About a year ago, we asked readers to help us compile a list of journalism-related books that would make for good reading during a difficult holiday season. Here’s what we said at the time:
The holidays are coming, but the news business isn’t feeling so merry. Times are hard for everyone, actually. And when the times get tough, the tough start reading.
Burying ourselves in a book or two feels like a particularly fine idea this season, as does giving good (and relatively inexpensive) books as gifts. But which books? Economics? History? Advice? Escapism?
Times are still tough, reading is still fun, and the question still stands. If you could recommend one book to a journalist this winter, what would you recommend—and why?
"Gaily, Gaily" by Ben Hecht. A terrific book written in 1963 about a young Chicago reporter's life in the 19-teens, when newspapers were racy, fun, uninhibited and occasionally accurate. Hecht got fired for writing a book considered obscene in 1922, so you know he was onto something.
#1 Posted by Aaron Elstein, CJR on Tue 8 Dec 2009 at 03:04 PM
I still put in my vote for Ian Frazier's "Great Plains"--peripatetic reporting, gorgeous prose, and funny to boot. I'm almost as fond of "Family," which is both more personal and historically broader in its reach (i.e., the rise and fall, or at least gradual downsizing, of the American WASP).
#2 Posted by James Marcus, CJR on Tue 8 Dec 2009 at 03:44 PM
"I.F. Stone: A Portrait" is a fine read. So is James Phelan's book, "Scandals, Scamps, and Scoundrels: The Casebook of an Investigative Reporter." Both out of print I think, but easily available used.
#3 Posted by mwh, CJR on Tue 8 Dec 2009 at 04:50 PM
Breaking the News, Jim Fallows's in-depth examination of the institutional pathologies of our political press, is an immensely engaging, if wholly depressing, piece of long-form media criticism. It was published in 1997, but in its treatment of such topics as, say, the trivializing influence of cable news -- or the trivializing influence of Drudge -- or the press's willingness to be spun by partisan hacks in the (1993) healthcare debate...it all feels very current. And is perhaps even more relevant today than it was upon its publication.
Though the book has been called -- fairly so -- a "jeremiad" (its subhead: "How the Media Undermine American Democracy"), perhaps a jeremiad is, actually, an entirely appropriate reaction to the failings Fallows documents. And perhaps, more to the point, a jeremiad is exactly what we need right now.
#4 Posted by Megan Garber, CJR on Wed 9 Dec 2009 at 09:40 AM
Evan Wright's recent Hella Nation, which compiles some of his best magazine pieces, is a great choice for anyone interested in long-form journalism. Wright's a fantastic writer and reporter, with a tremendous eye for detail and real empathy for his subjects, even when they are crazy. I can't think of any serious reader who wouldn't like this book.
#5 Posted by Justin Peters, CJR on Wed 9 Dec 2009 at 11:34 AM
I can't really recommend it, because I haven't read it yet -- but my own reading plans include George Seldes's Lords of the Press, given to me by my first editor years ago and on my bookshelf ever since.
#6 Posted by greg marx, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 11:23 AM
"Tokyo Vice," by Jake Adelstein. It's a compelling and entertaining read and provides a lot of insight into both crime reporting and the challenges (and dangers) that reporters in other countries encounter.
#7 Posted by Alaric, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 11:44 AM
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer. Hoffer was self-educated, worked in restaurants as a young man and then spent 25 years as a longshoreman in San Francisco. In the The True Believer he writes about the nature of mass movements--the common human elements that push people to organize and to fight for change.
#8 Posted by Vinnie Rotondaro, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:11 PM
"The Lonely Soldier" by Helen Benedict. On the struggles of women veterans in the post 9/11 context.
#9 Posted by Charles Mostoller, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:13 PM
Robert Fisk, The Great War for Civilization. Fisk at his best recounting three decades of covering the Middle East's wars. Beautifully written, meticulously researched and referenced, it's journalism and history at its finest.
A quicker read would be Chris Hedges, War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning.
#10 Posted by Barnabe Geisweiller, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:21 PM
"The Curse of the Mogul" by Jonathan A. Knee, Bruce C. Greenwald and Ava Seave (Portfolio).
It's a mostly readable business book that takes a contrarian's view of much of what passes for wisdom about media companies. (Since few journalists understand one bit about the business they are in, that should be enough to recommed this book right there.) Big lesson: Investing in media companies is dumb; working for them isn't.
The book makes a case that Bloomberg is a brilliant company while most others are considerably less than brilliant.
No matter. What's important here, for journalists, is that the authors explain how our multi-platform business operates today...and, as I read the book, why old print media remain pretty good enterprises despite the digital onslaught.
#11 Posted by J.D. Crook, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:21 PM
Rene J. Cappon's "The Associated Press Guide to News Writing," originally published in 1982 and now in its 3rd (1999) edition, has been on my desk since the beginning. It is still the smartest guide to good news writing I've ever read. No pretense or shirk escapes Cappon's sharp eye and acute ear, and he has ferreted out some of the best examples of good work you'll find anywhere.
#12 Posted by John Luke, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:47 PM
Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting, edited by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills and Naomi Wolf (2005) - varied, fascinating collection of journalistic pieces written by women.
The New New Journalism: Conversations with America's Best Nonfiction Writers on Their Craft (2005)~ Robert Boynton: conversations with reporters doing activist literary journalism.
#13 Posted by Nicola, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 01:53 PM
Three books about strong and powerful women in journalism:
"The Girls in the Balcony" (1992 but widely available), by Nan Robertson, who died only recently, is the story of the brave women who sued the New York Times for discrimination, a story that resonates even today.
"Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller" (2008), by Steve Weinberg, is an epic tale of how one woman came to be an iconic muckraker, tangling with Rockefeller and a world not quite ready for a female journalism hero.
"Queen of the Oil Club: The Intrepid Wanda Jablonski and the Power of Information" (2008), by Anna Rubino, tells a similar story, decades later, of a woman not taken seriously by the powerful institutions she covered, and her investigations into the cartels that controlled the world's oil.
#14 Posted by Merrill Perlman, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 02:11 PM
I recommend "The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes you a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East" by Neil Macfarquhar. A foreign correspondent for the NYT, the author writes with fondness and wit about a range of experiences he's had over the years. Wonderful.
#15 Posted by Cathryn Cranston, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 03:20 PM
* "China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing's Expansion in Africa" by Serge Michel, Michel Beurut and Paulo Woods--bring some sober reporting to the hysterical coverage on this topic in US media.
* The graphic novels: "Deogratias," a graphic novel by JP Stassen [about 1994 Rwanda genocide and its aftermath], "The Unknown Soldier" by Joshua Dysart [new DC Comics graphic serial about civil war in north of Uganda]
* For sports journalists: "Out of His Skin: The John Barnes Phenomenon" by Dave Hill, published in 1989. Great book about intersection sports and race (about British football).
* Finally, I assigned Philip Gourevitch's "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda" for a course I teach at The New School; rereading it again, despite some of the criticisms of the way he portrays Kagame's regime, is still a brilliant of writing.
#16 Posted by Sean Jacobs, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 03:24 PM
I'm still recommending Ian Buruma's spellbinding Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance. About immigration in Europe, where the sanctimonious left and extreme Islamism make the strangest of unhappy bedfellows. The real clash of civilizations isn't happening on American soil, but in formerly homogeneous European cities and towns.
#17 Posted by Nina Burleigh, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 03:42 PM
"Ghost Wars" by Steve Coll. I'm about a third of the way into this meticulously researched doorstop, which traces CIA involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet Invasion to 9/11. A Pulitzer Prize winner (2005) and good background for the current debate.
#18 Posted by Nathan Weyland, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 04:02 PM
Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc.
#19 Posted by Lauren Kirchner, CJR on Fri 11 Dec 2009 at 07:06 PM
"The Brass Check" by Upton Sinclair.
From this classic work comes the devastating observation: "A journalist is a man who, at the drop of a hat, can adjust his opinions to match those of his publisher."
Very enjoyable reading, too.
#20 Posted by Casey Clark, CJR on Sat 12 Dec 2009 at 07:10 AM
Thank you for asking this year. Maybe the fall of E&P can help you understanding supporting the nation magazine ONLY is closed minded.
Now my choices:
For understanding the Afghan reigon: "The Great Game" and the subsequent books by Peter Hopkirk
The unofficial sequal, "Charlie Wilson's war," will help you understand why Afghanistan was not considered the "main" battlefield during the last Administration.
"Battle for Justice," by Ethan Bronner to understand the battle lines in Judicial nominations. No, the Right has NOT gotten over the first Borking.
"Paris 1919," by M. Macmillian. Diplomacy doesn't always work.
"The Ambition and the Power," by John Barry. How Speaker Wright fell and the begining of how the GOP began to take over the House after 40 years. Note, in this book, the press went after Democratic party corruption wherever it leads, not like todays press.
And finally:
"Don't make no waves..." by Milton Rakove. How the current Administration works, by way of Richard J. Daley Sr.
#21 Posted by JSF, CJR on Sat 12 Dec 2009 at 02:03 PM
I recommend Necessary Illusions by Noam Chomsky...
#22 Posted by eric Stephens, CJR on Sat 12 Dec 2009 at 10:42 PM
I think "Lords of the Press" by George Seldes would be a good one. An oldie, for sure (it was written in the '30s), but many of the things he says regarding media conglomeration and minority control are frankly prophetic. And he's a fantastic journalist.
#23 Posted by Pavan, CJR on Sat 12 Dec 2009 at 11:03 PM
After years of writing for magazines, newspapers and now the internet, I still and always will recommend "The Chicago Manual Of Style". Sad to say even AP web articles are filled with misspellings, oddly punctuated quotes, etc. Almost impossible to read cover to cover, but as a reference for those who actually care about the presentation of their writing, this book is a must.
#24 Posted by Jim Swanson, CJR on Sun 13 Dec 2009 at 10:30 AM
Read E.L. Doctorow's "Homer and Langley." On the surface, it's a playful and highly readable novel inspired by those bizarre, world-class hoarders, the Collyer brothers. But beneath that innocent surface its main metaphor—the creation of a universal newspaper, a single ideal edition of the daily newspaper which would make any further editions unnecessary (Doctorow's explanation for the hoards of old papers)—is a wicked, subversive, and very funny commentary on the state of journalism today.
#25 Posted by victor navasky, CJR on Mon 14 Dec 2009 at 08:36 AM
Mr. Navasky,
Good of you to join the conversation -- what do you think about your conclict of interest regards CJR and the Nation magazine?
How can you run CJR (a critic of the press of all it's forms) when you shill daily for the Nation?
That ANSWER would be worth reading.
#26 Posted by JSF, CJR on Mon 14 Dec 2009 at 12:37 PM
I'd recommend Helen Benedict's "The Lonely Soldier." First rate read, first rate journalism, and a vastly underreported story.
#27 Posted by Dale Maharidge, CJR on Mon 14 Dec 2009 at 12:39 PM
It may not have the greatest title, but it's a fantastic read: "Finding George Orwell in Burma" by Emma Larkin.
#28 Posted by Derek Simons, CJR on Mon 14 Dec 2009 at 11:09 PM
I also recommend Evan Wright's HELLA NATION. His coverage on Wingnut and anarchy in the US is especially powerful. I hate journalism that fluffs itself up with stylish prose. HELLA NATION's clear and simple prose is an example of dynamic content that speaks for itself.
#29 Posted by Choo Choo, CJR on Tue 23 Feb 2010 at 04:57 PM
Darell Huff's 'How to Lie with Statistics': the name says it all.
#30 Posted by vipul vivek, CJR on Wed 15 Dec 2010 at 08:28 AM