The idea of relocating was thrilling yet scary. But so was the alternative of putting his life—professionally and personally—on the line with Carla and the Trib.
He would never know which path posed the greater risk or reward. He could only rely on his instincts, live in the moment, develop a plan.
Then again, what was it that Cal Willis had told him? The plan isn’t the story. It’s only what gets you off your ass so you can go find it.
It was daybreak in Brooklyn. Deadline was approaching, almost time for Jamie to begin his life rewrite.
The hardest part—the lead—would have to come first.
Acknowlegements
The Daily News strike of 1990-91 happened a very long time ago but the memories of fear and loathing—along with friendship and loyalty— remain vivid and poignant. Thank you to my former colleagues who walked that line, put out the Real News and hung together through some mighty dark days.
A special thank you to John Gruber and Filip Bondy, longtime confidants. And to Jay Schreiber, who had to tear himself away from the line to go work for Newsday. On the subject of long ago, I owe a large debt to a great Staten Islander, Danny Colvin, for helping me to become a professional reporter and writer.
Neil Amdur, a terrific editor and journalist who knew an exhausted columnist when he saw one, helped get me started on this book by allowing me to take time off. Michelle Musler and Sophia Richman encouraged me to keep working at it. My father, the late Gilbert Araton, and my mother, Marilyn Araton, provided the voices in my head to finish it.
I have been blessed with two loving sisters, Sharon Kushner and Randi Waldman, and lucky to have such a caring extended family—my in-laws David and Ruth Albert, Dana and Hilary Albert, Ashley Stone and Allan Waldman.
My indefatigable agent, Andrew Blauner, found the ideal people for me to work with at Cinco Puntos Press. Being guided and edited by Lee Byrd was an education and a privilege. My deepest appreciation goes to John Byrd and Bobby Byrd for their vision and wisdom. Thank you to the rest of the team—Elena Marinaccio, Jessica Powers and Mary Fountaine.
Finally, to the greatest support group at home anyone could ask for: Beth Albert, Alex Araton and Charly Araton. Thank you for being there, always.
Harvey Araton
Montclair, New Jersey, Fall 2013
About the Author
Harvey Araton is a longtime columnist and Pulitzer-Prize nominated reporter and columnist for the New York Times, who has written primarily about sports but also for the Sunday Times Magazine, Book Review, Styles, Real Estate, Home, Dining and Arts & Leisure sections. He is the author or co-author of six previous books, including Driving Mr. Yogi (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), a New York Times best-seller, and When The Garden Was Eden (Harper Collins, 2011), which has been adapted for film by ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. Another book, When Soccer Moms Take the Field and Change Their Lives Forever (Simon & Schuster, 2001) is being produced for feature film by Breaking Ball Films. Before the Times, Araton worked for the New York Daily News, New York Post and Staten Island Advance. He is also an adjunct professor of journalism and media studies at Montclair State University. Araton and his wife, Beth Albert, live in Montclair, New Jersey, and have two sons.
Praise for Cold Type
Harvey Araton writes, with keen insight, of a time when power was ebbing fast from both newspapers and their unions. It’s an especially bittersweet tale he tells of the people who had grown up in newspapers and unions, as they struggle to adapt to this evolving new order. And, of course, what makes this even more evocative is that we’re still trying to sort this all out.
—Frank Deford, author of Everybody’s All-American, NPR commentator
Father and son face their demons, each other, and a depressingly realistic publisher in a newspaper yarn that made me yell, “Hold the Front Page” for Harvey Araton’s rousing debut as a novelist.
—Robert Lipsyte, author of The Accidental Sportswriter
I’ve been waiting almost 25 years for something good to come of the Daily News strike. Now it has. But this wonderful novel captures more than a time and a place. Harvey Araton deftly turns the picket line into a metaphor for other divides, for those that separate journalism and commerce, heroes and goats, and most of all, fathers and sons. Cold Type is a love song to the real New York.
—Mark Kriegel, author of Namath
Fans of Harvey Araton’s lively, engaging prose will love this vivid and heartfelt exploration of what it means to be a journalist, a son, a father, and a man.
—Pamela Redmond Satran, author of Younger
A gripping narrative and an insightful take on family, work, what loyalty means—and what it costs. Harvey Araton is a skilled writer who knows his way around the milieus he travels in this novel, whether it’s a newsroom, a labor hall or a living room. But what really makes this worth reading is the heart you can feel beating underneath it all.
—Brad Parks, Shamus-, Nero- and Lefty-Award-winning
author of The Player
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