The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press

This entertaining collection from longtime New Yorker contributor Trillin (Jackson, 1964) collects previously published writings reflecting on his trade. The title essay celebrates the art of the lede, breaking down the brilliance of one written by reporter James Edmund describing a woman who bit a camel “after it sat on her when she and her husband entered its enclosure to retrieve their deaf dog.” In “This Story Just Won’t Write,” Trillin discusses the “group journalism” practiced at Time when he wrote for the magazine in the early 1960s, telling how a team of editors, field correspondents, and fact-checkers synthesized original reporting and background research into 70-line articles. Other pieces sing the praises of fellow reporters, such as “Covering the Cops,” in which Trillin examines how crime reporter Edna Buchanan’s eye for detail (she was notorious among police for asking such apparently trivial questions as “What did they have in their pockets? What was cooking on the stove?”) added depth and humanity to her coverage. The consistently strong selections showcase Trillin’s intelligence and wit, though the humor pieces have lost some of their initial punch. For instance, the wry poem “On the Assumption That Al Gore Will Slim Down If He’s Intending to Run for President, a Political Reporter Is Assigned to Watch Gore’s Waistline” probably landed better when it first appeared in 2007. Still, it’s a spirited look at how the news is made. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Feb.)