Joseph Mitchell is the author of Joe Gould’s Secret, one of our required readings for this course. Like other readings given to us in class, Mitchell’s writing style is very admirable. As in many books of this style, Mitchell uses very descriptive language, which helps paint a picture for readers. Though descriptive, Mitchell is able to write in a way that is not overly flowery. He has a great sense of words.

He describes his character Joe Gould as one of the last Bohemians in Greenwich Village. “All the others fell by the wayside. Some are in the grave, some are in the loony bin, and some are in the advertising business.” Gould also lives a very difficult life. He is affected by homelessness, hunger, and hangovers, and sleeps wherever he can, whether it be in the subway or at a friend’s home. Such circumstances make Joe Gould’s Secret a very interesting read. His life, in combination with Mitchell’s writing style, makes the book definitely recommendable to anybody interested in feature writing.