The Brief Reads of Eli Saslow

This is our monthly series of briefreads written by some of the most respected bylines to date. It’s a look at how these reporters got to where they are now — at national magazines, writing novels, winning major awards — because they mastered great stories on deadline. We ask: Can you see the evolution of a journalist?

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“Eli Saslow is the best sportswriter in the country. Well, he was.” Now, the Washington Post reporter who covers the life of President Obama will release his first book (“Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President”) this October. Funny, a decade ago, Saslow was cutting vegetables in a college cafeteria.

Here’s a gander at the stories that show how far Saslow’s talents have taken him:

“Saslow bids farewell after heeding words from latest sage,” The Daily Orange, December 6, 2002
My hands blistered from the wooden knife handle. My neck cramped from staring down at the cutting board. My legs ached because I wasn’t allowed to sit down. I made barely $30. . . That’s when I decided to be a sports writer.

“Grabbing Life by the Horns,” The Washington Post, August 13, 2006
There's no room for fear in this business, so Johnny Williams limps onto a field filled with 1,800-pound bulls.

“The Old Ba’ Game,” The Washington Post, December, 2007
He took a swig and handed back the flask. Then he lifted himself up over a wall and dropped back into the riot.

“Three Minutes to Fort Totten,” The Washington Post, June 28, 2009
It was the front half of Car 1079. But in the first instant, it appeared as a rolling, roaring wave that was coming closer and closer. Carpeting near Bottoms's feet began to rise up and crumple like tissue paper. The wave swept within 15 feet in front of Bottoms . . . 10 feet . . . 7.

“Dear Mr. President,” The Washington Post, March 31, 2010
He had always preferred to write by hand, using a yellow legal pad to craft sections of his autobiography and his campaign speeches. Now he took out a black fountain pen and started to write in the top left corner.

"Jennifer," he began.

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Post your favorite Eli Saslow briefreads or tweet us @briefreads. Who else's career should we look back at? (Send us the journalist and the briefreads that made the reporter.)

-eddie