📖 Overview
Michael Paterniti is an American journalist and non-fiction author known for his long-form journalism and narrative non-fiction works. His writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and GQ, where he serves as a correspondent.
His most acclaimed books include "Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain" (2000), which chronicles his cross-country journey with the pathologist who performed Einstein's autopsy, and "The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese" (2013), exploring the story of a Spanish cheesemaker and a decades-old betrayal.
Paterniti has received multiple National Magazine Award nominations and won the National Magazine Award for feature writing. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Non-Required Reading, and The Best American Political Writing.
The author teaches in the MFA program at the University of Maine and is a Writer-in-Residence at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. He co-founded the Telling Room, a nonprofit writing center for children and young adults in Portland, Maine.
👀 Reviews
Readers appreciate Paterniti's ability to weave detailed research with personal narrative. On Goodreads, readers noted his talent for finding compelling characters and uncovering unexpected connections in stories. Many reviews highlight his descriptive writing style and skill at building suspense.
Common criticisms include pacing issues and meandering narratives. For "The Telling Room," several readers found the extensive footnotes and digressions distracting. Some reviewers of "Driving Mr. Albert" felt the premise was more interesting than the execution.
"He takes fascinating subjects and somehow makes them boring," wrote one Amazon reviewer. Others praised his immersive approach: "Paterniti makes you feel like you're right there with him," noted a Goodreads review.
Ratings across platforms:
- The Telling Room: 3.5/5 on Goodreads (5,800+ ratings), 4.1/5 on Amazon (180+ reviews)
- Driving Mr. Albert: 3.7/5 on Goodreads (2,300+ ratings), 4/5 on Amazon (90+ reviews)
- Love and Other Ways of Dying: 4.1/5 on Goodreads (400+ ratings)
📚 Books by Michael Paterniti
Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain (2000)
A true account of the author's road trip with pathologist Thomas Harvey, who kept Einstein's brain in a Tupperware container after performing the physicist's autopsy in 1955.
The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese (2013) A narrative investigation into the story of Ambrosio Molinos, a Spanish cheesemaker whose family recipe and business were taken from him through betrayal, set in the underground caves of Castile.
Love and Other Ways of Dying (2015) A collection of previously published long-form journalism pieces covering diverse subjects including plane crashes, giant squids, and profiles of remarkable individuals.
The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese (2013) A narrative investigation into the story of Ambrosio Molinos, a Spanish cheesemaker whose family recipe and business were taken from him through betrayal, set in the underground caves of Castile.
Love and Other Ways of Dying (2015) A collection of previously published long-form journalism pieces covering diverse subjects including plane crashes, giant squids, and profiles of remarkable individuals.
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