Francesca Sylph
From Joan Didion to Bridget Jones, these books about journalism will inspire you to get writing (and reading).
There is something so chic about journalism. As a little girl flicking through the glossy pages of Teen Vogue, I dreamed of growing up into a career-driven, cosmopolitan woman.
I wanted to run through the streets of New York in my colour coordinated, office siren outfit, never breaking a sweat or an ankle (despite my heels). I would have a coffee in one hand and my phone in the other, frantically typing emails about a last minute layout change. Strangers would see me on the street and think, “Wow, she’s so put together.”
Of course, the reality of journalism is not so sexy. It mostly involves working from your childhood bedroom because you can’t afford to live in a big city, pitching into the void, and mourning the death of print media. Nevertheless, there are still books out there that capture the dream of living alone in London, drinking with your friends at classy bars every night, and writing a column about your chaotic dating life.
The Devil Wears Prada (2003) by Lauren Weisberger
There is no better way to start this list than with the Holy Grail of hot girls in journalism.
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Whether you read the book or watched the film, there is no denying that The Devil Wears Prada inspired a generation of young women to chase the dream of journalism. The novel itself is loosely based on Weisberger’s time as an assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
The reader follows Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl who lands the big city magazine job that “a million girls would die for.” As she battles against the boss from hell, Andrea is left wondering if the job is really worth it.
Honey & Spice (2022) by Bolu Babalola
Through her popular student radio show ‘Brown Sugar’, Kiki Banjo hopes to save the women of Whitewall University’s African-Caribbean Society from heartbreak and situationships. But when she kisses Malakai Korede, the charming player she publicly denounced as “The Wasteman of Whitewell,” she finds her reputation and radio show on the line.
In an attempt to salvage both and land the competitive New York internship of her dreams, Kiki agrees to fake date Malakai.
This is definitely one for the career-driven, but hopelessly romantic romcom enthusiasts.
Bridget Jones’ Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding
Fun fact! Bridget Jones first appeared in a column for The Independent in 1995.
The article, which had no accompanying byline, appeared like a real diary entry. Helen Fielding ran The Independent column (with a lengthy stint at The Daily Telegraph) until 2005.
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The column’s first novelisation, Bridget Jones’ Diary, was published in 1996 followed by several sequels and big screen adaptations.
Although Bridget’s obsessive calorie counting is a little outdated, there is something timelessly relatable about a young woman stumbling through life, embarrassing herself at work and fancying the wrong person.
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (2006) by Nora Ephron
From her screenwriting success with When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993) to her columns in Cosmopolitan and The New Yorker, no one writes about the trials and tribulations of being a big city woman quite like Nora Ephron.
Featuring her distinctly dry sense of humour, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a series of candid conversations about maintenance, menopause, and what it means to be a woman of a certain age.
Single Bald Female (2022) by Laura Price
Written by the author, journalist and host of the Life in Food podcast, Laura Price, Single Bald Female follows thirty-year-old Jessica Jackson who finds her dream life – featuring her glossy magazine job, perfect boyfriend, and close-knit group of friends – disrupted by a breast cancer diagnosis.
Laura’s own experience with breast cancer, and blogging about her dating life as a young woman going through chemotherapy, really adds a layer of authenticity.
Dear Dolly (2022) by Dolly Alderton
From the author of Everything I Know About Love comes another book full of wisdom, warmth and wit. Dear Dolly is a collection of agony aunt columns by writer, podcaster and The Sunday Times’ honorary big sister Dolly Alderton.
Topics range from breakups to body issues, dating, divorce, families, friendships, sex and social media.
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With kindness and empathy informed by Dolly’s own adventures in love, life and friendship, she offers encouragement and advice to anyone who may feel a little lost.
She Said (2019) by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
In 2018, The New York Times won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s investigation into the prolific Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
She Said is an in-depth account of the inner workings of an investigation that changed culture. It details the confidential interviews integral to breaking the story and confrontations with those hired by Weinstein to hush the truth. Kantor and Twohey’s fearless reporting unearthed a campaign of sexual assault as well as a culture of corruption, coverups and shadowy settlements.
Didion & Babitz (2024) by Lili Anolik
Joan Didion and Eve Babitz were both ambitious writers and California natives who ran in the same 1960s Hollywood circles before dying within days of each other in December 2021.
Their words have since been devoured and dissected by a generation of literary it girls.
In Didion & Babitz, journalist Lili Anolik casts them as two sides of the same coin, “two halves of American womanhood, representing forces that are, on the surface, in conflict yet secretly aligned.” It is a provocative attempt to unmask two great American writers and their intimate friendship infected by antipathy.
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