“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
That was the advice that Atticus Finch gave to his daughter Scout in Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s equally apt that veteran journalist Ted Conover quotes Finch’s classic dictum in his craft book Immersion: A Writer’s Guide to Going Deep.
Published by the University of Chicago Press, 2016, Immersion gives a lively and thoughtful introduction to the field of immersion journalism or immersion nonfiction. For those unfamiliar with the term, it describes the practice of a writer immersing himself in a situation or place and with the people involved.
Conover clearly believes one of the best ways to know a subject is to become fully immersed in it. Now a professor of journalism at New York University, he has the real-world writing experience that gives ample credence to his advice: His book, Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, chronicling his experience working as a corrections officer in the legendary prison, won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2000 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He has also ridden the rails with hoboes, crossed the border with Mexican immigrants, and inspected meat for the USDA—and written about all of it in books or magazines such as Harper’s or the New Yorker.
In Immersion, Conover shares his expertise, backing it with examples from both his own work and from other award-winning writers in the field, such as Tracy Kidder, John McPhee, Jon Krakauer, Tom Wolfe, and Katherine Boo. He begins with the most basic question: why immerse? He then goes on to trace the beginnings of immersion reporting and writing and makes a critical distinction: Immersion is not a gimmick to be used to write a clever, first-person story, but rather it is a way to gain exceptional insight about an industry, a group of people, or an issue.
After this thoughtful introduction, readers receive valuable advice grounded in Conover’s extensive experience. The chapters provide an almost step-by-step process for immersion research and writing. He begins with a chapter that outlines how to choose a subject and gain the necessary access to become immersed—from making a request for access through formal channels to applying for a job incognito. The following chapters, “Once Inside” and “Undercover: Moving Beyond Stunt,” are filled with practical advice, emphasizing the value of taking good notes, developing an eye for important details, and establishing rapport with subjects. These chapters also cover the ethical considerations involved in immersion reporting and the danger of blurring the line between a writer’s real life and his life while immersed. Conover admonishes writers not to “go native”—his term for becoming completely caught up in the life or industry being researching.
Conover includes a thoughtful chapter on writing, which considers topics such as structure, theme, and whether to write in the first person. He closes with an exploration of what happens after a book or article researched via immersion appears—from the reaction of subjects to the developments which occur as a result of the information reported. These might include changes to laws, adjustments to manufacturing practices, or even follow-up investigations.
This is not a boring, textbook-style tome. Its 172 pages are written in clear and lively prose, peppered with many examples of successful immersion writers and their work. It is both practical and fun to read. An annotated bibliography at the end could serve as a reading list for the best in immersion writing. Its thoroughness, readability, and sound advice make it a craft book that nonfiction writers would do well to immerse themselves in.
Vicki Mayk is a memoirist and nonfiction writer. She has enjoyed a 35-year career in journalism and public relations and has edited college and university magazines, most recently for Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where she earned an MFA and teaches classes about the power of story. Her nonfiction book in progress chronicles the life and death of a college football player who had CTE, the brain disorder caused by concussions and subconcussive hits. Visit her website at www.vickimayk.com.
