Show & Tell: A Sale and Other Things!
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
10 min read
The article extensively discusses H.G. Bissinger's 1990 narrative nonfiction classic, calling it 'fave of the week' and praising its impact on the genre. Wikipedia covers the book's creation, reception, cultural impact, and the controversies it sparked in Odessa, Texas.
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January 2025 Southern California wildfires
15 min read
The article reviews Jacob Soboroff's memoir about the 2025 LA fires, specifically mentioning the Palisades fire and its political dimensions. Wikipedia provides comprehensive context on the scale, causes, response, and aftermath of these historic fires.
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New Journalism
12 min read
The article discusses narrative nonfiction and memoir-reporting hybrids like Friday Night Lights and Firestorm. New Journalism is the literary movement that pioneered this genre, and understanding its techniques enriches appreciation of both books discussed.
This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.
It is time for the Unstacked annual holiday sale — 20% off an annual membership for this very newsletter. This is valid for all new memberships and for any gift memberships you might be gifting. On the fence? That is $3.33 a month for all of my piping hot takes, reading roundups, and bonus episodes. This sale runs through December 31st.
Ok, enough of sales Traci1, let’s get to the week that was.
This Week in The Stacks
I thought I cared about Olivia Nuzzi last week, as you’ll see below, that has changed.
was my guest this week on The Stacks and we had the best time talking about sports and media. If you don’t know Joel, you need to. Here is a bit of our conversation on celebrity and journalists.
The only literary award that matters has released its finalists. And may I just say, without any conflict of interest whatsoever, this list is by far the best book list for 2025. Look no further. You’ve found it.
The 11 books I read in November, ranked for you, from least to most favorite.
Books I Read This Week
Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster by Jacob Soboroff
I read my first book of 2026 this week!2 This work of memoir and reporting is about the 2025 LA fires. Yes, it is probably a bit too soon for this book to be in the world. This book doesn’t know who or what it wants to be. Where it is its most impactful is as Soboroff’s memoir. He is from the Palisades and was on the ground from the start reporting on the fire there. His family home was burned, his siblings were evacuated, and through it all he was on camera informing the world of what he saw. Reliving that is unique and compelling as hell. The book falters when he tepidly dabbles into the politics of the moment. From Karen Bass to Donald Trump, Soboroff is wishy-washy on what was said, who was in the wrong, and
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