Gene Weingarten

A journalist pulls a random day in history from a hat to see if he can make a worthwhile news story from what happened. The result is One Day, a deeply illuminating and affecting exploration of the quiet dramas and human interaction that make a seemingly insignificant day - December 28th, 1986 - into an important, poignant part of American history.

The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America

One Day

Teaghan Grayson

3.5 stars. It was fun! I enjoyed reading Weingarten's column in WaPo magazine growing up, and even though this book is kind of gimmicky and a few of the stories are total duds, Weingarten succeeds in writing a love letter to real, reported journalism and the drama inherent in everyday life.

Emily

Thank you to Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 28%. I really hate to say it, but I had to put this down. The idea was so great, but the execution was lacking. 

At first, I was really enjoying the writing, as it discussed a lot of topics that I'm currently learning about in school and I found that to be especially engaging. However, once that part ended I was left with disappointment.

Each story became more boring than the previous (the first one was very strong), and while I applaud the author for putting as much time and effort into this book as he did, I don't applaud him for the oversexualized descriptions of women and some of the commentary against the validity of cultural appropriation. 

After both of those offenses, I decided that I couldn't continue. It's truly a shame, as I was very excited about the release of this book. You win some, you lose some, I suppose.

One Day The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America

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