Floating Off The Page

The A-hed: The Wall Street Journal's magical center-column page one article is the best place in the world to study excellent writing. The nut graph, a writer's succinct argument for reading his piece, is practically demonstrated in A-hed articles. Long-time Journal editor Ken Wells collected sixty-seven of the best A-hed's into this one little book. Stories boast titles that include, 'But Will the Klingons *Understand* Deuteronomy?', 'The Offal Truth', 'Roasted Porcupine and Basil, With a Hint of Tire Mark' and 'The Waning Days of Mr. Coke.' Especially poignant is 1989's 'The Struggles of Otter 76', a recounting of how one wild animal was profoundly affected by the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez. Each article is a gem making this a very valuable collection. Reviewed by J.David Knepper