But it's really a depiction of America - endlessly fractured by race, politics, and the church. Common Ground is about Boston's 1970s busing crisis. I was intimidated: I had entertained writing a book, but there seemed to be no way I could write one half, one quarter, or even a 10th as well. I read this Pulitzer winner in my early 30s and couldn't believe the depth of the reporting and writing. You blaze through it and finish hungering for more. Towles' novel is like a grown-up version of Eloise, but far more captivating, because it concerns a Russian count placed under house arrest and consigned to spend the rest of his life at the famed Metropol hotel. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) Egan is not only a superb writer but a tireless reporter and researcher, using riveting detail to re-create the atmosphere of World War II and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (2017)Įgan's A Visit From the Goon Squad won a Pulitzer Prize, but for my money, Manhattan Beach is better - a full-speed-ahead narrative I raced through. The first three pages alone are worth the price of admission, creating a sense of place better than anything I've ever read.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)Ĭapote controversially labeled this true-crime book a "nonfiction novel." But the depth of reporting is magnificent, and the writing spellbinding. You can practically see, taste, and smell this pothole of sadness, obscurity, dark humor, and resilience. Virtually every sentence is thick and lush. Set at a down-and-out West Virginia racetrack, this is a tour de force, creating the atmosphere of a place no one cares about except the indelible characters consigned to work there. The writing is elegant and sophisticated and the reporting absolutely mind-blowing. Boo's depiction of the Indian slum Annawadi, in the shadow of new hotels supposedly heralding Mumbai's transformation, is unforgettable. This is the best nonfiction book, of those I've read, of the past 35 years. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (2012)
His new book, The Mosquito Bowl, focuses on Marines stationed in the Pacific in 1944 and a football game they played shortly before the invasion of Okinawa. Journalist Buzz Bissinger is the author of the sports classic Friday Night Lights.
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