5 comments about Foreign Correspondence: A Pen Pal's Journey from Down Under to All Over.

1. Foreign Correspondence - Geraldine Brooks
   3 stars
   Foreign Correspondence is a memoir of Geraldine Brook's childhood in Australia. She describes how she sought to expand the horizons of her suburban environment by corresponding with pen pals in several countries. As an adult she reflects on the ways her early letter writing was a factor leading to her career as a journalist and war correspondent. In the last third of the book, Brooks recounts her efforts to meet her former pen pals as adults.
   This was a pleasant, insightful memoir. Brooks did a good job of tying the individual stories of her various pen pals together. I was reminded of the episodic structure of People of the Book.



2. This book is supposed to be about an Australian girl who locates and finally visits her diverse teenage pen-pals after years have lapsed and they are all adults. Geraldine Brooks writes from her own true-life experience, and contrasts her teen fantasies with the realities she finds in each of her friends' lives. The search for the adult pen-pals covers only about the last third of the book, however.
   
   The most interesting part, for me, was the author's descriptions of growing up in Sydney, AU in the 60's and 70's. I have a connection to Australia because my sister lives there, so my interest may be greater than that of the average reader. I found this a pleasant and easy read, with a mild "surprise" at the end.



3. "Foreign Correspondence" by Geraldine Brooks was another well written and entertaining work. Ms. Brooks weaves her stories to a beautiful finish! Her others books, "The People of The Book," "Years of Wonder," and "March" have been wonderful reads for me in the last 6 months!



4. Geraldine Brooks has written a book that I can empathise with. I think of how I might have had that life in Australia had my parents not returned to England in the 1930's. I wanted, and still do, very much to talk to the author and ask her questions as she is such a good writer with a warm personality.



5. I have read several of Brooks' books (both her non-fiction and fiction) and I was excited to rec'e and read Foreign Correspondance. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed.

   The book has an outstanding premise---as a child growing up in Australia during the 1960s, Brooks was eager to experience the outside world. An avid letter writer, she found pen-pals in the U.S., Israel and France. As an adult, Brooks set off to meet and re-discover these people. So far so good. But the book peters out---with the exception of the American pen-pal (to whom she was closest), the characters lack enough detail to be interesting.

   Her meeting with her French pen-pal was especially disappointing. This was a girl who chose to remain in her native village (while Brooks became a world-traveler and global correspondant). I hoped for more insights and more discussion of the contrast and why they chose such radically different paths---despite coming from somewhat similar backgrounds (Brooks saw herself as living in a giant provincial village---the village of Australia). But there was little discussion and the meeting simply sounded painful. Her trip to Israel to meet her non-Jewish Israeli pen-pal would also have benefitted from a deeper discussion about one's choices and opportunities (there was some discussion of this but I wanted to know more).

   Had I not read Brooks' other books, I probably would have thought this was a fairly good book. But I know she can write such a better book!

5 comments about Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson.

1. Don't let these negative reviews, apparently written by candy-assed cretins with rose-colored contacts screwed into their eyeballs, keep you from inhaling this most excellent volume.
   Wenner et. al. are in no way "bashing" Hunter, simply telling it straight - TAANSTAAFL, and Hunter was a hellacious buffet.
   Also made me feel much better about his death - I was afraid he had, if you'll pardon the expression,"jumped the gun", but apparently not so much.
   Selah.



2. Hunter S Thompson was a true American original. His best works help define the "New Journalism" of the 1960s and 1970s. Hunter's colleagues at Rolling Stone attempt to explain the man in Gonzo, a 2007 "oral biography." While readers may disagree with some of the things that are said in the book, it is a true page turner.
   
   The book contains a good overview of Hunter's life from his boyhood in Louisville through his 2005 suicide. Unsurprisingly, the strongest sections are on the middle and later years of his life, when the people at Rolling Stone knew him best. The reader leaves Gonzo with a good idea of just what it was like to try to work with Hunter. I think that Gonzo also does a good job of explaining Hunter's maverick appeal.
   
   The negative reviews of Gonzo on this site surprise me. Many readers feel that this book is overly negative. While I admire Hunter, I think that only a pollyanna could believe that his lifestyle was costless. In my opinion, Hunter's contributions to journalism largely ended in the early-1970s. For the rest of his life, he was more of a performance artist, playing a version of Uncle Duke, than a writer.
   
   Certainly, there is plenty of negative material in Gonzo. The reader learns that Hunter was an abusive husband, an absent father, and a narcissist. One of the surprises to me was that Hunter had actually made a one-week attempt at rehab in the 1980s. I don't think that Gonzo is a hatchet job, but Hunter does emerge as an ambivalent figure.
   
   Gonzo is great reading. I tore through its 400+ pages in about 24 hours. Find a copy and read it.



3. I picked this book up without reading much about it, and without reading what Anita Thompson had to say (wow). Yes...this is another book about Hunter S. Thompson, one of many to be released since his death, and one in a longer line to come. The Jann Wenner connection made it sound 'juicy' from the get-go.
   
   Overall, having read most of the book (you don't have to go front-to-back since it breaks up the life and career of HST into succinct chapters of quotes), I don't get the real feeling it's a hatchet job through and through. Sure, Wenner and HST, after a glorious beginning, had problems, with Wenner trying everything he could to lure the writer back to Rolling Stone. But I found a lot of love and affection for HST coming from most, if not all, of those interviewed. Yes, Wenner is making another buck off HST, and will likely continue to pen something on the man here and there, or at least contribute forwards for years to come. But this is about perspective, and this summary of the writer's life is no more 'definitive' than any other.
   
   The book is divided into periods---'Hell's Angels' or 'Fear and Loathing--Vegas' or 'Height of Gonzo' or whatever. The book is a collection of quotes from many people in the writer's life, including Wenner, of course, as well as neighbors, editors, other celebrities, his family, etc. Each chapter jumps from person to person and they provide a detail, a memory, a thought, etc, like a documentary, going from talking head to talking head with flashbacks and postcards. Yes, Wenner is the biggest talking head, but he has much to say (even if yes, some of it is hatchet work to put Hunter's legend in perspective). After all, following the successful adventures under the Rolling Stone flag, the Gonzo mania drove Hunter away from his earlier dreams of being a serious figure and into a 'role' for the rest of his life and career.
   
   The book flows very well from thought to thought, and it goes way back, and way to the end. Especially insightful are the final two chapters, discussing the last few years of HST's life. While I think short-shrift is made of his later work---the ESPN writing and his collections and interviews---it does provide key insight into his last few years of physical decline. Though his seemingly mind was still sharp (despite the Herculean chemical intake), his body was giving out on him and the resulting pain became too much to bear. These details, though obviously very personal and painful, do provide some welcome context and gravity to the author's suicide in early 2005.
   
   Still recommending it for HST fans. Okay, it doesn't carry the seal of approval of everyone who ever knew him, but it's still people talking about Hunter, and providing some new insight, and should be read skeptically and with other bios and material on the legendary writer. Despite the criticism, it does not come off as a hateful Wenner screed that some have made it out to be. After all, why would Wenner want to totally destroy the man? He's still selling his books...



4. Some reviewers here seem to take exception to Jann Wenner's comments in this oral biography of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Having been a fan of Hunter for years, I didn't find anything insulting or derogatory in what Wenner had to say. Let's be honest here, someone as wild as Hunter is bound to ruffle a few feathers along the way.
   
   I thought GONZO presented a well-rounded picture of a talented artist who eventually became prisoner to his public persona. Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted off Thompson's writing and came to bare on his chemical-fueled lifestyle. It seems clear reading this that Thompson came to somewhat regret his public image, wishing instead to be known for his writing and not his diet of alcohol and narcotics. It makes for a tragic story and an interesting read. That is, of course, if you're interested in Thompson the man and not Thomopson the public image.



5. For anybody who's read through H.S.T's entire library, for anybody looking for another part of the story, for anybody looking to add to their accumulated knowledge of Dr Gonzo...this book is for you...It's a great, extremely accessible book.
   
   The only people that should stay away from this title are those that are so uptight & tightly wound, that are so concerned with preserving a myth rather than telling a story, that would rather read (or release or publish or allow) the same monotonous versions of the same rehashed stories time & time & time again...
   
   (...monotonous is probably an exaggeration, especially in HST's case...)
   
   I don't understand all this great decrying of this book based on the fact that HST's wife "disapproved".
   
   Who cares?
   
   There's many stories here from the people that knew Hunter Thompson best, & they each have the right to see & tell things as individually as the man they're busy describing....
   
   When they each & all come out & say they were conned & baited & paid off, I'll change my humble opinion.....
   
   Until then, I'll continue reading & laughing & cursing & waiting for releases of the next couple Hunter books to be allowed...or at the very least, morally approved of....

5 comments about Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir.

1. The audio-book touches on many aspects of the illnesses with clarity and honesty.
   He is not pretentious and for a not sufferer the reading taught me a lot.
   The author is admitting his shortcoming and willingness to improve making his work inspiring. He talks about the care he receive and at the same time offer to the loved one.
   Richard writes with uninhibited honesty many aspects of his personal life and relationship: "privacy belongs to the one's that cannot admit his own limits to himself." Relationships are in fact a central role in all our lives.
   I like listening to the book and I recommend it to anyone that likes biographical work.



2. A very moving memoir of a man who has lived with MS since the age of 25. Cohen is 60 now and still "coping" - a term and a life strategy which gets much ink here. In a discussion of this book with a friend who had already read it, he characterized it as a kind of literate good-news-bad-news-joke. God told Cohen, "The bad news is I've given you MS; the good news is I'm also giving you Meredith Vieira." Point taken, I suppose. But this is a story of a very difficult life lived with courage coupled with a very important and quirky sense of humor. When Cohen discovered later in life that he also had colon cancer - not once, but twice - it was nearly too much to bear. But bear it he does, and he tells you the whole messy business too, leaving very little to the imagination. He admits it was nearly a breaking point in his marriage, and also admits he was not a very nice person to be around. But his wife and kids stuck with him. This is, to put it in a nutshell, just one hell of a good book. I admire Cohen tremendously for all he has endured. But hey, he did have Meredith, so ... Great read; I recommend it highly. - Tim Bazzett, author of PINHEAD: A LOVE STORY



3. I am glad to see that this book helped MS sufferers, so that it perhaps will do some good to persons who don't mind the quality of the prose. I was quite surprised and disappointed in the writing given Mr. Cohen's journalistic background: I found the sentences abrupt and the use of cliched phrasing abundant. Nor does Mr. Cohen himself seem particularly contemplative about what he has undergone. It may be that journalistic style simply does not lend itself to describing the understanding of an experience; it is useful to report what happens, but the nuances of an evolved response get lost. Many of the sentences and paragraphs read like bullets in a memo describing an atrocity (no argument about the diseases both being that). At the very least the book needed a sympathetic editor who could smooth out the jagged prose, but perhaps also draw more emotional processing out of him--or have postponed the book.



4. Richard Cohen is a newscaster and journalist with the big networks. In this memoir he ponders his life - the professional challenges he incurs and the Multiple Sclerosis he has had since he was 23 years old.
   
   What is resilience, courage, self-esteem? What makes him feel like a diminished person in his own view and that of others? Mr. Cohen reflects on these questions and the challenges he faces as he tries to understand his life as a person with chronic illness.
   
   I wondered about his alcohol use. Was he self-medicating? Was his drinking an act of self-destruction?
   
   I was also left with a distinct question. What are the genetic components of Multiple Sclerosis? Mr. Cohen's father and aunt both were afflicted with the disease.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone who has struggled with a serious illness or knows someone they care for who has a serious illness.



5. This book was so helpful. His descriptions of the MS symptoms and the struggles with who to tell and not tell about the disease really hit home. It is so good to know others with MS have the same problem. Thank you for your insight and courage to "tell the world".

5 comments about This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV.

1. a terrific first hand report of American political history (1960-present) by a professional journalist. The writing style is superb. His days covering the police beat in Texas gave him a career in reporting, not just reading the news.



2. I am leading a discussion on this book in two days. I began knowing little about Schieffer; I'm an NBC/Meet the Press viewer. I found my opinion changing as I read the book. Some of the drag early on came from his blinding ambition and delusion-slight chance of Cronkite replacement? Some of my favorite presidential coverage was Johnson, Nixon, McGovern where his subtitle makes the most sense. I found the review of the changes in broadcast journalism from hard news to story telling and entertainment interesting because he adapted surprisingly well, but room for book editing here. He calls himself an independent although his roots were in the democratic party, and I think he clearly assesses the strengths and weaknesses of both parties' presidents with just a lingering question about the limited Reagan coverage. He's willing to change his mind (Ford pardon) and Nixon praise at his death. He doesn't omit his personal issues with alcohol, caffeine, and sleep deprivation and lack of quality time at home. I am glad I didn't stop reading as I was tempted to do around 20% of the way in. As a good journalist knows how to do, he'd hook me again and again with well crafted anecdotes, as I was getting annoyed at the detail on budget cuts, leadership in CBS, and wanting to know something new. From the Pentagon, White House, State Department, and Congressional beats, he has quite the distinguished career and continues to outlast them all on Face the Nation and chief Washington correspondent.



3. For those who began watching the evening news in the 1960's, Bob Schieffer's autobiographical history of TV and politics is very entertaining and insightful. The country HAS changed very significantly since the 1960's in its media habits - generally for the worse. This book should help to raise awareness of the role that the main media played in shaping context, providing balance, educating audiences and creating some level of common knowledge in the past. It may have been biased (left or right), but not obviously or stridently so. The evolution of Fox News as an actively right-wing reporter and MSNBC tip-toeing out on the left provides entertainment, but further reduces the prospects for the Nixon/Agnew "silent majority" to be informed and a constructive influence on politics and civic discourse



4. I got the book to have it signed by its author Bob Schieffer. Unfortunately, the book was not in a good condition at all. Half of the front page was ripped off and there was a "low prize" button on the cover that I could not get off.



5. Schieffer is a good storyteller and has seen a lot of important news from the last 40 years. He also manages to have something nice to say about nearly everyone he discusses. This book is certainly not a spiteful political diatribe, and is generally very pleasant.
   
   I gave the book 4 stars because of one small point that nagged me as I read the book. For the Nixon era, he interviews many of the important players in Nixon's administration, or at least consults their memoirs, including Nixon himself, Melvin Laird and H.R. Haldeman. The one glaring exception is Chuck Colson, who has written very thoughtfully about the role he played in the Nixon administration, is very contrite for the crimes he committed during that period, and has done a world of good in this country's prisons since having served his own time. Colson very candidly described the m.o. of the administration as a flawed "ends justifies the means" mentality. Why would Schieffer not interview him, or at least consult the significant body of work Colson has produced on the subject?
   
   In general though, I thought it was a very evenhanded and fair-minded account, and Schieffer deserves kudos.

5 comments about Big Russ and Me.

1. until I read this book. I did enjoy the book, reading about his childhood and his father. I also found his Catholic upbringing very interesting to read about. He was very devout in his religion. I loved hearing about the Nuns and Priests that taught him.
   
   I wish that he would have written more about his mother and three sisters. They were barely mentioned in the book. I would like to know how he got along with his sisters, the kind of influence his mother was on him, etc., but none of that was talked about. When his parents were divorced it was mentioned but glossed over very quickly which I found odd.
   
   Toward the end of the book when the chapters turned to politics it was all about him, and only a mention here or there of his father. He had grown up and moved out by that point, so I'm sure his father wasn't as central a figure in his life as he had been, but still, this book was supposed to be about him and his father, not just himself.
   
   The book wasn't sequential at all, which I found very confusing. One minute he's telling a story from his childhood and the next he's going to college. It was hard to keep track of how old he was or what was going on because there was no timeline.
   
   Overall an okay book. Not gripping and not one that I had a hard time putting down.



2. I am very disappointed in the quality of this CD. The second time we listened to this book it had noisy flaws on the CD's and could not listen to the story.



3. my book arrived promptly and in great shape. i would buy from this seller again.



4. Big Russ and Me was a gift to my husband for Father's Day. He loved it and insisted I read it when he was finished. Frankly, I felt I had already read it as he kept reading different parts of it to me. It made us both yearn for a simpler life. His respect for authority was taught to him by his father and had a profound affect on his life. A fast read you'll never regret.



5. You can clearly hear Tim Russert's voice as you read this book. There were so many connections that I could make to his family, growing up, and the problems and decisions he encountered. I didn't want the book to end. I bought this copy for my son-in-law who is an avid reader. I know he will have great connections to his dad. Recently, he became the father of a son as well. I know he will think about all the life lessons that he will want to pass on to his son.

5 comments about Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War and the Aftermath as Seen by NPR's Correspondent Anne Garrels.

1. National Public Radio's Iraqi correspondent Anne Garrels stirred an uproar in October 2007 when she aired a story based on information extracted by torture, propelling her memoir of the war's early days back into the spotlight. Garrels has remained controversial among American journalists for her ability to cultivate sources close to the insurgency and the Ba'ath regime. She was one of few Western journalists to remain in Baghdad after the American invasion, assisted by a taxi driver who routed her around the government restrictions normally placed on reporters. She transmitted stories to Morning Edition via an illegal cell phone, often broadcasting in the nude (hence the title) because Iraqi police would not barge in on an unclothed woman, buying her time to stash her equipment in the event that she was apprehended.



2. The only way this book could be enhanced is to have a CD of her broadcasts for NPR. Unfortunately I live in a part of the country where NPR broadcasts are hard to get and it could have made it even better. Unfortunately because I didn't get to hear the broadcasts I could only guess at their content from what the book mentioned. She writes well and seems to find the "hidden stories". Her husband's e-mails are a great voice from the other side of the correspondents life. Itr only adds to the pleasure that he is also a great writer. He had me laughing at some points I certainly hadn't expected to laugh. Overall though the book is great and highly recommended, however I'm sure it's even better if you've heard her NPR reports.



3. Enough good words have been said about the book. But ultimately, this book is not about the war. That's why readers who expected to get detailed war stories will be disappointed.
   
   It's about true journalism. Annie showed us the grace under fire, the courage to pursuit the truth, the genuine care for the people she reported on, and above all, the dedication to give a voice to the people who couldn't speak for themselves.



4. As a listener to NPR, I feel so much closer to Garrels after learning the backstory behind her reports from the trenches of Iraq. She has extreme skill and intuition at conducting herself in a foreign country, at making people willing to talk, at befriending the right people.
   
   I learned a lot about how much the Iraqi government practiced supression in the old regime. People were terrified for their lives if they talked to foreign reporters, and Garrels had to pay many bribes to get press credentials. When leaving Iraq, corrupt officials invent tests and fees for Garrels and her assistant to pay. Her stories humanized the Iraqi conflict for me--I met both crooks and good guys through Garrels.
   
   Garrels has a great storytelling style. She'll tell an anecdote and then end with a biting one line zinger. She's as taltened on paper as she is on the air, and I'll be watching for more from this amazing woman.



5. Learning Iraq from her is totally different than Television. This is another perspective to war. It is possible to find Iraqi individuals feelings about all situation. Book gives you Iraq before the war, during the war, and after the war. This historical event is explained very well. Book name comes from her naked reporting. Because, she was hiding her satellite phone from Iraqi officers. During the broadcast she reports naked and if officer comes she will say them she is naked and gets extra time for hiding the phone before open the door. Also she slips away from AIDS test due to her age.
   
   This is another must read book for Iraq war.

5 comments about Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War.

1. It's been awhile since I remember reading a Bob Greene column, and my memory was that they were charming and well-written. Not this book. It is padded, repetitive and remarkably dull a lot of the time given the subject matter that should be full of opportunity for a skilled journalist. Other reviewers here have put it best when they said the book is really a magazine article stretched too far. Greene has an interesting concept--weaving in his own father's life, war service and death with the story of Paul Tibbets, of Enola Gay fame. But he never comes close to making it work most of the time. For instance, he seems to quote everything Tibbets says, no matter how mundane. It's rather amazing that he barely dips more than toe deep into the man's life before, during or after Enola Gay. In the end, Tibbets just comes across as a slightly cranky uncle who you really don't want to see except at the holidays. In the same way, Greene's dad seems to be a complex man--and at times Greene taps into that. More often than not, his dad's recorded statements are better written than his son's writing.



2. This is a great interwoven story of two WW II men: Mr. Greene's father and Paul W. Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, and of son Bob Greene, himself. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.



3. We received the book very timely. And it is a great read. I would recommend it to anyone.



4. This was absolutely a wonderful read. The author, through the time he spent with his dying father AND the time he spent with Paul Tibbets, brings to the reader two remarkable stories in one. It is a great book historically, and , I think, enables some of us to understand our own WWII fathers better. In any case, you will love this one!



5. Great book, I have grown to really like Bob Greene. I have bought many of his books and and reading them as fast as I can. This book brings the people who fought WWII for us and why they did it and makes them real. I am learning to really appreciate their sacrifices.

5 comments about Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World.

1. I am reading and drawing. I am writing and here in southern New Mexico, Alamogordo all by myself. I am sooo glad she found art to be a good tool for seeing detail. I'm seeing differently.
   I have seen color all my life but been afraid to express it. I grew up parttime in Maryland. The East Coast has its own flavor, but out West we command another kind of beauty. Natalies writings have been a good refresher for me. I'm excited to do a workshop up in Taos. Thanks.



2. I had never heard of Natalie Goldberg before this book was mentioned casually in an online journaling group. But the comment peaked my interest and I surely was not disappointed! I read the entire book in one sitting (during the first major snowstorm of '05!) There were many "ah ha" moments...and I especially enjoyed the chapter about her father...very emotionally moving and insightful. Highly recommended if you do visual art and are curious about what propels you.



3. Natalie's paintings are dazzling...she seems to have caught the emotional color of her subjects, the inner dance of things...it's essential magic. In the chapter titled "How I Paint", she says: " I noticed that the blue of my paints wasn't blue enough to get the intensity of that New Mexico sky. I painted the sky red instead. I painted Jazz yellow. He was a brown dog, but yellow expressed him better. Color became fluid".

   There's a chapter on her father, with 7 paintings of him, the first from '78, the last, '98...wonderful portraits, with a sadness in them, despite the vivid colors.
   Another chapter, "A Deep Source of my Writing", is about how her writing and painting are interrelated.

   She writes of her European travels, her visits to the Musee Matisse, Cezanne's studio, the Kafka Museum, and so much more...with an easy flow that makes reading a pleasure, but it's the paintings that captivate me.

   Her interiors are incredible..ordinary places like bathrooms and kitchens, turned into playgrounds of glorious color...her buildings and outdoor scenes are also amazing (her sense of perspective is fabulous !), but I love her cars best of all. If I could own one painting, it would be the green Chevy truck on page 22. It seems to have a face, with a side window that's winking at me.

   This is a very special book, so full of life and love. It makes me laugh, inspires me, gives me hope and warms my heart.




4. I can only echo the other rave reviews: This book is a must-own (not just a must-read) if you're an artist, a writer, or both. Even if you can't draw a stick figure, but have always wanted to be an artist, this book will set you on the path to creative expression. Don't just wish to be an artist... get this book, and start painting!



5. Don't lend it to a friend, guard it with your life! Ms. Goldberg's drawings are wondrous. I want to say that they remind me of David Hockney's work - but that wouldn't quite do it. Because her style is hers alone and it's magical! The accompanying text throughout gives you an understanding of her drawings - and how she's able to unleash that part of her creativity - and have FUN! I never fail to read the latest Natalie Goldberg book - her insights, her truthfulness about her struggles help me realize that we're all artists. Some of us are just a little freer and further along than the rest. Thank goodness Natalie keeps writing to show us paths that she's hewn for herself.

5 comments about A Reporter's Life.

1. That I am the first person to write a review on this book seems totally unimaginable to me. This is a book for every American, every journalist, every student, every historian or history buff. This is a book that should be read by any American who knows how to read. Walter not only tells us "the way it is," but how it was and how it isn't any longer. His commentary on the freedom of the press is, I would say, a modern, American equivalent of Milton's Areopagitica. This is a very bright, insightful, proud professional, champion of ethical journalism speaking here.
   
   Walter Cronkite was not famous for editorializing or commenting on the news during his long and notable career. He even admitted in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1980 after his retirement that his "lips were kind of buttoned for almost 20 years." He had just had his special series cancelled for speaking out too "liberally" on U.S. foreign policy at that time.
   
   He thought of himself as the front page and the editorial page he left to Edward R. Morrow, Eric Sevaride and others. He was a part of the "old" school. He dealt with the facts and verification. He was a hard working, competitive journalist. He prided himself on his professionalism and the moral and ethical aspects of journalist integrity.
   
   In "Walter Cronkite - a reporter's life" Walter takes us for the ride of a lifetime. We learn about his friends, his family, and his mom and dad. We learn of his early days peddling papers and the difficulties of adjusting to an alcoholic father. We see him as the average child of a middle income dentist. We follow his struggles and his squabbles as an underpaid, blue collar, print journalist until he becomes and "overnight" celebrity on the CBS Evening News. One day he is a struggling middle income wage laborer and the next day he is a big "rich guy" with an agent. And as we gawk out the windows of his tour bus we finally listen not only to his succinct descriptive phrases but his personal thoughts, ideas and commentary. At long last Walter finds the opportunity to get things off his chest.
   
   It does seem to me that this is Walter Cronkite's last hurrah. He pulls no punches; he tells it all. He expresses his views and opinions with very little room left for doubt. I imagine that there were a lot of folks left talking to themselves after reading this roundup of reporting by Mr. Cronkite.
   
   Walter reported the News for the majority of my life. He was reporting during World War II. He was there on D-day and was riding along, sometimes behind a machine gun, on bombing missions over Nazi Germany. After the war he sat in at Nuremberg and gave us the story. Then he was off to Russia to inform us on how Uncle Joe was running things behind the Iron Curtain. He was on the scene in Korea and in the Vietnam War. He was at the Kennedy inauguration and at the assassination. He was there with us all during the McCarthy hearings, at Watergate and Iran Contra and then off to the moon. He even did the "Beatles."
   
   All through the book there is emphasis on the ethics of proper journalism. Today nearly all news is commentary and editorializing with a minimum of reporting.
   
   Walter was a reporter and proud of it. "And that is the way it is" was his famous TV signoff. He was also given praise as the most trusted man in America.
   
   He gave his reports as the anchorman on CBS Evening News for almost 20 years. He broke into television in 1962 and left in 1981 at the age of 65.
   
   He comments frankly and without fear on Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Bush even Barbara Walters. He makes his feelings known on everything from civil rights and integration to the Kennedy assassination, Oliver Stone and our involvement in Vietnam.
   
   He joins a large and notable chorus when he states: "The evidence was clear, and is frequently forgotten today, that early on Kennedy was becoming disillusioned with the prospects of political reform in Saigon and disenchanted therefore with his own policy of support. And I have always believed that if he had lived, he would have withdrawn those advisers from Vietnam..."
   
   Water tells all but after he says it all and wraps it all up he closes with this rather shocking finale.
   "A Career can be called a success if one can look back and say: `I made a difference.' I don't feel I can do that. All of us in those early days of television felt, I'm sure, that we were establishing a set of standards that would be observed by, or at least have an influence on, generations of news professionals to come. How easily these (standards) were dismissed ..."
   
   Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
   "Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
   "A Summer with Charlie" Salisbury Beach, Lawrence YMCA
   "A Little Something: Poetry and Prose
   "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" Novel - Lawrence, Ma.
   "The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.
   "Noble Notes on Famous Folks" Humor - satire - facts.
   "America on Strike" American Labor - History



2. In the eyes of many, Walter Cronkite epitomizes what the television news broadcaster should be. He was reasonably objective and made it a goal to stay objective. In the present era of cable news networks, those in the mold of Cronkite would never fit the media mold.
   
   The book is essentially divided in two parts: biographical and observational. To my disappointment, the biographical portion jumps in sequence too frequently and with no apparent justification. Biographies are more effective when told chronologically. After the initial mess of an introduction, the book shows Cronkite going through the ranks of journalism. I particularly enjoyed his tales as a sportscaster. Chronkite gives insight into his interactions with world leaders and the events that surrounded them as he moves to CBS. One may not agree with his opinions or observations about various people, but the reader will never feel Cronkite is being dishonest.
   
   Chapters 14 and 15 are particularly enjoyable as they are brief observations of significant events that Cronkite covered, yet did not devote an entire chapter to exploring. While Cronkite certainly could have written more, the stories were effective in the space given.
   
   The final chapter is devoted to his observations of the current sound-bite obsessed news media. A few second of the speech does not convey a message. The medium of politics is thus reduced to acting with the public becoming less and less knowledgeable. Cronkite ends with a hope that this will change.



3. A superficial concern about others.
   
   A superficial concern about right and wrong.
   
   Same old boring selfishness.



4. Excellent Publication. I have shared this with friends and they agree. Don't hesitate to purchase this.



5. A Reporter's Life is a very well written story of Walter Cronkite's life and adventures as a reporter for various organizations, usually CBS. He uses words well and tells a very interesting history of his time as a reporter. He seems to have been a very adventurous man and never passed up a chance to attempt something new, though dangerous. He is humorous, accurate and, seemingly, modest. If you lived your life during the period he tells about you will feel a great amount of nostalgia. Mr. Cronkite met and interviewed, or just talked with, many people whose names you will recognize: LBJ, JFK, Harry Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, FDR, Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter and more. A good book!!