Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“For journalism students and other aspiring writers of nonfiction, it’s a treasure trove of inside advice, woven around 24 articles written during the 23 years she has been on the staff of the Tampa Bay Times. For anyone who loves the craft of writing and the magic of story, the anthology is a feast.” * Tampa Bay Times *
"Tampa Bay Times reporter DeGregory debuts with a perceptive collection of 24 of her most popular pieces for the
Times, each enhanced with commentary and annotations explaining how she reported them. . . . The entries testify to the rich panorama of human experience and the writing guidance is a boon. Aspiring journalists will want to check this out. " * Publishers Weekly *
“I have been studying (and teaching) DeGregory’s stories for years. There is no one like her. In addition to being a showcase of her best work, this book is full of practical advice about how she’s able to pull off what seems impossible, over and over.” * Christopher Goffard, Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer for the Los Angeles Times *
“DeGregory performs magic in this beautiful, heartfelt book of stories—and then teaches you how she did it. This is a book for anyone who loves reading, writing, or both.” * Mike Wilson, deputy sports editor for the New York Times *
“I was barely a third of the way through ‘The Girl in the Window’ and Other True Tales and ready to swear on my stack of AP Stylebooks that I had never read a better collection of great journalism. And that’s only half of what this anthology by Tampa Bay Times writer Lane DeGregory is. The other half comprises annotations alongside each story by the Pulitzer winner (for the title story) about the insights, decisions, roadblocks, asides, and changes in direction that occurred to her along the way. . . . While it’s great reading for reporters and writers . . . it would be interesting to anyone who wants a view of what ‘the media’—when it means ‘journalism’—is doing.” * Press Club of Southwest Florida *
Table of ContentsForeword by Beth Macy Introduction
Part 1. Short Stories
1. Talk to Strangers
Diving Headlong into Sunny Eden: A Young Couple Flees Winter
2. Get a Life
Zeke the Labrador: An Intuitive Dog Saves His Owner
3. Explore Rituals
Finding the Right Words: A Boy Buys His First Valentine
Spotlight: Finding Ideas
4. Wonder, Who Would Ever?
Meet the “THE” Guy: Flag-Bearer of the Rodeo
5. Establish Intimacy
A Brothers’ Bond: Autism Ties Twins Together
6. Don’t Judge
The Truth Is Flexible: Learning How to Panhandle from the Pros
7. CAST Around
Gone in a Flash: A Garbage Truck Driver Walks into a Bar
8. Unravel the Mystery
A Message from Roger: Long Ago, a Boy Put a Note in a Bottle
9. Carve Out the Elephant
Davion’s Prayer: A Teenage Orphan Goes to Church to Find a Family
Part 2. On Assignment
10. Explore News Briefs
The Saint and the Sacrifice: She Was Devoted to Her Sister but Wanted Her Life Back
11. Ignore Important People
Stormy Daniels: The President’s Porn Star
12. Find a Guide
Pulse Nightclub: Aftermath of the Orlando Shooting Tests a Young Man’s Courage
13. Listen to the Quiet
The Storm Chaser: Riding out a Hurricane with the Weatherman
14. Wait for It
Fast-Forward: IndyCar Champion’s Widow Faces a Dilemma with Their Young Sons
Spotlight: Reporting
15. Go Back
The Long Fall of Phoebe Jonchuck: Her Dad Threw Her off a Bridge into Tampa Bay
16. Find the Helpers
Twelve Hours in an Intensive Care Unit: During the Pandemic
Part 3. Narratives
17. Make a Difference
The Girl in the Window: Can Love and a New Family Save a Feral Child?
18. Inhabit Their Heads
Every Day Is Payday: His First Real Check
19. Braid Narratives
The Last House in Rosewood: No One Asked the Owner about Her Story
Spotlight: Writing and Editing
20. Follow the Story
A Walk in the Woods: Miss Teen America Finds Freedom, for a Day
21. Find the Bruise on the Apple
The Old Daredevil: Evel Knievel Comes Back to Earth
22. Use Their Voices
The Swan Project: For Troubled Girls, Etiquette Classes Open Another World
23. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
Mr. Newton: A 99-Year-Old Man Still Sweeps a Seafood Factory
24. Get Personal
I Brake for Bobo: A Boy Loses His Stuffed Elephant
Acknowledgments
