those around them, spinning people into a web of patterns and intricate connections. Great 5/5.
Shapinsky's Karma - Interesting story of a painter and the Indian man who came out of nowhere to make him famous in the final days of his career. Great 5/5.
The American Man, Age Ten - From Esquire, one author's interview with a ten year old boy and the insights it gives her into men, American culture, and relationships. Great 5/5.
Among the Thugs - Excellent travel / gonzo journalism piece from an American journalist who went to Italy with a group of U.K. soccer hooligans and lived to tell the tale. I'd like to read the rest of the book. Great 5/5.
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Odd interview with Val Kilmer. Good, 3/5.
Host - Interesting piece profiling a talk radio host; the story tries to find some separation between the real person and the host and, in the end, concludes that there may be no difference at all. Great, 5/5.
Tales of the Tyrant - Lengthy piece profiling Sadaam Husein in the days after the first gulf war. Good, 4/5.
Losing the War - Insightful and somber article on what WWII means to those who have only read the history; the article lays down a line, saying that those who have never been in war cannot understand it because those who have been are unable to define the experience in mere words. Great, 5/5.
The Hostess Diaries - Somewhat stuck-up piece about a cocktail waitress in popular nightspot. So-so, 2/5.
My Republican Journey - Funny look at Dan Savage's attempts to become a Republican in order to change the system from the inside. Good, 3/5.
Power Steer - Interesting piece detailing the life of a beef steer from birth through to steaks; the article does a good job of objectively stating the pros and cons of beef and, specifically, U.S. beef as an industry and as a food source. Great, 5/5.
Fortune's Smile - Great example of the journalist as the story; the piece tells the story of a journalist's entry into the World Series of Poker and how he almost won. Great, 5/5.
Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - About a kid who was found guilty of securities and trading fraud; good 3/5.
Toxic Dreams - About a small town's fight against an environmental mess that turns out to not be very harmful but the town's economy has become too wrapped up in the fight to stop. Very good 4/5.
Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg - Fascinating look at how some people are connectors and how they influence those around them, spinning people into a web of patterns and intricate connections. Great 5/5.
Shapinsky's Karma - Interesting story of a painter and the Indian man who came out of nowhere to make him famous in the final days of his career. Great 5/5.
The American Man, Age Ten - From Esquire, one author's interview with a ten year old boy and the insights it gives her into men, American culture, and relationships. Great 5/5.
Among the Thugs - Excellent travel / gonzo journalism piece from an American journalist who went to Italy with a group of U.K. soccer hooligans and lived to tell the tale. I'd like to read the rest of the book. Great 5/5.
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Odd interview with Val Kilmer. Good, 3/5.
Host - Interesting piece profiling a talk radio host; the story tries to find some separation between the real person and the host and, in the end, concludes that there may be no difference at all. Great, 5/5.
Tales of the Tyrant - Lengthy piece profiling Sadaam Husein in the days after the first gulf war. Good, 4/5.
Losing the War - Insightful and somber article on what WWII means to those who have only read the history; the article lays down a line, saying that those who have never been in war cannot understand it because those who have been are unable to define the experience in mere words. Great, 5/5.
The Hostess Diaries - Somewhat stuck-up piece about a cocktail waitress in popular nightspot. So-so, 2/5.
My Republican Journey - Funny look at Dan Savage's attempts to become a Republican in order to change the system from the inside. Good, 3/5.
Power Steer - Interesting piece detailing the life of a beef steer from birth through to steaks; the article does a good job of objectively stating the pros and cons of beef and, specifically, U.S. beef as an industry and as a food source. Great, 5/5.
Fortune's Smile - Great example of the journalist as the story; the piece tells the story of a journalist's entry into the World Series of Poker and how he almost won. Great, 5/5.
Eh. I liked the first few stories, but got really bored after I couldn't force myself to read David Foster Wallace's 3,000-page story. They were kind of downhill from there. I'm also not a huge nonfiction or short story fan, and these were short nonfiction pieces, so...But it was edited by Ira Glass, and I love him. And there were a few interesting stories, so I guess it was worth it. But I didn't finish. I'd say I read 78% of the book, which is good enough.
Although many of the essays in this book are now 20 years old, they’ve aged magnificently. Glass selected essays that were stories not just about facts but about the bigger questions driving the story. And those remain as interesting now as when they were originally written.
Starts off with wonderful pieces, then trails off to the end. While all of the pieces were insightful in their own ways (though I still think the one about poker was a boring waste of space), my favorites were:
- Host, David Foster Wallace's fantastic, hilarious look at conservative talk radio
- Among the Thugs, Bill Buford's disturbing, drunken, participatory account of British soccor hooligans
- Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg, Malcolm Gladwell's take on how we know the people that we know and why it matters. I know he often over-simplifies, but I still like it
- and Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities, where Michael Lewis voices my thoughts on the silliness of the stock market practically verbatim while telling the story of this crazy, day-trading teenager.
Of all of them, David Foster Wallace's is the one you shouldn't miss.
- Host, David Foster Wallace's fantastic, hilarious look at conservative talk radio
- Among the Thugs, Bill Buford's disturbing, drunken, participatory account of British soccor hooligans
- Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg, Malcolm Gladwell's take on how we know the people that we know and why it matters. I know he often over-simplifies, but I still like it
- and Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities, where Michael Lewis voices my thoughts on the silliness of the stock market practically verbatim while telling the story of this crazy, day-trading teenager.
Of all of them, David Foster Wallace's is the one you shouldn't miss.
I didn't read all the essays before the book was due back at the library, but I liked what I read, particularly the first three. I kind of thought Ira Glass picked essays that could be stories on TAL.
All of the most interesting pieces are in the beginning of this anthology. It starts to drag by the last half of the book.
Contained a great deal of interesting stories, ranging from an environmental and legal catastrophe to how human beings are connected. Ira Glass's introduction explained the book best-- the writing is about real events, but with personal anecdotes and observations that set the stories apart from typical articles.
I really really really liked this book! All the stories were great, except for one that went on and on and on and on and on.
Also- I like Ira Glass and This American Life, BUT all these stories were previously published in magazines or whatever, so I want to know: how much work did Ira actually do? Because he seems to be getting a lot of hype from this book.
Also- I like Ira Glass and This American Life, BUT all these stories were previously published in magazines or whatever, so I want to know: how much work did Ira actually do? Because he seems to be getting a lot of hype from this book.