On this election eve, we bring you recommended reading from Matt Bai, the magazine's chief political correspondent; Mark Leibovich, the magazine's chief national correspondent; and Robert Draper, a contributing writer.
Book I'm Reading Now:
Bai: "Cloud Atlas," by David Mitchell. I'm a huge apostle for his more recent novel, "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet." This one has that schlocky movie cover now, but fortunately I'm reading digitally, so I don't have to look at it.
Leibovich: "The Payoff: Why Wall Street Always Wins," by Jeff Connaughton. He's a longtime Biden staffer, lobbyist and D.C. lifer who went rogue, skipped town and tells all. Great, maddening look at the Beltway racket as currently set up.
Draper: At the moment, I'm so sick of political journalism (including my own) that the sane recourse is to delouse my soul with fiction. Specifically, I'm galloping through the entire roster of Colin Harrison's beautifully crafted noir thrillers — most recently "Bodies Electric."
Last Book I Loved:
Bai: Thomas Mallon's novel "Watergate" was so evocative and so fun to read, especially for anyone who's fascinated by the era. Also loved Ann Patchett's "State of Wonder."
Leibovich: "Trudy Hopedale," by Jeffrey Frank. Unsung D.C. fiction of the higher order. How can you not love a book whose protagonist is a disgraced scholar of the vice presidency?
Draper: Other than the Harrison books, "Hidden America," by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Searing snapshots of the American proletariat. Not a single political note is struck in the entire book, but we'd be a lot better off if every officeholder was required to read it before he cashed his next paycheck.
Unread Book Gnawing at My Conscience:
Bai: No question, it's Robert Caro's "Master of the Senate." I want so badly to have read it, but you know, I also wish I could learn how to golf. Some things will have to wait.
Leibovich: "The End of Men," by my friend Hanna Rosin. I'm obviously running out of time, so I need to hurry and read it. (I did read one chapter — on the so-called "Hookup Culture." That was interesting.)
Draper: Taylor Branch's "The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History With the President." Huge admirer of Branch's M.L.K. trilogy, and undoubtedly essential Clinton data lurk within those 720 pages. But Clinton wouldn't let Branch keep his own tapes, so every interview is reproduced from frantic memory, which I find infuriating.
The All-Time Greatest Political Book I Have Ever Read:
Bai: "What It Takes," by Richard Ben Cramer. There will never be another campaign book like that, ever. I'll tell you, though, a book that's mostly overlooked now is William Manchester's "The Death of a President," which is a classic of narrative nonfiction and should be taught in every journalism school. And of course Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72."
Leibovich: "The Woman at the Washington Zoo," an anthology of stories and essays by Marjorie Williams.
Draper: Without question, Robert Penn Warren's novel "All the King's Men." Fully realized and recognizable political characters, right down to the sycophants and besotted lifers. And the sum total of Warren's exposure to this world was reading about Huey Long in the local papers while teaching at L.S.U.
A Sacred Political Text I Have Never Read:
Bai: I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I'd have to say "The Boys on the Bus." I've just always known too many reporters to bring myself to read about them in my free time. But it's on my list.
Leibovich: Have not read Teddy White's "The Making of the President." Although I've probably talked a lot about it over the years as if I did. (Reminds me of something David Brooks once said on how he defines the "Washington read:" It's when you say, "Well, I haven't read your book, but I've praised it on TV.")
Draper: Allen Drury's novel "Advise and Consent" and Ulysses S. Grant's memoir. Both classics of their respective genres, and possibly I'll forgo seeing "Mulholland Drive" a fifth time until I read at least one of them.
Favorite Article About This Election That Did Not Appear in The Times:
Bai: Probably James Fallows's effort to understand the Obama administration in The Atlantic last spring. He's really great. In general, I don't read a ton of political journalism. I don't like all that conventional wisdom knocking around my head, and the clichés put me in a bad mood.
Leibovich: Jason Horowitz had a hilarious piece in The Washington Post on "the Narrative." An LOL takedown of pundit pretensions. Politico's expose on Herman Cain's problematic, um, workplace history, was dynamic-shaping. Jeffrey Goldberg's ride-along romp of Chris Christie's Springsteen obsession in The Atlantic.
Draper: Jason Horowitz's amazing and discomfiting piece in the Washington Post about Romney's days at Cranbrook prep school was a feat of serious legwork. (Hat tip as well to WaPo researcher Julie Tate.)
One Book I Would Recommend to Anyone:
Bai: "How Children Succeed," by Paul Tough, and not just because he used to be my editor. His research cuts through a lot of the mythology surrounding kids in poverty and leaves you thinking about what's possible, as opposed to everything that's wrong.
Leibovich: I feel likes there's got to be a quaint answer to this — like some poem, "Leaves of Grass" or the Constitution, or something. But from a writing craft perspective, I'd recommend "On Writing Well," by William Zinsser.
Draper: "The Sound and the Fury," by William Faulkner. The great American novel as a tale told by an idiot.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
The 6th Floor Blog: How to Read Like a Political Reporter
Dengan url
http://koraninternetonline.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-6th-floor-blog-how-to-read-like.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
The 6th Floor Blog: How to Read Like a Political Reporter
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
The 6th Floor Blog: How to Read Like a Political Reporter
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar