Paper of Wreckage, Susan Mulcahy
Paper of Wreckage, Susan Mulcahy
List: $39.99 | Sale: $28.00
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Paper of Wreckage
An Oral History of the New York Post, 1976-2024

Author: Susan Mulcahy, Frank DiGiacomo

Narrator: Carlotta Brentan, Cassandra Campbell, Amanda Dolan, Kevin R. Free, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Leon Nixon, Fred Sanders, Eric Yang, Jade Wheeler

Unabridged: 24 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2024


Synopsis

A “lively and sprawling” (The New York Times) oral history of the New York Post and the legendary tabloid’s cultural impact from the 1970s to today as recounted by the men and women who witnessed it firsthand.

By the 1970s, the country’s oldest continuously published newspaper had fallen on hard times, just like its nearly bankrupt hometown. When the New York Post was sold to a largely unknown Australian named Rupert Murdoch in 1976, staffers hoped it would be a new beginning for the paper.

Now, after the nearly fifty years Murdoch has owned the tabloid, American culture reflects what Murdoch first started in the 1970s: a celebrity-focused, noisy, one-sided media empire that reached its zenith with Fox News.

Drawing on extensive interviews with key players and in-depth research, this eye-opening, wildly entertaining oral history shows us how we got to this point. “It’s a juicy, gonzo slice of New York history” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) full of bad behavior, inflated egos, and a corporate culture that rewarded skirting the rules and breaking norms. But working there was never boring and now, you can discover the entire remarkable true story of America’s favorite tabloid newspaper.

About Susan Mulcahy

Susan Mulcahy started at the New York Post as a copygirl while still in college. She worked at “Page Six” from 1978 to 1985, including three years as editor, before moving to Newsday to write a rival column. She has also written for The New Yorker and The New York Times.

About Frank DiGiacomo

Frank DiGiacomo worked as a “Page Six” freelancer in the late 1980s and became an editor of the column from 1991 to 1993. He has since worked as a writer and editor, covering media and the entertainment business, for Vanity FairThe Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard, where he is currently an executive editor.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Audrey on July 20, 2024

3.5 For the most part, I really enjoyed this. It was the perfect marriage of my Majored In Journalism and Wrote Celebrity Gossip subplots and it was just so fun to dive into the chaos of a classic, old-school newsroom. I did find myself wanting slightly more content/context—whether that be more secti......more

Goodreads review by Jack on January 14, 2025

Humor is the greatest gift and few things are more enjoyable than a truly funny book. I speak of Paper of Wreckage—an oral history of the NY Post written by 2 writers, Susan Mulcahey and Frank Digiacomo, who worked there off and on over the years. They interviewed 240 former and current staff involv......more

Goodreads review by Dan on March 22, 2025

H.L. Mencken on the ideal tabloid: "It should be printed throughout, as First Readers are printed, in words of one syllable. It should avoid every idea that is beyond the understanding of a boy of ten. It should print no news about anything that morons are not interested in." NYC tabloid (but not......more

Goodreads review by Lindy on March 25, 2025

For anyone who is a news junkie, this book is must reading. It’s an oral history of the New York Post from the days under owner Dorothy Schiff, through its purchase by Rupert Murdoch, its eventual sale and its re-purchase by Murdoch. It was a playpen: the book is full of news making, sex and affairs......more

Goodreads review by Janalyn, the blind reviewer on October 24, 2024

Paper Of Wreckage by Susan Mulcahy and Frank DiGiacomo, this book is about the New York post after banking heiress Dorothy schiff sold it to Rupert Murdock in the 70s. When Dorothy owned the post it was a liberal newspaper but Rupert Murdoch bought the paper and turned it into something reminiscent......more