Saturday, February 07, 2009

Best books: Bryan Burrough

Bryan Burrough, a Vanity Fair correspondent, has just published his fourth book, The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes.

For The Week, he named his six best books. One title on his list:
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage, $15).

The original true-crime thriller, it inspired a generation of young writers—including me—to try to tell ­stories as if the reader were there. Capote’s masterpiece remains one of the best tales ever told. The murder of the Clutter family and the story of their wastrel young killers provide a grimy window into the American soul.
Read about another title on Bryan Burrough's list.

In Cold Blood
is also one of Jon Krakauer's most important books and Kansas' first poet laureate Jonathan Holden's pick for The Great Kansas novel.

--Marshal Zeringue