Into the Field: A Foreign Correspondent's Notebook

Tracy Dahlby is an award-winning journalist who has reported internationally as a contributor to National Geographic magazine and served as a staff correspondent for Newsweek and the Washington Post. In this memoir of covering a far-flung swath of Asia, he takes readers behind the scenes to reveal “the stories behind the stories”—the legwork and (mis)adventures of a foreign correspondent on a mission to be the eyes and ears of people back home, helping them understand the forces and events that shape our world. Into the Field centers on the travel and reporting Dahlby did for a half-dozen pieces that ran in National Geographic. The book tours the South China Sea during China’s rise as a global power, visits Japan in a time of national midlife crisis, and explores Southeast Asia during periods of political transition and tumult. Dahlby’s vivid anecdotes of jousting with hardboiled sea captains, communing with rebellious tribal chieftains, enduring a spectacular shipboard insect attack, and talking his way into a far place or out of a tight spot offer aspiring foreign correspondents a realistic introduction to the challenges of the profession. Along the way, he provides practical advice about everything from successful travel planning to managing headstrong local fixers and dealing with circumstances that can range from friendly to formidable. A knowledgeable, entertaining how-to book for observing the world and making sense of events, Into the Field is a must-read for student journalists and armchair travelers alike.

Table of Contents:
Prologue: Something Like a Calling Part One: Navigating the China Seas Working the Coast Plying the Waters Part Two: Snapshots of the Island Kingdom Hitchhiking in Kyushu Reimagining Tokyo Bay Japan's Magic Mountain Part Three: Across the Floorboards of Asia Vietnam Reconstructs Living (Semi-)Dangerously in Indonesia Appendices Acknowledgments

About the Author :
TRACY DAHLBY is currently professor and Frank A. Bennack, Jr. Chair in Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He served as Tokyo bureau chief for Newsweek and the Washington Post, reported on Asia for National Geographic magazine, and has produced and directed historical documentaries for television. His previous book is Allah's Torch: A Report from Behind the Scenes in Asia's War on Terror.