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To begin with, don’t let the title fool you. I’m definitely not an expert on investigative journalism, but we’ll get back to that in a minute. First, we need to talk about how beautiful these four simple covers work together. The common red, white and black color schemes were pure coincidence and pure luck, but I love it!
Now, onto this week’s Nonfiction November theme hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey. The challenge was to “share 3 or more books on a single topic that you’ve read and can recommend (be the expert); you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you’ve been dying to read (ask the expert); or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert).” Throughout this year, I’ve become fascinated by the sometimes maddening process of investigative journalism and the tenacity of those who take on the challenge.
- Three Women by Lisa Taddeo – Taddeo’s book focused on female desire shown through the lives of three very different women. Of the three, I most enjoyed her exploration around the sexual relationship 17-year old Maggie had with one of her high school teachers and the subsequent trial. She shown a light on the willingness of society to overlook transgressions by a man considered to be “good” by his community. Pieces of Maggie’s story that were never allowed to come to light, Taddeo thankfully managed to include. (my review)
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou – I’m definitely late to the party on this one, but I just loved listening to Bad Blood. Early on I worried that Wall Street Journal investigative journalist Carreyrou’s exposé might be a little too technical for me. Luckily, it quickly moved from that to high drama. He skillfully told the unbelievable real life story of Elizabeth Holmes and Thernos, the company she managed to interest high level CEO’s, dot.com investors, and even heads of state in. It read like a thriller, which you’ve got to love! (my review)
- She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey – The main focus of She Said was the slow and careful development of the sexual abuse story surrounding Harvey Weinstein by two New York Times investigative reporters. Over many years, others had tried and failed to bring allegations against Weinstein to light, but the time was right for these two to prevail. I found it amazing the amount of handholding and trust building that went into getting sources to go on the record. Many victims had been silenced with payoffs and others were afraid to be the first. (my review)
- Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow – Talking about Catch and Kill might be a tad premature, as I’m just now in the middle of listening to this one, but I couldn’t NOT include it. Covering much of the same territory as She Said, Farrow’s book recounts his time at NBC, also trying to put together the story on Weinstein. Farrow delves deeply into the path of his own investigation, not only with the women he interviewed, but with the resistance and threats he came up against as a result of getting too close to the truth. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one wraps up!
What investigative journalism book should I read next?
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Interesting topic!! You have to admire investigative journalists; a lot of times many are doing it with a low budget, obstacles thrown in their path, and they are just sticking to their guns.
Agreed! Plus, now in Catch and Kill it Farrow is actually being threatened for his investigating.
Funny how the covers all go well together.
Lucky for me they worked so nicely together!
Oh yes! I’m so glad we have journalists who probe deeply into controversies.
Here are a couple I have read: Evicted by Matthew Desmond; To the End of June by Cris Beam; What’s the Matter with Kansas.
Thanks for the suggestions. Evicted is one I’ve been meaning to get to.
I have all of those on my list. I love investigative reporting. I read Unbelievable: The Story of Two Detectives’ Relentless Search for the Truth by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve made note!
These all look good to me …. and now you have me wondering about the color scheme on the front covers. Do all books like these — go with red & black & white? hmm. By now, I think you are the expert on all things Harvey Weinstein related ….
They all went with red, black and white this year to be sure!
My favorite bit of investigative journalism is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Have you read it? It’s quite good.
I loved this book too.It is an unbelievable true story that stayed with me foir a long time, especially because I was in the medical profession for many years.
That’s one I’ve not read, but have heard so many great things about. I hope to get to it eventually, though I’m feeling a tad burnt out on nonfiction right now.
I would add Killers of the Flower Moon to this list, and right now I’m listening to The Last Plane in the Sky which is excellent. Your picks are great, and the only one I’ve read is Bad Blood.
Glad you like my selections. I agree, The Only Plane in the Sky was fabulous. That’s my favorite nonfiction so far this year.
I read a lot about the Ronan Farrow book when it came out, but haven’t picked it up yet!
The deeper in I get, the more I like it. Quite a bit of overlap with She Said, but still told differently.
I’ll add one that hasn’t been getting much buzz but I found thrilling and chilling:
Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina
I haven’t even hear of Outlaw Ocean, but am off to Goodreads to check it out right now.Thanks!
A interesting topic to share about this week – thanks for the recommendations.
I do enjoy investigative nonfiction, thank you for these timely suggestions, I’d definitely recommend Unbelievable by T Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, I also have Brotopia by Emily Chang on my wishlist.
Please stop by to see my NonFicNov: Become The Expert
I’m listening to Unbelievable right now. Thanks for the tip!
Great topic! My favorite investigative journalism book of all time is All the President’s Men. Woodward and Bernstein wrote it in a way that feels part journalism, part thriller. Whenever I re-read it, I’m struck by the freshness of their narrative voice.
I’ve only seen the movie, but sounds like I should go back and read the book. It’s not one I’ve ever really considered.
Ooh, I love this topic! Bad Blood is one of my favorite nonfiction reads and I’d like to get to She Said and Catch and Kill as well. Thanks for the recommendations!
Thanks for stopping by, Katie.
Loved Catch and Kill so much this year. Great choice of titles
Thank you!