Love and Ruin

May 2, 2016
In 2011, at the height of chest-clutching panic about the state of reporting in the era of blogs and Tumblr, editor Ratliff, along with partners Jefferson Rabb and Nicholas Thompson, founded the Atavist, definitively and resoundingly proving that quality long-form journalism is alive and kicking. The 10 stories collected here are the best works of the digital periodical’s first five years, displaying an eclectic variety in style and subject. The “obsession” of the subtitle seems to be the unifying theme. Some standouts include “52 Blue” by Leslie Jamison, the story of the “loneliest whale in the world” and his fervent fans, who see themselves reflected in him; “American Hippopotamus” by Jon Mooallem, the unlikely tale of two lifelong enemies who united under the banner of importing African hippos to America, only to end up antagonists again; and “A Thousand Pounds of Dynamite” by Adam Higginbotham, about how one terrifying, desperate, and charismatic man built the most complex amateur bomb the FBI had ever seen. (The latter two pieces have been optioned for film.) This vital collection is sure to win the Atavist many new devotees, and is a must for established fans who missed any of these pieces. Agent: David Kuhn and William LoTurco, Kuhn Projects.

May 1, 2016
Atavist magazine editor Ratliff brings together 10 pieces of journalism selected from the site's five-year history. The Atavist publishes nonfiction briefer than a book but lengthier than most long-form magazine features. Ratliff contributes a foreword explaining the origin and publication philosophy of the magazine, offers brief insights into how he selected the 10 pieces from a universe of about 50, and summarizes each. Susan Orlean contributes an introduction that brilliantly explains her discomfort with the term "long form" while parsing the shortcomings of other descriptions such as "creative nonfiction," "narrative nonfiction," and "new journalism." She coins the term "magpie journalism," using the metaphor of the bird that collects shiny items from a drab habitat. In "52 Blue," Leslie Jamison discusses the scientists who are fascinated by a whale that emits noises at a frequency, 52 hertz, never before charted by humans. Cris Beam, David Dobbs, and Vanessa Veselka each contribute a mystery from highly personal family lore. In "When We Are Called to Part," Brooke Jarvis chronicles her months inside the last existing leper colony in the United States. Matthew Shaer pieces together the final voyage of a ship and a quest by the Coast Guard to determine why it sank. Jon Mooallem digs into history to learn about a failed attempt to use hippopotamus farming to feed the appetites of Americans. Adam Higginbotham reports on the dramatic bombing of a Lake Tahoe casino. The title story, "Love and Ruin," is James Verini's account of an American woman's dedication to the culture of Afghanistan amid the destruction of tribal wars and foreign invasions. Ratliff also includes a piece of his own, about the quest of an adopted woman to determine if she is the biological child of an evasive, wealthy oilman. An eclectic, never-boring collection.

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