2 comments about Remembering Charles Kuralt.

1. This is a well-written, intimate portrait of Kuralt presented in a way which itself reminds the reader of Charles Kuralt's own journalistic style. A beautiful edition including original photographs and a variety of personal and professional perspectives. Recommended for any fan of Charles Kuralt or for the reader who wants to learn how and why this charismatic individual transformed the nature of American journalism.



2. Charles Kuralt never really believed how good he was at his profession. That's hard to believe, but it's a sad truth and maybe at the heart of the man who traveled the country for over 30 years, chronicalling what he saw and felt in his "On the Road" series for CBS News.

   By that time he graduated college, Kuralt had a work record that would be the envy of a college journalism graduate. As recounted in "Remembering Charles Kuralt," a collection of interviews and essays edited by Ralph Grizzle, the high school senior had worked for a radio station, helping to call the baseball games of the Charlotte Hornet. The summer he was 13, he had a once-a-week radio show. He had won an essay contest on democracy and delivered his speech in the House of Burgesses in Colonial Williamsburg.

   Kuralt knew what he wanted to be a reporter early in his life, and he pursued it with a single-minded determination. But not only that, he did it on his work ethic and talent alone, and in a good-natured manner that came through in his television appearances. "I never heard Charles say anything unkind about anybody," jazz pianist and friend Loonis McGlohon said, "that's true, and in thinking about it, it's pretty unusual."

   "Remembering Charles Kuralt" covers the whole of his life and career: his upbringing in eastern North Carolina, his growth as a writer and reporter, his career at CBSNews, and his life in retirement, his illness, decline and death. It's an affectionate look that reveals more about the man than Kuralt probably would have wanted.

5 comments about Ogden Nash: The Life and Work of America's Laureate of Light Verse.

1. Loved the book. Ogden Nash? Not so much. As a little boy I loved his verses and would browse through THE NEW YORKER slapping the pages from left to right to see if they were carrying a new Nash poem that week. Often as not, they were, then I'd be happy, crawling away toward my treehouse to memorize his goofy sense of humor and his sophisticated attitude towards marriage. I can see how, without Ogden Nash, there might never have been a Stephen Sondheim. Parker is his ideal biographer. Obviously he had a lot of assistance from Nash's two enigmatic daughters, Linell and Isabel, whose photographs make them look like two grave Snow Whites. And yet he is not afraid to call a spade a spade, and we get the picture that the mother of these two girls, Frances, was often a Xanthippe for reasons unknown.
   
   It's great that Parker did so much work towards reconstructing Nash's other life as a Broadway lyricist, and I'm sure that his account of Nash's work with Kurt Weill and with Vernon Duke will never be excelled.
   
   He doesn't really pay much attention to the Hollywood work, however, and I don't know if he even bothered screening the Jeanette MacDonald starrer THE FIREFLY (co-written with Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett), which is nothing short of excellent.
   
   The story gets grim as Nash ages and his career takes a nosedive. You get to despise Roger Angell, Nash's editor at THE NEW YORKER, for being such an obseqious Uriah Heep, even when he's rejecting Nash's latest efforts. It's like he delights in kicking Nash's butt while kissing it at the same time. Nash seems aware of Angell's double nature, but doesn't really know what to do about it. THE NEW YORKER seems like a velvet trap--can't live without it, but it tears you to pieces inside. I also enjoyed reading the parodies or pastiches of Nash's verse that Parker has collected from all different sources, from Dorothy Parker to Scott Fitzgerald, everyone wanted a piece of the man.
   
   To top it all off, Dorothy Lamour got upset with Nash and laid into him with both barrels, when he wrote a poem for her to read on the air that contained the word "conundrum." She thought it risque, perhaps confusing it with "condom," and refused to save her reputation. Furious, she lashed out, "If you don't think I know what that word means--and that I'll be fool enough to say it on the air--you're crazy! I wasn't born yesterday!" Nash wrote to Frances, "she's very pleasant but as dumb as you would imagine." (Not as bad as his opinion of poor Ginger Rogers: "coarse, painted, dyed.")



2. When I think of Ogden Nash, I think first of a poem I read in school a long time ago titled "The Purist." I have read it too many times to actually laugh out loud again, but I still smile when I read it. I become the kid I once was somehow, happy to hear the joke over and over again.
   
   I think Ogden Nash brings back memories for many older Americans. When I was reading the new biography Ogden Nash: The Life and Work of America's Laureate of Light Verse by Douglas M. Parker, while eating a sweet roll in Panera last week, an older man noticed. As he passed my table he said, "Ah, Ogden Nash, he was a wonderful man." I noticed the older man, who looked like a retired executive, having a look of competence and industry, was cleaning tables. Was he laid off by a corporation, replaced by someone young? Was he working at Panera because he was unable to find a management job in the new economy, which disvalues the older, experienced worker? Is Nash for him a link to a happier time, his time?
   
   Nash has often been a bright spot in a dark time. He became popular for his humorous poetry during the Great Depression when his works began to appear regularly in The New Yorker, Saturday Evening Post, and other magazines. Because he was never paid much for his poems, he had to write and sell a lot of them, which he continued to do into the 1960s, when changing tastes made his work harder to sell. By the time of his death in 1971, he had published over a thousand poems.
   
   Nash did not only write poetry. He tried his hand as a book editor, magazine editor, screen writer, playwright, lyricist, and game show panelist. He was valued as an editor at Doubleday and other publishers, but the pay was poor and he left the profession to write fulltime. His efforts in Hollywood and on Broadway always started with lots of promise but usually fizzled. Radio and television appearances eventually paid fairly well, but poetry was his steady income.
   
   Being a writer, he often worked from home. Unlike many men of his era, he seems to have spent much time with his two daughters. On several occasions, he was the primary parent as his wife took long European vacations. It may not have been difficult to do, as the family always had servants. His wife had her own money inherited from her "old family" Baltimore ancestors. She and Nash were always able to live the country club and martini life.
   
   I think readers will enjoy learning how involved Nash was in the literary scene of the 1920s and 1930s. He knew Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E. B. White, and many others. Douglas M. Parker also tells much about mid-twentieth century world of publishing. Fans of The New Yorker will especially want to read this book.
   
   Some will enjoy the book for their own memories. There are many Nash verses scattered throughout the text.
   
   Read "The Purist." The punch line ends with a word that rhymes with "smile."



3. The philosopher poet, Ogden Nash,
   Though born and wed to privilege,
   was throughout his lifetime frightfully far from bogged in cash
   (Or at least he so lamented).
   Doug Parker says,
   while assuring us his penury never quite prevented
   Nash from keeping house or houses
   Servant-staffed while traveling
   in luxury with wife and kids and friends with kids and spouses.
   Though his efforts yielded flops
   In Hollywood and Broadway ventures,
   rhymes he wrote for glossies and anthologies and his hops
   Around the lecture circuit
   (Which, though ruinous
   To his fragile health, he never would quite shirk it)
   Kept his ledger black enough.
   Indeed, couplets comparing
   the speed of bonbons versus bourbon and similar wacky stuff
   (Like rhymes that ridiculed
   A bluenosed "Ut" named Smoot
   whose Senate stint by tariff acts and smiting smut was fueled)
   Consistently kept Mr. Nash `n'
   Fran `n' Lin `n' Isabel
   (his wife and daughters) living in quite comfy fashion.
   Nash's life was not a bore,
   But Parker's grand obsession
   With minutia made me often want to holler "Less is more!"
   And, moreover, many others'
   In the story, though tangential,
   Had lives of greater interest were I to voice my `druthers.
   
   :-)
   - stanwhjr -



4. Many of us probably recognize Ogden Nash as the creator of humorous poetry, but he was a man of far greater accomplishments than might be generally known.In this biography, Doug Parker gives a very complete and fascinating overview of Nash and the diversity of his works, which included movie scripts and--much to my surprise--song lyrics. Parker relates his story in manageable sequences, interspersing just enough famous lines from Nash to lure the reader into wanting to read more of the man's work. One would think that Parker knew Nash personally because of the skillful manner in which he discreetly discusses the poet's health problems, his devotion to his family, his dislike of confrontation, and the entire span of his creative life.
   
   It took an impressive amount of research to create this interesting account of Nash's life, and Parker made much use of Nash's personal letters. He does not overwhelm the reader with excessive detail, rather, he leaves the reader feeling like one who has enjoyed a great meal but has not overeaten, and who knows he can come back for seconds by reading more of Nash's work. This is an enjoyable and informative book that gives the reader a real appreciation for the talents of Ogden Nash.



5. Mr. Parker has written a terrific biography of a fasinating man. The book is meticulously researched and beautifully written. I was very impressed with this scholarly work and I am anxious to read Mr. Parker's next endeavor. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story (Today Show Book Club #4).

1. Raising Fences, a memoir, brings you on a tour through the life of an enduring Black man, while staying clear of the pimp-esque bravado. Datcher, born to a single mother who births him after being raped, but is given up for adoption, develops an obsession of being a great husband and father early in his life. Taken through his struggles with self-identity, female relationships, financial hardships, Datcher hides nothing, and tells all. If you are looking for a book that will do away with the Black man "playa" myth, this one is for you. A great poetic read from cover to cover.



2. If like me you are a woman and have always wanted to know about the thought process of a blk man then this is the book for you. M. Datcher does a great job of navigating us through his mind and life. Great read and an important read especially for the women out there playing that trifiling baby daddy game.



3. RAISING FENCES by Michael Datcher is a gripping, realistic tale of a fatherless child's struggle into manhood. Mr. Datcher's writing style is remarkable. His use flashbacks and crisp and clear imagery allows readers to live vicariously through the author.
   
   Readers will be drawn into this story as the author delves into intricate issues of African-American families such as broken homes, adoption, unprotected sex, surviving the streets, loveless relationships, having children out of wedlock and so much more. He does an excellent job of providing a male's prospective on these various issues.
   
   The use of poetry incorporated in the book is an added bonus for poetry lovers, but may not be received well by readers who are not fans of poetry.
   
   In this inspiring book, Mr. Datcher also shows readers that your past doesn't have to dictate your future.
   
   Take a bow Mr. Datcher, for you have penned a masterpiece that not only is enjoyable to read, but educational and informative as well. This autobiography is highly recommended!!!



4. This book was amazing... I could not put it down... How have I went all this time without hearing about this book!?
   Most books I love it is because in some way I can identify with the characters; not in this one... I loved it because it was raw, passionate and based on truth... truth of the relationships of our black men...excellent!



5. This book is great and I hope that it will spur a new line of books in a similar vain by black men.
   
   I can not put into words the feelings reading this book brought out in me. We as black women speak candidly about our emotions daily, but to see a black man, correction a strong black man do it brings such elation. My deepest respect to Michael Datcher for exposing the emotional side of a black man, and lets hope that there will be more powerful but tender works like this from Datcher in the future. I will be waiting.

1 comments about William Maxwell: A Literary Life.

1. There are few biographers who know/knew their subjects as well as Barbara Burkhardt. She has been a professor of mine for fours years and I can tell you first hand she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Mr. Maxwell. Her interviews and friendship with Mr. Maxwell make her writing more real and personal. I can't think of a better person to ask (or read from) than Barabara about William Maxwell and his life and works!

4 comments about The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961-1963.

1. Gail Godwin's latest book is as much about the struggle of a female in her mid-twenties to find her life's work, as it is about writing. As her story unfolds over a two-year period, the reader can sense the author's growth, both as a person and as a writer. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to be a writer.



2. I first read Gail Godwin's work in the mid-seventies, when in the midst of the women's movement, I was trying to find my way through the dilemma of being an independent woman who loved men. Godwin had been there before me, and I was attracted to her early novels--The Perfectionist, The Odd Woman and Violet Clay.
   
   Now, reading her journal, I see that she was addressing of this dilemma nine years before she published her first novel in 1970. She's been one step ahead of me ever since. At first, this journal seems to be rather typically about a woman with a wealth of male lovers and friends who can't decide who's Mr. Right. Remember, this is pre-Second Wave feminism, on the early edge of the Sexual Revolution. She's so circumspect about her sexuality that you must read carefully to figure out who she's sleeping with, and who she's not. Although Britain must have been more open that North Carolina where she grew up, Gail scandalizes the people who run the boarding house where she lives by staying out all night. She struggles with developing her own moral compass just as diligently as she struggles with her affection for a variety of men.
   
   She also forms one of her rare female friendships with an American woman of color, something that was uncommon for Southern white women as the Civil Rights movement gained momentum.
   
   Meanwhile, she flogs herself about her writing and re-writing of various fictions, none of which makes it to publication during the course of this journal. She takes her vocation as a writer seriously, above anything else. Amazingly, she's only twenty-four when this journal begins, but she's already married and discarded one husband and one career as a journalist.
   
   Beyond her determination to be a writer, two things intrigued me about these musings: the attraction she must have held for men and the absence of mention of her parents. I found explanations for both that satisfied me before I finished. The poet Sylvia Plath was about the same age as Godwin and lived in London at the same time. There is no indication that they encountered each other, but it's interesting to compare how the two women addressed very similar personal and vocational issues.
   
   Now I want to return to the novels and see if they have the same power I felt when I first read them. Godwin was brave to publish this journal, because by spilling her guts on some very raw material, she reveals how her persistence led to a rich literary career.



3. On the face of it, this book seems to be pitched to aspiring writers, but I think that it holds greater value as a reflection of the early 1960's, and as a testimony to the human spirit.
   
   In "The Making of a Writer" Gail Godwin describes her life in terms that echo the words of a heroine in her fictional work, "The Odd Woman". In that book, the character of Jane says, "Sometimes I think those persons raised in the interstices of Zeitgeists are the ones most punished."
   
   At the beginning of the 1960's, America was not a country given over to self-examination. A resurgence of feminism was nothing more than a vague rumor that may have swirled in the air. Women in the early 60's were not well positioned for success. This was a generation in peril of falling through the cracks. The truest echo of this time may be Sylvia Plath's classic, "The Bell Jar".
   
   For Gail Godwin, the 60's began with an abortive attempt at marraige and a short stint as a journalist with the Miami Herald which also ended disastrously. Focusing her indomitable will on her desire to become a writer, Godwin embarked on a personal odyssey, traveling to Denmark, Spain, and the Canary Islands before taking a job with the Travel Service and extended residence in London.
   
   In her journals she depicts both the struggle to become a published fiction writer, and a deeper quest to understand herself and other human beings. As she records impressions of her life and the characters who populate it, she also strives to find the modern writers that most speak to her sensibilities and to discover the essences she most wants to inform her own stories.
   
   As a "twenty- something'', Godwin is possessed of a very acute intelligence--but the reader will also find hints of youthful callowness. To her credit, Godwin has not expurgated her journals. Their scrupulous honesty is part of their appeal.
   
   As the book progresses, Godwin seems to shift her aims away from overly idealized characterizations and toward a new concern with "displaced persons". As this volume ends, she is beginning to investigate Carl Jung's psychological theories, something which seems to bode well for a young writer who views much of the world in black and white.
   
   One thing that I didn't find endearing about this book was its use of an "explicator", in the form of editor Rob Neufeld. His italicized introductions and interjections often seem to be leading the reader like a rather stuffy tour guide through the Musee d' Godwin. I didn't really appreciate his presence, and I wish Godwin had done the honors (of "explication") herself.
   
   Not every reader who comes to this book is going to buy into the idea, as Neufeld does, that Godwin is a writer of greatness deserving to join Faulkner, Steinbeck, or even Salinger in the firmament. The excerpts from the fiction Godwin was writing at the time of these memoirs reveal only a talented beginner---one who seems intimidated by the contemporary Beat writers ( her story about a Village girl seems lifeless ) and unsure about how to fully animate fiction drawing on her own backround.
   
   It could be that in the future, nonetheless, these diaries (of which this volume is the first) may be regarded as Godwin's best work. I am not ready to compare her to Anais Nin or Lou Salome, but these journals do reveal an estimable intelligence possessed of great determination. In finally stepping out from behind the veil of fiction, it is here that Godwin may make her lasting mark.



4. Bestselling author Gail Godwin, a three-time National Book Award nominee, keeps a journal that her friend Joyce Carol Oates suggested she edit and share with readers. In this first installment, we eavesdrop on Godwin's life as she emerges as a writer during her travels to Europe as a young woman.
   
   The journals open as Godwin is waitressing at a resort in North Carolina, saving money for her grand excursion. She is soon on a ship headed to Denmark --- and adventure. Humorous character sketches of her fellow passengers draw the reader in as we follow her to her destination.
   
   Godwin struggles with self-doubt as a writer and her relationship with the man she loves in Denmark, as well as her perennial lack of money. She considers going home, but when she's offered a job in London, she takes it. First, though, she visits the Canary Islands for a blissful month. Afterward, she is torn between staying with a local love and going on to London. When she finally decides, her leave-taking is wrenching.
   
   In London, her roller-coaster writer's life continues with the highs of doing good work and completing projects in which she takes pride. The lows are rejections and periods of writing inertia. She similarly experiences a roller-coaster relationship with 38-year-old never-married, "probably hopeless" James. She connects with other men and travels back to North Carolina to meet up with an old lover.
   
   Back in London, Godwin struggles with co-workers, office politics, changing apartments, and writing or not writing. She yearns for a true relationship with a man, all the while despising herself for caring so much. At the same time, she celebrates her freedom.
   
   Godwin constantly thinks about her writing. Even as she battles self-doubt she concocts rules to write by, such as: Don't be false. Trust in the story. Eliminate the dull parts. Forget second-best plots. Don't anticipate the reader's reaction. Start somewhere, anywhere. Let the ending be found in the beginning.
   
   The reader of THE MAKING OF A WRITER is privileged to watch as Godwin composes a story, talking herself through each part and using her life experiences --- a fascinating process. She also includes advice on keeping a journal and the reflection that her journal entries seed writing that may come decades later. The book is also liberally peppered with footnotes; at the outset I found these distracting but soon came to relish them.
   
   I've been a Gail Godwin fan for decades. After reading her journal, I feel that I now know her as a struggling author and as a person of moods and vulnerabilities. I constantly looked forward to my time reading it and discovering more about the author. It is particularly fascinating to read Godwin's latest novel, QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, which was partially based on the author's experience as a young reporter in Miami, in order to discover echoes between the two books: a suicide, waitressing jobs, significant names, and more. An excellent read; highly recommended.
   
   
   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

5 comments about From Soupy to Nuts! A History of Detroit Television.

1. Of all the books dealing with the subject of local TV, FROM SOUPY TO NUTS!: A HISTORY OF DETROIT TELEVISION is my favorite. Naturally, the fact that I grew up in Detroit makes me the perfect audience for this volume.
   
   This book brought back a flood of wonderful memories. So many names, so many programs. Kid-show hosts (Soupy Sales, Johnny Ginger, Jerry Booth, etc.), horror-movie hosts (Sir Graves Ghastly, The Ghoul, Morgus the Magnificent, Count Scary), newscasters and reporters, sportscasters, weathercasters, etc. -- they're all here, and plenty of others, including some unsung behind-the-scenes personnel.
   
   I had tears in my eyes reading the chapter devoted to the pro wrestlers who were my childhood heroes: Dick the Bruiser, The Sheik, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Bobo Brazil, and others. In later years, I got to know some of these guys, and they were friendly and cordial -- not at all like their violent, rough-and-tumble public images.
   
   I give this book my highest recommendation.



2. I purchased this book for my brother's 60th birthday- having grown up in Detroit- thought it would be a great walk down memory lane. He called me when he received the gift and absolutely gushed- loved every entry. Now, i may have to buy a copy for ME. thanks



3. My mom wanted this book for Christmas. I read some parts of it and found it very intersting. So many people that I recall from my childhood. Good book.



4. Wow - What a great book! I bought it as a gift but will have to get a copy for my personal library. It was wonderful to read about the television personalities from my youth along with the other Detroit notables that this book covers. It even had the words to some of the commercial jingles that we used to sing along with. Having moved away from Detroit several years ago, I had often wondered what happened to a lot of the people I grew up watching on TV and this book answered those questions. If you were a Detroit kid in the 50's or 60's, I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and take a stroll back to your childhood.



5. This is a MUST READ for anyone who lived in Detroit in the 50's and 60's. Nostalgia reigns as the authors comprehensively share information on television favorites such as Bill Kennedy, Captain Jolly and Poopdeck Paul, Milky the Clown and more. Loved it.

4 comments about Do Me Twice: My Life After Islam.

1. I truly enjoyed reading Sonsyrea's memoir. What I loved most about this book is how she tells her story with candor and honesty. The transformation she makes from a young girl raised in Islam, questioning her very existence and everything she's been taught, to a young woman finding her own way in life is incredible. I would definitely recommend this book.



2. DO ME TWICE: My Life After Islam is not a generic book about the highs and lows of being a member of the Nation of Islam. From her days in Muslim School to her guilt-trip marriage and her exit from Islam, Sonsyrea Tate reveals a poignant personal history unlike any "coming of age" or "coming to religion" story ever told.
   
   Tate unveils the dark secrets that controlled her childhood, yet strangely liberate her as an adult. As she becomes comfortable with her own sensuality, she realizes just how much her sexual identity has defined many of the dramatic periods of her life and the life decisions she's made. Against the backdrop of colorful, dysfunctional family and the author's lyrical style peppered with raw realism, DO ME TWICE is a hands down keeper.
   
   Reviewed by Cxandra
   for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



3. As a child, Sonsyrea Tate, affectionately known as "Ray-Ray," has no idea of the trials and tribulations awaiting her in adulthood - but she sure gets plenty of indicators: her father's devolution into a drug-dealing transient, her mother's overbearing animosity, her extended family members' overall dysfunction...the growing cloud of unhappiness in her life often leads her to imagine sunnier times and places not too far away (or so she hopes).
   
   On top of everything else, her beloved Uncle Hussein, a cherished role model and mentor, is slowly degenerating into a veritable shell of his former self. His body ravaged by the grueling onset of Multiple Sclerosis; the protection of his gentle, loving spirit long gone from Ray-Ray's life. Watching him suffer, she finds herself racked with questions and doubts about the benevolent, fair nature of God, and - seeing the righteous so afflicted - she begins to wonder what the point is of serving Him at all.
   
   As her life proceeds, she endures abortion, infidelity, a tumultuous marriage (even multiple instances of marital rape), and eventually the incarceration of her husband, Ron. With Ron gone, little Ray-Ray finally has the freedom of time and space to evaluate her life on her own terms and begin her transformation into the full-grown Sonsyrea. Enrolling in college, Sonsyrea then sets out on a new path, one that challenges her previous long-held beliefs and alters her vision of how her own future should take shape. The journey proves to be difficult, but one she remains determined to make for none other than the preservation of her own sanity and peace of mind.
   
   Do Me Twice is an excellent treatise on the power of self-discovery. Much like Siddartha, Dust Tracks On A Road, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull before it, Tate's story of emotional & intellectual awakening does a commendable job of confronting the misguided teachings that typically shape our youth with the learned truth and experience of our later years. Regardless of our personal religious or philosophical leanings, it cannot be argued that we are raised to follow particular doctrines designed to guide/control our behavior and bias our thinking processes. In her narrative, Tate tells of her admirable journey in combating those very doctrines time and again as they are espoused by family, friends, and even strangers committed to challenging her newfound independence. Refusing to return to the "sleepwalking state" of her past, she bravely defends her right to think for herself - and her life becomes that much more rewarding for it.
   
   Tate's emigration from the often confusing rigors of Islam may be a sensitive topic in the global political climate of our times, but the symbolism of her spiritual quest is an invaluable lesson for the ages. With a critical, yet open mind, by her personal example she successfully encourages the reader to be not afraid in coming to individual conclusions regarding all matters great and small. Highly recommended.



4. Sonsyrea Tate was raised in a ten children, devout Muslim family. Sonsyrea's mother thought that it was a woman's duty to take care of her family and that having ten children was a blessing from Allah. As Sonsyrea aged, she began to question the wisdom of having children that you can barely afford to take care of. In their household, it was the oldest daughter's duty to help with the other children and as Sonsyrea grew older this caused problems between she and her mother. As the family struggled to survive, she thought that it was unwise for her mother to not step up to the plate and get a job to help with the expenses of living; this caused their personalities to clash. Sonsyrea was determined to go to college and have a career and not have a house full of children, as did her mother. Not only was Sonsyrea dealing with the problems between her mother and herself, but Sonsyrea's favorite uncle was dying and to make matters worse her father was arrested for dealing drugs, causing the family even more financial problems. Just as most religions teach that fornication is wrong so does Islam. Dealing with her sexuality became a major problem . In order to have guilt-free sex, Sonsyrea married at a young age. She un-wisely married a man in constant trouble with the law.
   
   I admire Sonsyrea because she did not let past mistakes ruin her life and went on to get the career that she wanted. The problem that I had with this offering was that it seemed to be written out of sequence. And she could have put in a little more excitement; this did not stop me from receiving the point of view that she was making. This book was an uncorrected proof so if she gets the chapters in better order it will be an enjoyable read.
   
   
   
   
   
   Reviewed by Margaret Ball
   
   
   
   APOOO BookClub

No comments about Ten Days that Shook the World.

5 comments about Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty.

1. _Priveleged Son_ manages to hit that sweet spot that so many biographies of business figures fail to capture-- it manages to be a very good look at a business and industry and at the same time be readable and enjoyable on the level of a novel.

   While ostensibly a biography of Otis Chandler, it gives a fascinating look at the rise of a newspaper as local empire and the same newspaper's (largely unsuccessful) efforts to translate that into a truly national business.

   Without any industry focus, the story of the Chandlers and their relationship to LA is the stuff of novels (pulp fiction and true romance)-- LA grows up with its paper in this book.

   I was particularly fascinated to read what happened at the paper under the direction of Mark "Cereal Killer" Willes. His ill-starred management is a cautionary tale for would-be media moguls who fail to understand the core values that make up the news industry.

   A great read for people interested in the media industry. A just-as-great read for people who like a good story.




2. As a history buff, this book was fascinating as both a history of LA and Times Mirror. As an employee of the LA Times I found it even more interesting and intriguing.



3. I really liked this book. As a fan of LA where I travel often for business and pleasure, this book fills in the history of how LA was built and the role played by the driving family of the LA Times. But as interesting as this history is, there are so many subplots to follow that are also fun. For example, as the family is accepted in the Pasadena "blue-blooded" culture, it's interesting how most become so snobbish about accepting anyone in their culture. My favorite stories on this subject are his second wife's training to develop social graces to travel in the Chandler's circles that was somewhat required. Also, when he divorces at 50, his Mom starts investigating which of her friends have unmarried daughters that would be acceptable marriage bait for this 50 year old bachelor. Like he can't take care of himself.

   But enough of the small stuff, this book is about the Times and LA and starts with the Otis family and its purchase of the Times. The General and his Son-in-law ran this paper as a Republican tour guide of LA. And it worked. Maybe too good as LA is way too crowded. Along the way is great history of the need for water and the shady ways it was obtained as well as real estate development stories including a foray in Mexico.

   Harry Chandler's son Norman ran it much the same way but his son Otis Chandler who took over around 1960 was much more liberal and open to debate and other opinions which did not endear him with his pompous family. This break seemed to eventually lead to his ouster in 1985 even though he had grown the earnings strength of the paper. I believe the book did not adequately explain the buildup to his ouster. His Chairman comes in and it's over. Clearly, Otis was partially to blame as his hobbies of hunting, cars and lifting weights took away his attention.

   The replacements proceed to tear down the paper leading to its eventual sale to the Chicago Tribune. It's a very interesting business story although from that perspective it could have done a better job by financially describing the significance of the paper's net worth at different points in history.

   But the book also overlaid the history of Otis' family, as he clearly was where most of the information for this book came from. Interestingly, Otis grew up in an exclusive family attending Andover and Stanford. But while two of his sons attended prep school and top colleges, one did not. And many of his offspring did not marry inside their social set and did not rise to the same levels as captains of industry. Otis Chandler did not place large pressure on his family to live the same social life he was forced to live and it's interesting how they grew up and the relationships they had with their parents. With so many transplanted Southern Californians all enjoying the beautiful weather, it was inevitable that many in his family would marry outside the Pasadena blue-blooded set.

   I enjoyed this book immensely but it is a time commitment at over 450 pages of small print. I recommend this book for someone interested in journalism, the history of LA and Southern California, or a history of a wealthy influential family that helped shape the future of LA.




4. This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book -- I have a waiting list of friends waiting to borrow it based on my recommendation.

   The book has a problem, however. The author has chosen a posture of ridicule and pejorative disapproval of many characters -- he calls some of them "neanderthals," for example -- so he has a special burden to be correct in his facts. Unfortunately, Mr. McDougal has been careless and many of his facts are wrong -- small things, but they do tend to impeach the larger work.

   There is no such thing as a "Las Padrinas" ball at the Valley Hunt Club (p. 116). Cate School students have never been called "Caties" (p. 168). Harold Brown was not a cause celebre at the California Club in the 1950's (p.477). (In late 1976, while still president of Cal Tech, Brown became the club's first contemporary Jewish member. Ironically, he almost had to resign from the "segregated" club to join the nascent Carter administration as Secretary of Defense.)

   Enjoy the story, but don't take Mr. McDougal at his word.




5. In several of our major metropolitan areas (e.g. Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), a daily newspaper played a major role during the 20th century. From my perspective, the area and the paper had a symbiotic relationship which must be understood in all its complexity if we are to understand either the area's culture or the unique role the newspaper has played within that culture. In this book, McDougal functions as a journalist and an historian, of course, but also as an anthropologist. As the book's subtitle indicates, his primary purpose is to examine Otis Chandler during "the rise and fall of the L.A. dynasty." (It is worth noting that the Boston Globe is now owned by the parent company of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times is now owned by the parent company of the Chicago Tribune. Perhaps McDougal or someone else will examine those recent developments in a book yet to be written. And perhaps examine, also, recent mergers which have created media conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner.) For much of this book, the Times's various publishers dominate the narrative. Specifically, first Harrison Otis, then Harry Chandler, then Harry's son Norman, and finally Norman's son Otis. Of equal interest to me were the roles played by various women, notably Norman's wife Buff and Otis' two wives, Missy and then Bettina. In California throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, the Chandlers established and solidified a "dynasty" but also what McDougal more correctly describes as an "oligarchy."

   These are among the important questions addressed in this book:

   1. How and why did the Los Angles Times become so influential?

   2. How and why did it later lose so much of that influence?

   3. Precisely what role did Otis Chandler play throughout that process?

   McDougal is especially effective when explaining the culture within which three generations of Chandlers served as publisher. For example: "Like Harry, Norman understood early that the business of the Times was conducted as much in the private clubs and exclusive retreats of Los Angeles as it was inside the Times Mirror Building....With his chiseled good looks, cleft chin, and Stanford polish, Norman also rose naturally to a leadership among the newest generations of L.A. Brahmins. As the older patricians with whom Harry once did business began dying off, a new wave of young tycoons came to populate the exclusive mahogany-paneled grandeur" of the city's most exclusive cultural and social organizations. The young "brahmins" also called themselves "the Economic Roundtable" and founded their own organization bearing that name.

   It was into such a culture that Otis was born and within which he was raised to assume, eventually, his own position of immense wealth, power, status, and prestige. He and others in his generation "behaved in much the same fashion as their East Coast counterparts with their insulated neighborhoods, leisure time activities (e.g. membership at the Los Angeles Country Club with its "no-Jews/Negroes/Mexicans allowed clubhouse"), and social inbreeding. Otis was perhaps the most privileged of sons but, interestingly enough, his father required him to begin at the lowest level in each of the newspaper's departments; after completing one apprenticeship, he was assigned to a different department and again began at the bottom, including salary level. By the time he became publisher, Otis was well-prepared in terms of understanding literally every facet of the newspaper's operations.

   There are only a few recently published biographies and cultural histories which read like a well-written novel. This is one of them. I'm not suggesting that McDougal is an heir to Balzac or Barzun but I do commend him on the liveliness of his narrative as well as on the substantial content produced by his extensive research. McDougal helps his reader to understand why the Chandlers and the Los Angeles Times have been central to the evolution of a city, indeed of an entire region.

1 comments about A Creed for My Profession: Walter Williams, Journalist to the World (Missouri Biography Series).

1. Befroe the time of tabiod news, there was a man who felt that journalism should be taught in college so that the people who entered the field knew what they were doing. From that beginning at the University of Missouri, many other colleges have gone on to teach journalism. But it took the work of one man who believed that journalism was a respeceted profession to make the rest of the world to believe that too. A fascinating read about Walter Williams and how the School of Journalism came to be at one university and changed the way journalist were thought of.