Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction

This title is a gem in its category. Kidder (Strength in What Remains) and veteran editor Todd (The Thing Itself: On the Search for Authenticity), who have long worked together, have cowritten a treatise on writing nonfiction that not only focuses on art over craft, but rises to the level of art itself, while remaining accessible. The authors' nearly 40-year relationship provides background and setting for some profound ideas about factual writing. The finer points of creative nonfiction are molded into an inspiring read that will affect the would-be writer as much as Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird or Stephen King's On Writing. The tricky issue of accuracy—facts vs. truth and creative license—is handled with a light but sure touch. The closing chapter contains separate reflections, first by Kidder on the experience of being edited and then by Todd on the delicate work of editing. A brief section of usage notes and a selected bibliography are included.