Great Americans: Stories of Resilience and Joy in Everyday Life

Great Americans is a collection of my most inspiring and uplifting human interest stories from The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I was a staff writer for 30 years and won The Pulitzer Prize. Each story includes a postscript with an update on the person profiled in the story and a little discussion of one of the key reporting or writing elements in the story _ perhaps a lede, an ending, a use of a quote or favorite detail, or how I found the story or convinced the subject to trust me. I've also added five short personal narratives about important or amusing moments in my own development, including musings on why I became a storyteller and a list of 15 rules and tools of writing and reporting I've developed over a lifetime. I believe the book will be a source of joy to anyone who loves great stories, and I think it will be an excellent teaching tool for those interested in improving as a writer. Additionally, there is an expanded discussion about the writing and reporting of each story at my website, www.michaelvitez.com/great-americans. I found great joy and satisfaction in these stories, and I am confident the reader will as well. If you love this book, please share it and recommend it to others. And let me hear from you @michaelvitez and michael.vitez@gmail.com. There are many more stories where these came from.