One Great Moment

"As they say, history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes."

“As they say, history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”

It takes many held-breath pages and held-breath sentences and held-breath thoughts to reach Page 407 of “The Testaments” where, in something of an epilogue to the main story, you come…
November 13, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"The third is when you can make a basket without worrying about whether it is good enough."

“The third is when you can make a basket without worrying about whether it is good enough.”

If this sentence seems lacking a word, it is. We’ll get to that in a moment. Until then, bookmark the notion of “good enough” — an aspiration that seems to…
October 11, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"How dare you..."

“How dare you…”

After you watch Greta Thunberg’s speech a second or third time, after your heart rate slows, after your guilt subsides (a bit) — read the transcript.Franklin Foer of The Atlantic…
September 27, 2019
Tom Warhover
"Problems that are not seen cannot be addressed."

“Problems that are not seen cannot be addressed.”

Journalism’s most idealistic missions are well-known and, despite the sine wave of attacks throughout history and the economic disruptions of the digital age, remain immutable:Give voice to the voiceless. Hold…
September 20, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
“The house was a fawn-brown color with curved white interior walls and my dead grandmother’s purple velvet drapes still hanging from the curtain rods.

“The house was a fawn-brown color with curved white interior walls and my dead grandmother’s purple velvet drapes still hanging from the curtain rods.

A sentence that grabs you by the heart and hooks you into the narrative is one of the most powerful ways to become one with the pages. It also keeps…
July 25, 2019
Jo Ostgarden
“Sometimes a story deserves a new look."

“Sometimes a story deserves a new look.”

Miami Herald reporter Julie K. BrownMiami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown has gotten a lot of reverse ink in recent weeks — not in stories by her, but about her. Brown…
July 19, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"Truth is whatever you can get enough people to believe."

“Truth is whatever you can get enough people to believe.”

You can’t turn around in the U.S. these days without bumping into a cry of “Fake News!” or a news story decrying the same. Not that spin is a modern…
July 5, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"As I wrote, I was also being written."

“As I wrote, I was also being written.”

Novelists often speak of their characters as real people. They are people who have lives that existed before the moment the novel begins and outside its frame, and who reveal…
June 28, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"There are more what-ifs than there are stars in the sky."

“There are more what-ifs than there are stars in the sky.”

Jill Lepore is not a florid writer. No trickery with words. No embellishments to wow the reader. Rather, her writing typically demonstrates deep curiosity, methodical reporting, and clear connections. If…
June 14, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
"A true war story is never moral."

“A true war story is never moral.”

—Tim O'Brien, from his novel "The Things They Carried"
May 23, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski