Always Go

Always Go is a gripping memoir charting journalist Girish Gupta's tumultuous decade as a foreign correspondent. Set against wild, on-the-ground reporting covering Venezuela's transformation into a failed state, as well as conflicts and crises across the globe, it depicts the collision of idealism and reality, and the search for purpose when the very institutions meant to uphold truth fall short. Gupta's journey begins with a youthful dream to hold power to account and culminates in profound disillusionment with the industry to which he dedicates himself.

Inspired by his mother—an immigrant who saved her son from a rough neighborhood and her abusive husband, instilling a fierce sense of justice in him—Gupta graduates with a Master's in Physics from a top university. Despite being the first in his family line to go to college, he is drawn not to stability, but to raw and unpredictable international crises, yearning for adventure and a truth more tangible than that of theoretical physics. Thus, he buys a one-way ticket, armed with little more than tenacity.

Gupta begins his career as a freelance journalist and is quickly catapulted into the heart of Venezuela's escalating humanitarian crisis, which in the 2010s leads to millions earning a dollar a month, significant food shortages, general insecurity, and rampant inflation. He navigates the country's dangerous city streets and remote jungles, covering everything from prison riots, months-long street violence, multi-billion-dollar corruption, and political upheaval. He delves into the surreal absurdities of hyperinflation where he learns to game the system, profiting by living in a five-star hotel for more than two years, and flying all over the world for next to nothing. His work appears in the world's most prestigious news outlets, including Reuters, where he becomes a Senior Correspondent, TIME Magazine, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and dozens of others. His journey takes him from wildcat gold and diamond mines deep in the Amazon's "Lost World" jungles to the war against ISIS in northern Iraq.

Against the backdrop of Venezuela's unprecedented collapse—from Hugo Chávez's final election and death through Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian consolidation—Gupta chronicles a nation's disintegration. This proves to be a precursor to the democratic backsliding and authoritarian tendencies that would similarly surface in the United States during the Trump era. He witnesses hyperinflation render a million-dollar investment worth seven dollars in just four years, documents election fraud with internal electoral council data, and exposes corruption at the highest levels of government. His investigations and real-time tracking of economic indicators through his mobile app provide readers with an unparalleled ground-level view of how a country with the world's largest oil reserves descended into a humanitarian crisis, forcing millions to flee.

As Gupta travels the world, hones his craft, and achieves success beyond that which he ever dreamed, a deeper, more troubling story emerges. He witnesses rampant mismanagement and fabrication by the industry's most respected news outlets firsthand, and wild egos which trump everything—such as when Reuters’ bosses ignore warzone safety issues, or the editor of the New York Times belittles his reporting when Gupta calls out his paper’s substance-less claims. His idealism is continually challenged by the stark realities of the industry: the exploitation of reporters earning just a few dollars a day, ethical compromises such as ignoring fabrication made in pursuit of prestige, alarming security lapses that endanger reporters' lives, and superficial engagement with complex global crises that prioritizes clicks and awards over truth. Gupta watches as this damages not only his career, but society’s understanding of the world.

Over time, as Gupta steadily rises professionally—earning a six-figure salary with unlimited expenses, breaking major stories, winning accolades—he discovers that journalism's upper echelons operate as an exclusive club. Unpaid internships filter out the working class. Star reporters treat stringers as servants. Editors simply ignore reporters. Gupta navigates the invisible barriers of class that permeate international journalism—from colleagues who casually mention diplomat parents to editors who assume everyone can afford to work for prestige rather than pay. Alongside this professional odyssey runs a love story: his relationship with Alexandra, a fellow journalist who becomes his partner in both investigation and life, offering joy and stability amid the chaos.

Always Go peels back the veneer of glamour associated with foreign correspondence. Gupta's personal quest for justice, a direct inheritance from his mother's hard-fought battles, becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile with the systemic failings he observes. He finds that skill, dedication, and the willingness to always go are often met with indifference or incompetence from the very institutions that claim to champion truth and tenacity. The narrative explores the profound emotional and psychological toll of bearing witness not only to human suffering, but also to the lack of integrity within his chosen profession. The tragedy is that these failings not only damage the public's trust but also the dedicated individuals who sacrifice so much to tell the world's stories. The book crescendos into a searing indictment of institutional betrayal that leaves Gupta—and countless other talented journalists—abandoning the profession they once loved.

In all, this memoir is an unflinching but loving critique from someone who experienced journalism at its best—working alongside dedicated colleagues who risked everything—and at its worst—when institutional failures betrayed those trying to uphold its ideals. It's a story for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, who has strived against the odds, only to question the very meaning of their success. It's about the fight to maintain one's values in a compromised world.

The narrative combines the immediacy of on-the-ground dispatches with the considered analysis of later reflection. Journal entries, personal emails, and vivid recollections create an "in-the-moment" feel, capturing the urgency and raw emotion of the events. This is balanced by Gupta's later insights, where he uses his analytical skills to dissect his experiences and the broader implications for journalism. The tone is honest, often vulnerable, and deeply self-aware, avoiding heroic posturing in favor of a more relatable human struggle.

Drawing on nearly a decade of front-line reporting, Always Go offers readers both an essential understanding of major humanitarian crises and a powerful call for greater transparency, accountability, and humanity within the profession tasked with explaining our world—a raw, compelling, and ultimately hopeful journey of a reporter who dared to question the rules of the game. It's a story for anyone who has worked twice as hard for half the recognition, and who has questioned whether meritocracy is just another myth the powerful tell themselves.