True Stories, Well Told: From the First 20 Years of Creative Nonfiction Magazine is an anthology of work collected from the literary journal Creative Nonfiction. This book is edited by Hattie Fletcher and Lee Gutkind, the man who is considered the Godfather of creative nonfiction. As with all anthologies, there were some pieces I really enjoyed and some that didn't stay with me. I especially enjoyed the hybrid essay, "The Butterfly Effect" by Jennifer Lunden and "Rachel at Work: Enclosed, a Mother's Report" by Jane Bernstein. However, what I thought was the best part about this anthology was the introduction by Susan Orlean who outlines the problematic definitions of creative nonfiction and the "The Fine Art of Literary Fist-Fighting" by Gutkind himself. In this retrospective essay, Gutkind traces the history of his involvement in the genre and the history of the journal, Creative Nonfiction. For fans of this genre, this anthology is worth reading! ( )

I have to admit I haven't finished this book. Mostly becasue I don't want to. I want to savor it. I want it to last. I've read a few stories and one made me cry. I would love to be able to write like this. to move people. Therefore I will read it slowly over time and study it so I can be inspired to create my own creative non-fiction. So here's the amazon page for it if you want to hear all the reviews or you're into snark and what not
http://www.amazon.com/True-Stories-Well-Told-Nonfiction/dp/1937163164/ref=sr_1_1... ( )

True Stories, Well Told is an anthology of stories, all apparently true written in a manner that is engaging, clear and all-in-all well written. Being a series of stories from multiple authors the part about "well told" is quite variable with some of the tales being very well-written and others not so much. One described the author's travels into Midddle Eastern nations on foot, that stayed with me, but others I felt to be a rant about various and sudry politicians. Taken as a whole most of the stories were worth reading. Without a Map by Meredith Hall is the one story that kept coming to my mind after I had read the whole book.
I agree with Lee Gutkind, the editor of both this book and the magazine of Creative Non-fiction, that you know it when you read it. Creative non-fiction is in a class of it's own. I prefer non-fiction to fiction and this volume was an eye-opener. I give this anthology 4 stars ( )

I was happy to get a copy of "True Stories, Well Told: From the First 20 Years of Creative Nonfiction," and I expected to, wanted to, love it. But that didn't happen. I assume the stories are true and they are sort of well told. But they weren't spectacular, something I'd expect with a collection from twenty years of the best of a magazine. I'd expect that as well because of some of the big name writers included. Were these stories really the best of this magazine? Or does the person(s) who selected them have a vastly different idea of what is good than I do?

The problem is that, with one exception, none of the selections emotionally engaged me. Considering that many of them dealt with such things as child abuse, a man reflecting on saving the life of a child, a doctor upset that a patient died and that doctor wanting to apologize to the man's wife, it is surprising indeed that only one touched this reader emotionally.

The saddest thing is that Lee Gutkind's account of how he started the magazine is easily the most engaging piece in the book, again with one exception,, something I'd assume wasn't his intention.

Brian Doyle's "Two on Two," the exception, was the piece that touched me emotionally. His account of a special time with his children is almost a prose poem. Google "His Last Game," and "Brian Doyle," and you'll come up with an amazing account of a special time between Doyle and his brother. I liked it so much I printed it out and keep it handy. I'm blown away every time I read it. ( )

I love nonfiction! It is probably my favorite genre and when it is done well it is terrific. This book is done well. I had never heard of Creative Nonfiction magazine, but now I am a subscriber. True Stories, Well Told (great title) took me a while to read because I wanted to savor it. My favorites were The Butterfly Effect and Mrs. Kelly, but I really liked them all. I wish more readers would give nonfiction a chance. I belong to two book clubs and nonfiction choices always get the groans until they are read. Fiction often leads me to nonfiction to learn more on a subject and True Stories will lead me to more nonfiction about many topics. ( )