Traveling to Mexico in 1886 with her mother as chaperone, Bly talked with all manner of Mexicans, from the elite to the poorest peasants. Her stories on the living conditions of the poor and the shortcomings of Mexican democracy almost got her arrested, but she escaped back over the border with her notes in her petticoats, pretending to be a niece of President Porfirio Diaz. Her book Six Months in Mexico (1888) brought her enough acclaim that she felt ready to tackle New York. When she arrived in the city Bly repeatedly tried to see Joseph Pulitzer. One day after waiting several hours to see him, she finally forced her way into his office and persuaded him to break his own rule against hiring female reporters. Bly's willingness to take great personal risks to get a story fueled the competition among New York papers and...