The article I chose was published in The New York Times November 4, 2017, by Laura Hilgers. The title is “Let’s Open Up About Addiction and Recovery.” I found the lead in this newspaper article particularly well-written and captivating. The lead went as follows:

“Fay Zenoff recently met a friend for dinner at a sushi restaurant in Sausalito, Calif. After they were seated, a waitress asked if they’d like wine with dinner. Her friend ordered sake. Ms. Zenoff declined. “Not for me,” she said. “I’m celebrating 10 years of sobriety this weekend.”

Because of the stigma attached to addiction, Ms. Zenoff, who is 50, took a risk speaking so openly. But when she and her friend finished eating, the waitress reappeared. This time she carried ice cream with a candle in it and was accompanied by fellow members of the restaurant staff. They stood beside Ms. Zenoff’s table, singing “Happy Birthday.” The evening, Ms. Zenoff recalled, was “just amazing.”

This lead works because the writer keeps the reader anticipating the why behind the subject’s story. I found the waitress’s reaction to Ms. Zenoff’s the most interesting part of the lead. It ended with a simple, yet great, quote. This is an example of a narrative lead which tells a story that includes dialogue, scene setting, and gives off subtle clues to what might happen next. This lead also focuses on a person, Fay Zenoff, and tells her story of sobriety.