More than novels, plays, or poems, what journalists have written between assignments have been their autobiographies. The autobiographical impulse has seized police reporters, foreign correspondents, sportswriters, city editors, television news anchors--virtually every species of journalist that has ever existed. This book examines why journalists have been so drawn to the autobiographical form and what sorts of identities they have carved out for themselves within it.
The author focuses on the autobiographies of eight journalists, including Jacob Riis' The Making of an American, Elizabeth Jordan's Three Rousing Cheers, Vincent Sheean's Personal History, Agness Underwood's Newswoman, and H.L. Mencken's Days trilogy. He analyzes the autobiographies not only as literary creations but also as cultural products. By connecting the autobiographies to the development of journalism as a profession, and, in the case of female journalists, to the struggle against traditional gender roles, he illuminates the complex interplay between private needs and public expectations in the autobiographical process.
Although the story of a profession or calling is the most common type of modern autobiography, scholars have concentrated on other types. This book aims to fill part of the void. The first in-depth study of journalists as autobiographers, it suggests new ways to think about self, work, writing, and the culture that binds them together.
Industry Reviews
...makes a genuine and original contribution to the history of American journalism. * Journalism History * Many voices from within the human sciences are urging further study of precisely this 'kind of story.' Good...[has] contributed significantly to the effort, with noteworthy case studies of how human destiny unfolds within the intricate web woven by of self-description and cultural role-playing. * Journal of Communication * Professor Good has given us a clear and entertaining study of something that is hardly arguable. His scholarship is sound, and while inevitably there will be challenges from other scholars, he has thrown new light on a relatively neglected aspect of cultural history. * Publishing Research Quarterly * This book will be of interest to the many journalists and local historians who write about this region and the lives that have been lived here...Samuel Good has distilled much of the heretofore haphazard wisdom of autobiographical writing. He offers many 'how-to' prescriptions for would-be writers... * Bookends * ...makes a genuine and original contribution to the history of American journalism. Journalism History Many voices from within the human sciences are urging further study of precisely this 'kind of story.' Good...[has] contributed significantly to the effort, with noteworthy case studies of how human destiny unfolds within the intricate web woven by of self-description and cultural role-playing. Journal of Communication Professor Good has given us a clear and entertaining study of something that is hardly arguable. His scholarship is sound, and while inevitably there will be challenges from other scholars, he has thrown new light on a relatively neglected aspect of cultural history. Publishing Research Quarterly This book will be of interest to the many journalists and local historians who write about this region and the lives that have been lived here...Samuel Good has distilled much of the heretofore haphazard wisdom of autobiographical writing. He offers many 'how-to' prescriptions for would-be writers... Bookends