8 Eye-Opening Investigative Journalism Books to Add to Your Reading List
When done right, a work of literary journalism can be as compelling as a great novel. In these eight books, all by Columbia alumni, the authors have immersed themselves in complex events or difficult situations in dogged pursuit of two things — a great story, and the truth.
Invisible Child
By Andrea Elliott ’99JRN
Tens of thousands of New York City’s children have spent time living in a homeless shelter — a staggering statistic that continues to grow as housing prices skyrocket in America’s biggest city. In her stunning, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, New York Times investigative reporter Andrea Elliott tells the story of one of them. Elliott spent eight years with Dasani, a bright girl navigating a difficult world. In the book, she traces Dasani’s family history from slavery to the Great Migration to the present day to parse the myriad factors that led to the family’s situation, and follows Dasani from sixth grade through the end of high school as she is forced to make heartbreaking choices about her future.
The Power Broker
By Robert Caro ’68JRN
Clocking in at 1,336 pages, Robert A. Caro’s monumental biography of urban developer Robert Moses is definitely not a quick read. But it’s arguably the most famous work of twentieth century investigative journalism, and with good reason. With impeccable research and riveting prose, Caro, who earned a certificate from Columbia Journalism School in 1968, delves deeply into the complex story of how one man manipulated power at the state and local levels to change the face of New York City and the communities within it.
Kings of Their Own Ocean
By Karen Pinchin ’19JRN
In 2001, off the coast of New England, a fisherman named Al Anderson caught and tagged a massive bluefin tuna, and then released it back into the ocean. Fourteen years later, that tuna was caught again — in a fish trap in the Mediterranean Sea. Pinchin uses the intrepid tuna’s journey as a jumping off point to explore the impacts of commercial fishing and climate change on this ancient species, and, more generally, on our oceans as a whole.