A volume of narrative essays and articles includes "The Truth About Cops and Dogs" by Rebecca Skloot, "The wOOt Files" by Monica Wojcik, and Daniel Nestor's evaluation of James Frey. Original. Narrative nonfiction at its cutting-edge best from writers at the cusp of recognition and fame. Fame and Obscurity (with Appreciation to Gay Talese) and Our Search for the Best Creative Nonfiction LEE GUTKIND ix Acknowledgments xvii The Cipher in Room 214: Who Was Mary Anderson and Why Did She Die? CAROL SMITH 1 Badlands: Portrait of a Competitive Eater JOHN O'CONNOR 13 'Mbriago LOUISE DESALVO 29 Chores DEBRA MARQUART 44 Cold Autumn WAITERRANT.NET 53 Consumption SUNSHINE O'DONNELL 57 The Pain Scale EULA BISS 65 Full Gospel J.D. SCHRAFFENBERGER 85 The Truth about Cops and Dogs REBECCA SKLOOT 88 Double Take OPINIONISTAS.COM 102 Trapeze Lessons MARIE CARTER 105 Notes on Frey DANIEL NESTER 116 Miles to Go Before We Sleep JEFF GORDINIER 133 Job No. 51 Executive Director and Job No. 52 Psychic Medium OLIVERDAVIES.BLOGSPOT.COM 144 Pimp OLIVIA CHIA-LIN LEE 149 The Woot Files MONICA HSIUNG WOJCIK 159 Sleepy Head HOTCOFFEEGIRL.SQUARESPACE.COM 170 The Answer That Increasingly Appeals ROBIN BLACK 173 North Pole, South Pole, the Sea Of Carcinoma DEV HATHAWAY 188 Thirteen More Ways of Looking at a Blackbird DORIE BARCMANN 210 What Is the Future of Diagnostic Medicine? MICHAEL ROSENWALD 220 Like a Complete Unknown MIMINEWYORK.BLOGSPOT.COM 233 My Mother's Touch ALEXIS WIGGINS 236 66 Signs That the Former Student Who Invited You to Dinner Is Trying to Seduce You LORI SODERLIND 238 Wild Flavor KARL TARO GREENFELD 247 Notes on the Space We Take BONNIE J. ROUCH 271 Tell Me Again Who Are You? HEATHER SELLERS 281 About the Contributors 321 Credits 327