John McPhee: A Reporter's Reporter

By Howard Berkes

Published June 24, 2006 at 4:54 PM EDT

<strong>Web Extra:</strong> Hear a 1978 NPR Interview with John McPhee

John McPhee has written at length about fish, geology, oranges, nuclear power, basketball... and the list goes on.

At 75, the prolific journalist feels he has plenty of words, characters and subjects left to explore. He has already published 27 works of non-fiction. His long pieces in The New Yorker are treasured by his many fans.

A shy man, McPhee shuns most interviews and doesn't much like having his photo taken. But he connects deeply with his subjects. His latest book is Uncommon Carriers, a collection of stories about freight... and like all of McPhee's best work, about the people involved with sorting it, flying it, floating it and trucking it.

Howard Berkes

Howard Berkes is a correspondent for the NPR Investigations Unit.

See stories by Howard Berkes

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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