Archive: Nov 2006

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Loss and Rebirth in a ’66 Fire

By Notable Narratives November 30, 2006

We notice the structural decisions Anton made in this piece. His first two sections summarize the narrative: Fire fighters are caught by a sudden blaze, and twelve men die. With the third section Anton backs up and begins revisiting the … Read more

A War Only He Can End

By Notable Narratives November 29, 2006

Al Moreno is 60 and wants to join the Marines. He’s haunted by his father’s defection from the armed forces during the second world war; he wants the Marines to send him to Iraq so he can redress this painful … Read more

Approaching Zero

By Notable Narratives November 29, 2006

This piece provides a snapshot of one girl and her daily schedule. We guess it surprised a lot of readers, gave them a better sense for the competitive world of college aspirants. It’s a good example of using narrative to … Read more

The Meaning of Work

By Notable Narratives November 28, 2006

This is an exceptional story: We notice the wealth of detail, reporting. We admire the efficiency of pace, of sentences, of movement from one event to another. We admire the varied sentence lengths, e.g.: “‘It should all be good now,’ … Read more

Never Say Uncle

By Notable Narratives November 12, 2006

The opening scene in this piece got our attention; it’s muscular in its frank portrayal of character. It also effectively sets up a problem: a young mother’s struggle to care for and educate her profoundly autistic son. The two-part series … Read more

Shuttle Diplomacy

By Notable Narratives November 12, 2006

Allison focuses his profile on Nelson’s volunteer mission on the space shuttle, using details about Nelson’s behavior on the shuttle to portray him as a slightly nerdy politician who’s also—surprise, suprise—just a little opportunistic. Read “Shuttle Diplomacy,” by … Read more

The Ground We Lived On

By Notable Narratives November 12, 2006

LeBlanc’s lovely, sad portrayal of her father’s death shows character and relationship through 12 minutes of intimate tape. Read/listen to “The Ground We Lived On,” by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc … Read more

A New Game Plan

By Notable Narratives November 12, 2006

Saslow recounts Hixon’s injury, hospitalization and quest to find a new career. He moves between flashbacks and present-time narrative, changing tenses to help demarcate sections. The piece is a nice example of often-popular stories with the theme of triumph over … Read more

Hell and Back

By Notable Narratives November 10, 2006

Rose offers an insightful first-person account of his experience with mental illness. Memoirs of descents into internal hells are getting more common—and that seems like a good thing. They demystify and de-stigmatize what is still a fraught area. Rose happened … Read more

Odyssey of Healing

By Notable Narratives November 8, 2006

We appreciated, were even grateful for, Streeter’s exploration of moral and political context in this story. He might have tried to make this a piece about overcoming odds, about the generosity of Americans; instead he focused on the girl’s struggles, … Read more

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