Jimmy Breslin

“Do not. Confuse me. With. The facts. I tell the truth.”
―Jimmy Breslin

The first-ever biography of America’s greatest crime reporter

In a newspaper career spanning decades, Jimmy Breslin covered the stories that he knew mattered most: the human stories beyond the front page. From the JFK assassination, to the Son of Sam killings, mafia heists, the Crown Heights riots, and the Occupy movement, Breslin’s influential columns captured the lifebeat of the second half of the 20th century. A quintessential New Yorker, Breslin rubbed shoulders with world leaders and neighborhood arsonists, profiled JFK’s gravedigger, and elicited letters from the Son of Sam killer during his reign of terror, all recounted in columns that were personal, blunt, and the truth―at least Jimmy’s version of it.

Jimmy Breslin: The Man Who Told the Truth is the first biography of the legendary writer, vividly portrayed by Richard Esposito, a former colleague of the Big Man. From Breslin’s humble beginnings as a copy boy, to winning the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, the writer’s life was as fascinating as any of his subjects. With the full cooperation of Breslin’s estate, and interviews with countless of Breslin’s former coworkers, friends, and enemies, Esposito has crafted a meticulous and revealing portrait of a complex man who bared his soul to the world in column inches.

Learn more at manwhotoldthetruthbook.com.

A loving ode to a dedicated journalist and the bygone era in which he made his mark.”
—Publishers Weekly

Entertaining and detailed . . . A lively portrait of the legendary New York crime reporter and columnist.”
—Kirkus

Thanks to this biography of my friend and colleague, Jimmy Breslin, you will experience the essence of New York City, and also of a writer who ignored all hierarchies of race, class, gender and nation. I miss him everyday.”
—Gloria Steinem

Buy the book. You can never have too much Breslin.”
—Nick Pileggi, screenwriter of Goodfellas

Jimmy died in the end but it’s a terrific read.”
—Bob Hardt, NY Political Director, Spectrum News

[Esposito’s] writing captures Breslin the man and not just the myth.”
—AirMail

Esposito’s book is a fizzy, entertaining, rather patriotic time machine, told through the Pulitzer winner’s many true crime adventures.”
—USA Today

Richard Esposito has served as Senior Executive Producer, Investigations, NBC News and Senior Investigative Reporter at ABC News. He has received the George Polk Award for Television Reporting and is a five-time Emmy Award winner. Past positions include news executive positions at the New York Daily News and at New York Newsday, where he was City Editor and a member of a team awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Learn more about his latest book, Jimmy Breslin: The Man Who Told the Truth, at manwhotoldthetruthbook.com.