Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism [Hardcover]

Lillian Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2002

For half a century, Lillian Ross has been writing remarkable and timeless journalism for The New Yorker. Her spirited, funny, factual short stories in The Talk of the Town and her unforgettable profiles and other long pieces have won her a legion of admirers. Many credit The New Yorker for the inventive, reportorial breakthroughs that have come to be called literary journalism, and Ross has been an integral part of its traditions. Her books Picture and Portrait of Hemingway were recently listed as two of the Twentieth Century's 100 best works of journalism, and Hemingway himself called Picture "much better than most novels."

With panache, wit, and her own inimitable style, Lillian Ross discusses the questions of what makes a good reporter and what constitutes good journalism. Her years of practicing the art have provided her with much to say about these questions and nowhere is this in better evidence than in her own work-the pieces and profiles long recognized and admired for their freshness, originality, sharpness, humor, and truth. Excerpted here, along with her own commentary, are such classics as "Come In, Lassie!" her first, never before republished piece on Hollywood; her profiles of Francis Coppola, Robin Williams, Adlai Stevenson, John Huston, and Tommy Lee Jones; her two portraits of the Miss America contest-the first one published in 1949; the second fifty years later, and many others.

A primer on good writing, a tribute to the art of journalism, Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism is not only a casebook for writing, it is the unforgettable record of Lillian Ross's joy in the pursuit of excellence in reporting.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ross (Here but Not Here) has written profiles and Talk of the Town pieces for the New Yorker for more than 50 years and in that time has built up an arsenal of journalistic techniques, which she shares here in some detail. In a matter-of-fact style that's never pedantic, she discusses her feelings about journalism, praising her New Yorker colleagues (notably the late editor William Shawn) and offering her definition of journalism (factual reporting built of good writing and singular humor). The majority of the book is filled with Ross's deconstruction of some of her best-loved pieces, including 1949's Come In, Lassie! (about politics in the film business); 1950's How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? (a profile of Ernest Hemingway); and 1960's The Yellow Bus (concerning a group of tourists visiting New York City). Through her analyses, various methods and principles come to light. For example, Ross believes that a journalist must possess self-confidence and a passion for life. She firmly believes that a tape recorder hinders reporting, and even reveals her preferred notebook (it's a 3-x-5 spiral-bound). Ross says she only writes about people, situations and events that appeal to her; she doesn't write about anyone who doesn't want her to, and she steers clear of ambiguous writing, favoring clarity and simplicity. Indeed, Ross's writing whether about a former president or an Upper East Side teenager is a testimony to refined, literary journalism. Equal parts memoir and writing lesson, Ross's book will be a boon to students and veteran New Yorker readers alike.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

For more than 50 years, Ross has written feature stories for The New Yorker that have won her many admirers. In this collection of analytical essays, Ross explains what makes her writing effective and discusses what makes a good reporter. Continuing in the self-revelatory vein of Here but Not Here (1998), a memoir about her days at The New Yorker and her relationship with legendary editor William Shawn, she intersperses lengthy excerpts from her "Profiles" and "Talk of the Town" pieces with autobiographical details, personal observations, and commentary on technique ("All elements are revealed with facts, quotes and actions"; "Humor is often what makes my stories into stories"). Most of the 28 essays, arranged in no apparent order, concern Ross's relationships with celebrities; she makes no secret of her admiration for these subjects, explaining that she can write only about people she likes. An odd hybrid of memoir, textbook, and anthology, this book ultimately fails to satisfy on all three counts. However, it may prove instructive to those who seek to emulate Ross's legendary fly-on-the-wall technique. An optional purchase for journalism collections. Susan M. Colowick, North Olympic Lib. Syst., Port Angeles, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint Press; Reprint edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582431094
• ISBN-13: 978-1582431093
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,951,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars same old same old, September 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism (Hardcover)

Lillian Ross's contributions to the Talk of the Town and to the full-length piece are estimable, but she was never one of great talents at the magazine. She has a real flair, though, for recycling her old work. The more you reread it, the thinner it becomes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lousy, June 6, 2004

By 

Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism (Hardcover)

Once upon a time I used to revere Lillian Ross for her acerbic portrait of Hemingway and her up and down account of the making of John Huston's film of The Red Badge of Courage.

Now when I read her work, in the New Yorker or in omnibuses like this one, I see she is not a great writer, but am ordinary one, and in REPORTING BACK a woman who cannot stop herself from patting herself on the back till it hurts. Don't think I've ever read such a self-congratulatory work. How do people stand her? She says she doesn't like to write about people unless she likes them, but from her writing, one gets the impression she feels superior to everyone, always quoting the little non sequiturs people make by mistake, to make them look stupid.

The idol has feet of clay.

3.0 out of 5 stars I was misled..., August 25, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism (Hardcover)

The title references `journalism'. Maybe, but this is not weighty journalism. These are nothing more than puff pieces regarding (mainly) pop culture icons of the past and present. There is certainly nothing wrong with that - but call it what it is. I also felt cheated. It appears the original articles are not reprinted in whole, but are abridged, and only utilized as examples of journalistic writing styles by Ms. Ross. That's OK too - but I was fooled. (And if they are reproduced in whole - then I feel doubly cheated). And I was disappointed. I was repeatedly reminded that Ms. Ross is a great writer and journalist. Yet I find her writing to be clumsy and stilted. E.B. White she is not. Fine. Each writer has his or her own style. But a `great' writer? I have been let down. I'm really not trying to slam Ms. Ross or her book. My dissatisfactions may be that since I don't read "The New Yorker" often, I am not so intimate with `The Talk of the Town' section. I guess the column is merely for light reading and consists of `fun' writings. Great! Just please don't continue masquerading it as journalism. When I think of journalistic writings, I think more of the Theodore White, William Shirer and David Halberstam variety. But these selections are more of the Larry King class - pure softball. In the end, it is an enjoyable book if you're interested in short airy articles on people such as Chaplin, Hemingway, Norman Mailer, John Huston, Benny Goodman, Robin Williams, et al. And there are also easygoing pieces on Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, Robert Kennedy, and so on and so forth... A nice pleasurable read, but lacking depth.