About book The Gang That Wouldn't Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, And The New Journalism Revolution (2006)
This is an incredibly interesting book, especially the beginning, which explains how writers such as Jonathan Swift and Charles Dickens were precursors to the "new journalists" who came of age in the 1960s. I would highly recommend this book, even though I had many issues with it. The first is that it summarizes (for the most part) rather than explores the evolution of new journalism. I would have liked more insights into the implications and ethics of this movement. For example, regarding the latter, numerous ethically dubious situations are described, such as the reportage of a Hell's Angel's gang rape; this scene was given a great deal of attention in this book, but nothing was said about the reporter's responsibility, and the irresponsibility of participatory reporting (and the overall irresponsibility of new journalism compared to its many merits). I was also disappointed that Joan Didion's name appears in the subtitle, but she was given only 9 cursory pages, and these completely out of context with the rest of the book. The story mainly focuses on Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe and Thompson, all of whom I admire for various reasons, but who wrote from their own great hubris first (in my opinion, though not as much in Wolfe's case), and then from a sense of justice (or whatever each chose to call it). All of this said, I learned a great deal from this book, and I feel satisfied by what I learned about the development of 20th century reporting/non-fiction. It definitely served as a springboard for me to delve deeper into the works of numerous journalists I was not familiar with.
"Wolfe y muchos de sus contemporáneos reconocieron -algunos antes que la gran mayoría- un hecho destacado en el acontecer de los años sesenta: las herramientas tradicionales con las que se realizaban los reportajes resultaban inadecuadas a la hora de cubrir los tremendos cambios culturales y sociales de aquella época. En un periodo de siete años había emergido, aparentemente de la nada, un grupo de escritores -Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Breslin, Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Joan Didion, John Sack, Michael Herr- para imponer un orden a todo aquel tumulto estadounidense. Cada uno a su manera. También se sumaron un par de plumas veteranas, como Truman Capote y Normal Mailer. Estaban allí para contarnos historias sobre nosotros mismos de un modo hasta entonces inaudito. Había mucho en juego. El tejido social se estaba desgarrando en fisuras, el mundo estaba patas arriba... Así que se convirtieron en nuestros sabios orientadores, nuestros heraldos, incluso en nuestra conciencia moral: en los nuevos periodistas". (Marc Weingarten)"Además de ser un libro indispensable, indiscreto, didáctico, un tanto hagiográfico y envidiable como material de consulta. La banda que escribía torcido se lee como una de aquellas películas corales de Robert Altman o, mejor, como una serie creada por Aaron Sorkin. Y, además, nos informa". (Rodrigo Fresán, Vanity Fair)
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My friend with the movie star eyebrows checked this book out from the library and just thumbed through it for some of her "New Journalism" sources back in high school. From the moment I saw it on her desk with a stack of other books good for bibliography space, I was lured in. Even the title struck my fancy! Good work on her part choosing a book that explains everything from the original printing press shock coverage of Hiroshima to the mysteries behind Tom Wolfe and his ice cream suit. Anyone who knows a little bit about journalism and the insight behind Gonzo should give this one a chance.
—Michelle
This is a fun read. It shows that the political volatility (and the drugs) of the 60s helped nurture a "new" journalism (that really wasn't new), mostly at the New York magazine and Esquire. Marc Weingarten tells us about the editors who gave writers the latitude to make this happen. It ends on a bittersweet note when you realize this editorial freedom and platform is now mostly gone. Added lots of stuff to my reading list as a result such as Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The Right Stuff, and The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, the Novel as History. Also can't wait to read Radical Chic [http://nymag.com/news/features/46170/], which was hilarious to read about.
—Emily
