#85 Bethany McLean: Crafting a Narrative

Originally published in 1926, 'The Sun Also Rises' is Ernest Hemingway’s first novel and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style. The novel follows a group of young American and British expatriates as they wander through Europe in the mid-1920s, capturing the moods, feelings, and attitudes of the cynical and disillusioned Lost Generation. The story centers around Jake Barnes, a World War I veteran and journalist, and Lady Brett Ashley, as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain. The novel portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions, reflecting the existential disillusionment characteristic of the Lost Generation[2][3][4].

This book provides a meticulously researched and character-driven narrative of the Enron scandal. It follows Enron's journey from obscurity to the top of the business world and its subsequent disastrous demise. The authors, Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, draw on unique sources to reveal the roles of key figures such as Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. The book is a story of human weakness, hubris, and greed, and it serves as a microcosm of the flaws in American business. The tenth-anniversary edition includes a new chapter revisiting the fall of Enron and its aftermath[1][2][4].

In *Amity and Prosperity*, Eliza Griswold chronicles the story of Stacey Haney, a nurse and single mother living in Amity, Pennsylvania, whose life is disrupted by the fracking boom. As her children fall ill, Haney becomes an unlikely activist, challenging the energy company and local authorities to uncover the truth behind the environmental damage. The book explores themes of community, corporate responsibility, and the struggle for environmental justice in rural America.