Rate this book

Good Prose: The Art Of Nonfiction (2013)

by Tracy Kidder(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1400069750 (ISBN13: 9781400069750)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Random House

review 1: Kidder and Todd offer some helpful craft insights from their years of experience, sometimes using narrative passages from their own writing/editing challenges, which I enjoyed. However, this gets two stars from me because I could not get past the inherent sexism in most of the book. Female authors mentioned are disproportionately critiqued and lambasted. The authors insist on using the "generic" pronoun "he" because in the year 2013, they continue to suggest that this is appropriate. Finally, the point at which I gave up on the book was when they suggested that "Editing is a wifely trade...And, like wives, editors are given to irony and indirection" (168). If you can stomach the "boys' club" feeling of this text, the genre insights really are helpful, especially in the sen... morese that Kidder and Todd have lived and worked through the emerging popularity of the creative nonfiction genre. However, their section on publishing falls far short of the mark. It is almost as if they assume their readers will also fall into the "right" connections if they are in the know.As for me, I'm searching for a more inclusive text.
review 2: An excellent book for anyone who may need to understand important aspects of being a successful writer. Mr. Kidder, a Pulitzer prize winner, sheds light upon the importance of having a trusted mentor--someone who is not shy about showing the writer the impact of the printed word. The book further outlines how Mr. Kidder took his academic degrees, from highly respected Universities, to the pinnacle of writer at The Atlantic Monthly. An illuminating and entertaining read, as well. less

Download links for: Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction

Advertising