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bexlrose's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of true stories about interesting characters. Can't say I recommend the whole book, but some of the stories were well worth reading. 3 stars overall I guess.
mcloonejack's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really stunning collection of works, that only loses a star because that’s kind of the nature of these types of books, where the quality may be just a bit uneven. None of these is bad, by any stretch. And to some degree, the only look “worse” in the light of some really stunning work.
In the introduction, Keefe talks about his ability to do a “writearound:” profiling someone who won’t or can’t talk to you. The surest sign of a master of this form is not even realizing, which he pulls off again and again across these piece, most notably the one on El Chapo. If your a form nerd like myself, looking at it in the technical sense is another layer to this collection that is deeply rewarding.
Beyond doing writearounds, Keefe is clearly just a gifted journalist in general. The depth and care of his reporting is obvious, and his structure keeps the pace moving without feeling cheap or exploitative. And working with longer formats lets him strike a great balance between wide-view and super narrow POVs, which makes me excited to read his single-focus books like Empire of Pain.
In terms of the best pieces, the El Chapo one obviously stands out, but there are two others, towards the end, that are going to stick with me for a long time.
The first, “The Worst of the Worst,” is about a defense attorney who spends her time working federal death penalty cases, in this instance that of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Keefe weaves in the points of that specific case with how the lawyer, Judy Clarke, came to represent the said worst of the worst, and how she does so. It’s a really unexpectedly moving piece, and one that also then casually drops a really intriguing twisty end note.
The second, the final piece, is a long form profile of Anthony Bourdain published in 2017, roughly a year before he took his life. It’s inclusion feels a little odd, but no matter because it deserves to live in a book. It’s a full look at a man who knows he has the best job in the world — he says it himself — but how that even that doesn’t mean we can always outrun our demons. Of course it’s sadder upon reflection, but it doesn’t stray into doom porn or anything like that. It as much a celebration of a life, at the time, being well-lived despite past struggles, of someone just as surprised with his success as some of us are. You can tell the reverence and admiration Keefe has for Bourdain, but his skill as a journalist and writer keeps it in check.
All in all, a wonderful collection to work your way through, though it’s hard to read just one story at a time, despite their lengths.
In the introduction, Keefe talks about his ability to do a “writearound:” profiling someone who won’t or can’t talk to you. The surest sign of a master of this form is not even realizing, which he pulls off again and again across these piece, most notably the one on El Chapo. If your a form nerd like myself, looking at it in the technical sense is another layer to this collection that is deeply rewarding.
Beyond doing writearounds, Keefe is clearly just a gifted journalist in general. The depth and care of his reporting is obvious, and his structure keeps the pace moving without feeling cheap or exploitative. And working with longer formats lets him strike a great balance between wide-view and super narrow POVs, which makes me excited to read his single-focus books like Empire of Pain.
In terms of the best pieces, the El Chapo one obviously stands out, but there are two others, towards the end, that are going to stick with me for a long time.
The first, “The Worst of the Worst,” is about a defense attorney who spends her time working federal death penalty cases, in this instance that of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Keefe weaves in the points of that specific case with how the lawyer, Judy Clarke, came to represent the said worst of the worst, and how she does so. It’s a really unexpectedly moving piece, and one that also then casually drops a really intriguing twisty end note.
The second, the final piece, is a long form profile of Anthony Bourdain published in 2017, roughly a year before he took his life. It’s inclusion feels a little odd, but no matter because it deserves to live in a book. It’s a full look at a man who knows he has the best job in the world — he says it himself — but how that even that doesn’t mean we can always outrun our demons. Of course it’s sadder upon reflection, but it doesn’t stray into doom porn or anything like that. It as much a celebration of a life, at the time, being well-lived despite past struggles, of someone just as surprised with his success as some of us are. You can tell the reverence and admiration Keefe has for Bourdain, but his skill as a journalist and writer keeps it in check.
All in all, a wonderful collection to work your way through, though it’s hard to read just one story at a time, despite their lengths.
gracelh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
dolanite's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I gave this 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down and in fact I had to make my husband listen to the Mark Burnett and Donald Trump chapter with me. Love Patrick Radden Keefe’s Investigative Journalism.