Blood in the Desert: The T. J. English Reader

An essential collection of T. J. English's finest literary journalism, spanning true crime, jazz, boxing, police corruption, the desert Southwest, and George Carlin.

The world of print journalism may be waning, but the art of reporting is anything but dead. A former New York City taxi driver turned acclaimed chronicler of crime, corruption, and the American underworld, T. J. English has spent four decades practicing a form of literary journalism that is as vital as ever. The author of classic works such as The Westies, Havana Nocturne, and The Corporation, English has earned a place alongside legends like Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, and Gay Talese.

Blood in the Desert: The T. J. English Reader collects, for the first time, the finest of English's published essays and reporting alongside new work, including the haunting title piece, which has never before appeared in print. Spanning subjects as varied as jazz, boxing, police corruption, violence in the desert Southwest, and the comedy of George Carlin, this book showcases a scribe drawn toward the fault lines of American life.

With a foreword by bestselling novelist Dennis Lehane, Blood in the Desert stands as both a celebration of a tireless truth-teller and a reminder that great writing never loses its power.