David Grann

I think you get into trouble as an author and a journalist when, rather than owning the gaps, you try to elide them. ”

I covered Congress, and everyone always wanted me to be a political reporter. ”

The political hero is not like the sports champion or matinee idol or daring inventor; like the war hero, he is born only of tragedy. ”

I guess if I had to pick one interest that is unique, it would be giant squids - I'm disturbingly fascinated by them and even wrote a story about the hunt for them. ”

I grew up around writers, and there was always a romance to them. They were charming. They would tell their stories of what they were working on, over the table. ”

Journalists are often portrayed as cynical. I often think it's the opposite. ”

One of the nice things about 'The New Yorker' is they let you write stories that sometimes end up almost half a book. ”

If someone told me I had to stop writing stories, that would be the end of me. ”

Honestly, I had no idea what to do on Twitter when I started. I didn't follow it enough. Slowly, though, I started to realize what I'm okay at. Like, I'm just not particularly witty. ”

There was a part of me that always wanted to be an editor. ”