The Last Magazine

Synopsis

A posthumous debut novelwry, wise, and outrageousfrom award-winning journalist Michael Hastings, based on his experiences working for Newsweek The year is 2002. Weekly news magazines dominate the political agenda in New York and Washington. A young journalist named Michael M. Hastings is an intern at the Magazine, wet behind the ears, the only one in the office who has actually read his coworkers books. He will stop at nothing to turn his internship into a full-time position and has figured out just who to impress: Nishant Patel, the international editor, and Sanders Berman, managing editorboth vying for the job of editor-in-chief. While Berman and Nishant try to one-up each other pontificating on cable news, A. E. Peoriathe one reporter seemingly doing any workis having a career crisis. He has just returned from Chad, where instead of reporting on the genocide, he was told by his editors to focus on mobile-phone outsourcing, as its more relevant. Then suddenly, the United States invades Iraqand all hell breaks loose. As Hastings loses his navet about the journalism game, he must choose where his loyalties lie: with the men at the Magazine who can advance his career or with his friend in the field who is reporting the truth. The Last Magazine is the debut novel from Michael Hastings, discovered in his files after his death in June 2013. Based on Hastings own experiences, it is funny, sharp, and fast-paced, a great book about the news games final days in the tradition of Evelyn Waughs Scoop, Hunter S. Thompsons The Rum Diary, and Calvin Trillins Floater.