Joyride

By: Susan Orlean

Narrated by: Susan Orlean

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, OPRAH DAILY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, GOODREADS, AND MORE

“Brilliant…A high-spirited, exhilarating memoir.” —The Wall Street Journal • “In Joyride, the takeaway often has as much to do with the art of living as the art of writing.” —Elle • “Wise and exuberant…It’s funny, as well. Just masterful.” —David Sedaris • “Superbly good…Ebullient, frank, moving, and inspiring.” —Booklist (starred review)

From Susan Orlean, the beloved New Yorker writer and bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book who has been hailed as “a national treasure” by The Washington Post, comes a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites us to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight.

“The story of my life is the story of my stories,” writes Susan Orlean in this extraordinary, era-defining memoir from one of the greatest practitioners of narrative nonfiction of our time. Joyride is a magic carpet ride through Orlean’s life and career, where every day is an opportunity for discovery and every moment holds the potential for wonder. Throughout her storied career, her curiosity draws her to explore the most ordinary and extraordinary of places, from going deep inside the head of a regular ten-year-old boy for a legendary profile (“The American Man Age Ten”) to reporting on a woman who owns twenty-seven tigers, from capturing the routine magic of Saturday night to climbing Mt. Fuji.

Not only does Orlean’s account of a writing life offer a trove of indispensable gleanings for writers, it’s also an essential and practical guide to embracing any creative path. She takes us through her process of dreaming up ideas, managing deadlines, connecting with sources, chasing every possible lead, confronting writer’s block and self-doubt, and crafting the perfect lede—a Susan specialty.

While Orlean has always written her way into other people’s lives in order to understand the human experience, Joyride is her most personal book ever—a searching journey through finding her feet as a journalist, recovering from the excruciating collapse of her first marriage, falling head-over-heels in love again, becoming a mother while mourning the decline of her own mother, sojourning to Hollywood for films based on her work including Adaptation and Blue Crush, and confronting mortality. Joyride is also a time machine to a bygone era of journalism, from Orlean’s bright start in the golden age of alt-weeklies to her career-making days working alongside icons such as Robert Gottlieb, Tina Brown, David Remnick, Anna Wintour, Sonny Mehta, and Jonathan Karp—forces who shaped the media industry as we know it today.

Infused with Orlean’s signature warmth and wit, Joyride is a must-read for anyone who hungers to start, build, and sustain a creative life. Orlean inspires us to seek out daily inspiration and rediscover the marvels that surround us.

Susan’s reading her story

Loved that Susan read it herself, inhabited it, made it come very much alive for me. Like lying down and getting to listen to a wonderful storyteller telling YOU a terrific riveting tale.

Loved the bonus

I love that the audio included a number of the essays referred to in the book. It reminds us that Orlean was masterful right from the start.

Great memoire, especially for writers

Excellent ideas for non-fiction writing, and description of the difficult writing process. I appreciated Orleans commitment to her writing, her desire to learn, and her respect for the people she profiled.

Joyride: delightful!

Orlean’ s lens is keen, honed, and insightful. I chuckled, pondered, and felt deep sorrow as I read her memoir. She is an exceptional author. Let’s hope SusanJ Orlean’s library does not burn for many more years to come.

Mesmerizing

What a lovely read into the life and love of Susan Orleans writing and personnel journey. Could not put the book down. Felt like I was taken along on her life of adventure and enjoyed every minute. Highly recommend her eloquent and beautiful story .