Customer Reviews

The Gang That Wouldn't Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, and the New Journalism Revolution

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the back cover, Chuck Klosterman writes that "if this book doesn't make you want to be a journalist, nothing will." While I absolutely agree with Klosterman's high praise for this excellent book, truth is, Weingarten has written an elegy for something that's been lost in today's journalism. Reading The Gang that Wouldn't Write Straight brought home to me just how far we've gotten from the spirit, the energy, the chutzpah, the adventurousness of the years Weingarten describes. And that's not to suggest any criticism of the author -- just the opposite, in fact. Weingarten is a true historian of era, and he has beautifully captured not only its hopes and promises, but also its disappointments and betrayals. Maybe Klosterman's point is that Weingarten has given us as a timely, needed, reminder of what journalists should aspire to. Not everything the so-called New Journalist wrote is first rate. Always, though, they had the right spirit of adventure about theiw work. Journalism was alive for them in a way that it's not now. Weingarten inspires journalists today to breathe new life into the profession. And his own effortless prose is a reminder of what good writing is all about in any era.

this book is more than just about wolfe, thompson, breslin, or didion. it takes you from the beginnings of the tribune, through esquire, through new york, up until rupert murdoch bought it all up, along with fantastic insight into what made the "new journalists" who they were, how thier styles evolved. i only gave the book 4 stars because it seemed a bit dry in some places, almost too detailed, and to me i had brief moments where it dragged, but overall, the book is definately worth reading. as already stated, this book makes you want to be a journalist. the author's enthusiasm comes through in the words, and the snippets he gives from articles, used to illustrate a point, highlight the wordcraft of breslin and wolf and all of them, who were reporting in a way that hadn't been done before. well written, interesting, it puts you right there in the middle of everything happening, by the time i was done, it felt like i had sat alongside normal mailer and hunter thompson while they got thier stories. i would reccommend this book to anyone interested in the "new journalism" and make it mandatory for anyone who wants to be a journalist.

a fantastic book of the history of music during a particular era a page turner could not put it down mesmerizing

This book didn't strike me as anything more than some rehashed biographies on writers about whom a great deal of information has already been published. It's like a Cliff's Notes version of the stories of these great writers. If you want to read this book, you would be well advised to check for its availability at your local library.