I spoke this week with the legendary investigative reporter Pamela Colloff, author of a riveting debut book, “Catch the Devil,” which blows the lid off of a scandalous reality of the American justice system: the use and knowing abuse of jailhouse informants.
We talked about the art and craft of telling big, socially important stories through the vessel of a single case, why narrative nonfiction matters now more than ever, and how Colloff thinks about the writer’s role in asking for your sustained time in an age of 30-second videos and algorithmic distraction.
It’s a great conversation.
And we want to hear from you: Are you a nonfiction reader? What do you love about nonfiction? What makes it hold your attention versus feel like a slog? What are some of your all-time favorites in the genre?
