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. Includes 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

"Boynton uses the clunky moniker 'new new journalism' to describe a group of reporters today who write article- and book-length examinations of their subjects, often pioneering new reporting techniques (such as Adrian Nicole Leblanc's trick of leaving her tape recorder with her subjects when she went home as a way of getting them to open up without her around — a method that worked to wonderful effect in her Random Family). Yet, Boynton points out, these writers also stay true to strict journalistic standards, unlike Tom Wolfe and the New Journalists, whose creative narrative methods broke all the rules. Many of the reporters Boynton highlights are also motivated by an activist impulse that informs but never overpowers their work. Boynton, the director of New York University's magazine journalism program, offers a nuts-and-bolts approach to understanding the way these reporters write, interviewing them on the smallest of details, such as how they organize their notes, what color pens they use and how they set ground rules with sources who aren't media savvy. Featuring lengthy discussions with star scribes such as William Langewiesche (American Ground) and Michael Lewis (Moneyball), this batch of discussions is a gold mine of technique, approach and philosophy for journalists, writers and close readers alike." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Boynton (magazine journalism, New York U.) provides interviews with 19 writers who are part of the new generation of New Journalism: Adrian LeBlanc, Ted Conover, Richard Cramer, Leon Dash, William Finnegan, Jonathan Harr, Alex Kotlowitz, Jon Krakauer, William Langewiesche, Michael Lewis, Susan Orlean, Richard Preston, Ron Rosenblum, Eric Schlosser, Gay Talese, Calvin Trillin, Lawrence Weschler, and Lawrence Wright. These writers, who immerse themselves in their stories and are more concerned with social and cultural issues and ordinary experiences than the previous generation, discuss their practices and methods. The book is aimed at journalism students, writers, and others.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Boynton (magazine journalism, New York U.) provides interviews with 19 writers who are part of the new generation of New Journalism: Adrian LeBlanc, Ted Conover, Richard Cramer, Leon Dash, William Finnegan, Jonathan Harr, Alex Kotlowitz, Jon Krakauer, William Langewiesche, Michael Lewis, Susan Orlean, Richard Preston, Ron Rosenblum, Eric Schlosser, Gay Talese, Calvin Trillin, Lawrence Weschler, and Lawrence Wright. These writers, who immerse themselves in their stories and are more concerned with social and cultural issues and ordinary experiences than the previous generation, discuss their practices and methods. The book is aimed at journalism students, writers, and others. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"A fascinating book that makes the reader want to go out and get every book the writers have written as well as those mentioned as sources of inspiration." Booklist (Starred Review)

Robert S. Boynton directs New York University’s graduate magazine journalism program. He has been a senior editor at Harper's and a contributing writer for The New Yorker. His work appears in The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, The Nation, Rolling Stone and many other publications.