Introducing "Turn Every Page"
I try to read 60 books a year. This year, I’m a bit behind schedule not because I haven't been reading, but because I’ve been reading longer books. Some examples:
Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon (William Cohan) (816 pages)
Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936 to 1986 (James Rosen) (511 pages)
The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age (Leo Damrosch) (488 pages)
Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson) (630 pages)
An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (Richard Norton Smith) (992 pages)
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin) (721 pages)
Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World (Tom Holland) (624 pages)
The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley (Jimmy Soni) (496 pages)
Being Nixon: A Man Divided (Evan Thomas) (880 pages)
These books are about depth. They have deep insights that require deep thinking. I didn’t set out to read longer books this year. I rarely plan what to read. Book recommendations come from all over—bestseller lists, library shelves, personal recommendations. Whatever the source, I am always open to reading and learning something new.
That openness to something new seems to be a hallmark of any serious reader. Another book I read, Robert Gottlieb’s aptly titled memoir, Avid Reader, makes this point well. Gottlieb was a lifelong reader, and as the editor-in-chief at Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and The New Yorker, reading was a constituent part of the job. He edited some 600 books in his career, including very long ones like Bill Clinton’s My Life and Robert Caro’s Power Broker and his (currently) 4-volume biography of Lyndon B. Johnson.
In fact, it was through reading Robert Caro that I found out about Gottlieb. Robert Caro’s own autobiographical work, Working, talks about how Gottlieb became Caro's editor and their working relationship over 40+ years. Gottlieb’s daughter created a documentary a few years ago about Caro, Gottlieb, and their work together. The documentary’s title, “Turn Every Page,” has become a bit of a mantra for me this year.
The phrase comes from Caro’s early work as a journalist and advice he got from his editor. When Caro asked how to do investigative journalism, the editor simply said, “Turn every page.” That method has obviously served Caro well, as his biographies are paradigms of the craft.
But the phrase, for me, has been a guiding principle in my own work and life this year. It refers to reading, of course—turning every page, not only of each book (reading deeply), but opening yourself to new ideas by reading a variety of books from a variety of perspectives (reading broadly). It has profound implications for my legal work, turning every page of a contract or in litigation, for instance, making sure that I do not miss the minutest detail. And it has implications for a personal research project as I continue to research and write my first book.
Many people don’t have the time or inclination to read 60 books a year. I get it. It definitely requires trade offs in life. And although I think the trade offs are worth it, others may not. So, in homage to Robert Gottlieb, Robert Caro, and all like them, I am starting a weekly newsletter called “Turn Every Page.” It will have a phrase, paragraph, or more from some book I have read recently so that you can share in the wisdom I’ve gathered from these books. Sometimes I may comment or provide context, sometimes not. But I want to share the insights I’ve learned with you. (If you want to suggest a book for me to read, or a quote to include here, please send it along.) Education is a lifelong endeavor, and I hope to make your efforts a bit easier. The newsletter is a simple way to say thank you and give something back to you, my clients and friends. If you don’t want to receive the newsletter, simply unsubscribe. No hard feelings. If you find it useful or interesting, perhaps you could tell a friend or two.
Best,
Aaron