Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Chloe Weiner.

Journalists are expected to maintain a certain distance from their subjects in order to stay objective.

But in practice, that doesn't always happen, especially when it comes to long form in-depth reporting.

Today on the show, we'll hear two journalists think about the kind of intimacy they have with their subjects.

In a bit, we'll hear from New Yorker writer Susan Orlean about where she found inspiration

for some of her most famous stories, like The Orc Thief.

But first, Beth Macy returns to her hometown, Urbana, Ohio, in her new memoir, Papergirl.

Over the years, she said she's felt changes there, changes that have resulted in higher rates of

unemployment and addiction, but also divisive politics, which she's felt even with her own

loved ones.

And she tells NPR's Elsa Chang that she wanted to tell that story of change by finding a subject

that was similar to herself.

More after the break.

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Writer Beth Macy grew up in Urbana, Ohio, a place that was rich in diversity and community,

even if she grew up in what she describes as a poor, dysfunctional family.

It was a rough growing up, but I had one stable parent, which I really want to point out,

a grandmother next door that taught me how to

read was like my own private head start, and I had really, really good teachers.

Macy knew people on almost every block of every street. Her community helped raise her out of

...