Reporter learns more than she expects when she goes after this story
347169
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I'm really glad I did.  I'm not positive I would have selected this book on my own, thrillers do not typically draw me, but I found myself being drawn further and further into the story/ plot as the lead characters, a reporter and a former military man, now private contractor, investigate an incident at a research facility ... an incident that is surrounded by mystery, and cyber-rumors.

There were quite a few moments in this book where a wonderful sense of humor came into play, adding sparkle to scenes and making them memorable.

This done-in-one story ended with a reminder that more tales could be told, with these characters and in this world... and I would enjoy seeing how more of their story unfolds.
3555280
The effect of modern journalism on people's lives is an interesting subject. The relationship is indirect in that while the journalist cannot be an objective observer, neither is the reader an objective reader. News passes through at least two prisms of preconceptions, prejudice, and the like before being assimilated, discussed, and judged. With the advent of mass communication, the impact of news once it passes beneath society's microscope can be devastating to the people involved in the news event, innocent bystanders, and news reporters. This, coupled with pressure to increase readership, makes every newsworthy event into a powder keg of explosive possibilities. This novel delivered an insightful journey through one such event, with a concentration on other human issues such as ambition, choices, and self-awareness.

My reading experience would have been improved by less exposition during the first quarter to half of the novel. Sometimes jumping into the fray is necessary, otherwise, all the background information seems extraneous. For example, the in depth description of Martin's bar buddies turned out to have little bearing on the story. Other descriptions and explanations were reiterated too often, in my opinion. There are minor editing issues, but none that detracted.

In all, a good read from an author who does his research and thinks of his story from multiple angles.
2490711
It's no secret that the news business is in a state of upheaval unlike anything were seen in our lifetimes. Broadsheets are slashing staffs, 24-hour cable news is becoming a junk food cafeteria, while the blogosphere becomes more leading edge by the day. So how could it be that some stories still never see the light of day or that the free market economy can still somehow trump the free press?

Welcome to Censored 2011. In response to the phenomenon of selective news squelching, (or at minimum, gross under reporting) the folks at Seven Stories Press have been publishing an annual compendium of stories that somehow elude the spotlight of the national or international press, or are deemed secret or not worthy of coverage by the ever popular mainstream media.

The latest edition in the series pulls back the curtain on a host of stories that are troubling in their impact and widespread in their scope. Among the `censored' stories you might have missed in 2009-10 so far are: global plans to replace the dollar (a must read), the U.S. funding of the Taliban, how big pharma manipulated swine flu data to their benefit, how ICE operates secret detention and courts, and how the U.S. Dept. of Defense is the worst polluter on the planet.

All these and many more are the subject of serious levels of scrutinous reporting but reporting that almost never reaches the mainstream media. The reasons these stories never surface in the MSM are legion, but as this reportage shows, much of it lies in the fact that these stories have long arcs and are sufficiently detailed as to not make for good soundbite journalism in this age of the three minute television or single-page web news story. (Not to mention, of course, that there are those that benefit from obscuring the truth.)

As the annual voice of the Media Freedom Foundation, this volume does an excellent job of not just presenting stories hidden from general view, but also offering extensive legitimisers in terms of sourcing, credits, updates and followups. The book also serves as a manual for those who seek further involvement in the project's truthseeking efforts giving readers access to committee members, supporting universities, submission guidelines, judge info and more. Beyond the stories they surface, the openness of the organization and the nobility of their mission, is perhaps the best insurance we have against the multivariate limitations at play in the mainstream (corporate) media. Pay attention.
4417804
We watch the nightly news, we turn the pages of the morning paper, and we forget these are real people, those whose lives go by us.  We're glad we're not they, that they're not our children, that we don't have the job of finding out who did this, and why. And then comes a book like Finding Chandra and we cannot turn away.
The authors take characters (police, FBI, reporters, TV personalities, a murder victim, survivors) and turn them into people.  The authors take what was a sensationalistic news event and turn it into a compelling, maddening, intriguing story.
Highly recommended -- a savvy, well-written study of police work, Washington, DC, and the media.
10637
Alexis is an intrepid reporter and a brilliant writer. She has uncovered the beautiful, dark, and arresting stories of ordinary people whose lives have been transformed by acts of extreme terror and heroismsometimes simultaneously. Reading the book, you will wish you could meet Biram, Eunice, Elder, and Aisha.
1578036
A great part of the book deals with the journalist character. I expected the girl to have a larger part.
4636890
This is the account of a courageous investigative reporter in covering the disastrous situation in Syria that has taken more than half a million lives and exiled millions of people. Spyer has both British and Israeli citizenship but primarily lives in Israel and made his daring forays into hostile enemy territory despite the continual risk of being exposed and murdered. But aside from this being an account of how such a reporter operates this work has a first- rate analysis of the overall situation by a reporter who not only uncovers new factual realities but has the intellectual knowledge and framework to provide the reader with deeper understanding of them. I don't think there is a book on complex Middle Eastern realities that I could give a higher recommendation to than this.
3870660
This was an interesting story with a lot of twists. The hoped for ending is always in sight and then it slips away. Things keep changing. Some parts are sad others joyous. Yet life is that way. As reporter stories go this one was good. you get an insight to how a good reporter can help others with his words and you get a better insight into how a newspaper works. Not everything you see in print is true. All in all a good read.
1449686
I enjoyed this true story and learned something new.
1576176
After watching the interview on TV, I was very interested in reading Jaycee Dugard's book.
Such an honest, frank story of what happened to her.
All those stolen years can never be regained, but her account may help keep it from happening to another child.
3971180
True crime is not really my genre. I bought this book because I heard the author's interesting interview on the radio, it was a local story, and it was inexpensive.

I think the book reads like an expanded magazine article, and he apparently published an account in O magazine previously. The book could have been beefed up by including some of the photos found on the author's blog site, for example, but well worth the price overall. I appreciate the brevity because longer books delving into these personal tragedies are generally too voyeuristic for my tastes, and this account avoids that trap.

The reportage is very matter of fact, and does not use a lot of emotional language or descriptions. Obbie simply exposes the hidden layers of circumstance and deeper context that underlie the manslaughter; but the account raises as many questions as it answers.

Portions of the book are bound to raise your righteous indignation. Be aware that many of the reviewers here do not separate their personal reaction to the story- positive or negative- from the author's actual words on the page, which are quite neutral in tone. So I would recommend that you read the story for yourself. The book is thought provoking and examines the tragedy without undue exploitation or condemnation and allows you to ponder the questions for yourself.
4434368
Courageous, informative, fascinating look behind the media curtain. Kelly's "Settle for More" delivers. As someone who watched her stand her ground with Trump, Ailes et al, she tells the story of what a powerful journalist who gets well-deserved ratings may have to be subjected to just because she's a woman. It was assumed that Fox would provide cover for Trump and the Republican candidates. Kelly may have received the memo but she clearly put it in the trash. She's got the kind of integrity we need in journalism. It's a tough job for anyone but Kelly reflects what the First Amendment means in our society. The professional effort to destroy her, including the phony negative reviews on Amazon only make us want to read her book and watch her reports all the more.
1435335
A scrappy young reporter in New York, abandoned by her Hasidic mother as an infant, is covering the story of a bald, naked woman found in a scrapyard crane.  That woman is an ultra-orthodox Jewish woman whose husband is the owner of the scrapyard and her body is taken away in a private van, the police doing nothing to stop the contamination of the crime scene and doing  nothing to try to solve her murder.

The reporter is drawn to the story because of her own background and her investigation into the murder gives the reader a real insight into an insular community which has its own rules and regulations.  I was fascinated by this book as it seemed to authentically depict the lives of people of whom I had little knowledge.
1607930
Kasinof does an excellent job portraying a young woman's professional and personal journey while telling a story of political upheaval that few people know anything about. The book is funny in a way I wasn't expecting, and shines honest light both on what it means to be a journalist and what it takes to make a revolution.
1592723
Having covered Casual Lies as a reporter, I was glad when Shelley Riley decided to record her reflections of his career and Triple Crown adventure.
 It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and she does a good job describing that adventure.
 She keeps the focus on Stanley, as the horse was affectionately known around the barn. While there are some personal back stories that are not included, they do not detract from the story of how a small training operation that did not even stable at a major racetrack could electrify and energize a sport and an entire region (the San Francisco Bay Area).
 The story is simple but unbelievable with the numerous twists and turns.
 What if Shelley had not been standing where she was when she and Casual Lies locked eyes before he entered the auction ring?
 What if a prospective buyer really had come through with a check to buy the budding star?
 What if trainer Duane Offield had not encouraged her to spend $600 to nominate Casual Lies to the Triple Crown?
 What if veteran trainer Charlie Whittingham hadnt taken an interest in her and offered her advice about the Kentucky Derby?
 Even if one had no previous knowledge about Casual Lies, the portrait provided is rich and vivid.
 Certainly, more detail could be provided in race descriptions, but the story is still more than adequate. This is a page-turner, and the observation about more detail is only because I wanted more pages to turn.
 She explains the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-dont decision to change jockeys before the Kentucky Derby, explaining how her late husband and training partner, Jim, a former rider himself, decided they needed a more experienced jockey and settled on Gary Stevens (who just won the 2013 Preakness after a long retirement) over journeyman Alan Patterson. But she doesnt share the personal and venomous reaction to the decision.
 Shelley became something of a lightning rod in racing. Some felt Casual Lies was treated almost as a pet rather than a professional race horse. Some thought she and Jim weren't sophisticated and experienced enough to guide a horse through the Triple Crown series.
 And, underlying everything, is the fact that Shelley was a woman in a mens world.
 While concentrating on Casual Lies, Shelley showed how she used sometimes self-deprecating humor to get through the Triple Crown.
 And with Casual Lies second in the Kentucky Derby  still the best finish for a woman trainer  she was placed in the sometimes glaring spotlight and responded in a way that was positive for racing.
 This book is not Seabiscuit, but for horse lovers and lovers of the underdog, it tells a story they will not forget.
3609414
I wish she could have been more brutally honest, but I understand the position she was in and would have done the same thing she did. Excellent reporter. Religion is a dangerous thing because it always strives to take away personal liberties which often have nothing to do with God.
758413
Her parents die during a senseless shooting incident.  Billie is shot in the leg and as a result becomes an amputee.  She is bullied in school not only for her having a prosthesis but also for her intellectualism.  She s unappreciated at work by her jealous boss.  Her life has been a series of disappointments, setbacks, and tragedy.
Billie is a proofreader for a publishing company.  She longs to be promoted to an editorial position.  She is not assertive enough to confront her supervisor for disparaging her work and keeping her in an underpaid job.
One day on her subway ride to work she is harassed by some teenage thugs.  Unable to properly defend herself, she is rescued by a kind man.

Her rescuer brings a new confidence into Billie's life.  She begins to think of justice for the wrongs that have been inflicted on her and other helpless victims of senseless crimes.
She reads the newspaper for crime stories and edits an article or two, giving them different endings where the bad guys get their just desserts.
Much to her shock, Billie finds that some of her edits have come true.
Has she caused this to happen?  And if so, is this justifiable or has she lowered herself to the level of the perpetrators?

This is a story of good attempting to triumph over evil.  It questions the morality of crime and punishment, the right to exact revenge and seek retribution.  Does the end justify the means?

Thank you, Ms. Frayn, for an interesting and thought-provoking book.
I received this book as a gift in exchange for an honest review.