J. Robertson's review

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Copy/paste the text below into your blog. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2559679.The_New_Kings_of_Non_Fiction?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The New Kings of Non-Fiction" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1203917550m/2559679.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2559679.The_New_Kings_of_Non_Fiction?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The New Kings of Non-Fiction</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/113989.Ira_Glass">Ira Glass</a><br/><br/> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18674692?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a> rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>In this collection of nonfiction stories collected, edited and introduced by Ira Glass from Chicago Public Radio's This American Life, the reader will find some of the most compelling articles written in the last twenty years. Glass notes in the introduction that he has collected these stories over the years as examples of first-rate journalism and in fact the pieces have no common theme save for they all draw readers in with reporting and topics that are unique in a world of celebrity-centric bio dribble. <br/> <br/>Celebrities are not excluded from this collection though. Have you ever wondered what Saddam Hussein was really like? Mark Bowden explores Saddam's rise to power, his day-to-day life before the second US/Iraqi war and some anecdotes from throughout his career in 'Tales of the Tyrant.' What about Val Kilmer? Chuck Klosterman interviews the method actor on his ranch in another story, in which Kilmer discusses Christian-Science and his rather off-center ideas regarding his acting and career. While Kilmer's insanity is reason enough to read, the narrative is driven by Klosterman's engrossing journalism. <br/> <br/>My favorite stories from the collection are those about subjects oft neglected. In 'The American Man, Age Ten,' Susan Orlean -- instead of writing a bio article on Macaulay Culkin-- writes about the everyday life of a ten-year old from New Jersey in the early nineties including hours in front of a Street Fighter II arcade console. I admit that this story was particularly nostalgic for me as I was 10 years old in the early 1990s. 'Shapinsky's Karma' discusses one man's audacious attempt to promote a long forgotten abstract artist. The author relates the story in a way that makes it irresistible to walk away without a sense of enthusiasm. I was on a trans-Atlantic plane when I read the story and could barely stay in my seat. It has been a while since a story has inspired me so much. Unfortunately in my situation at the time, I didn't have anything to do with that inspiration. <br/> <br/>Other pieces deserve note including an early chapter from Bill Buford's Among the Thugs in which an American journalist provides an insider's look at British football hooliganism. Lee Sandlin, in 'Losing the War,' delivers a very thought provoking discussion about how many know very little about arguably the single most important event of the twentieth-century, the Second World War. At the same time, he provides a very interesting yet succinct summary of that war, which would warrant reading on its own. <br/> <br/>Overall, this is one of the best collections I've ever read. Twelve of the fifteen articles should not be missed. If you enjoy This American Life, you know that the host, Glass, recognizes a good story when he reads it. I highly recommend it. <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1025275?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>