1 comments about A Passage to Africa.

1. Now, I had my reservations when my mother bought me this book, I don't tend to read biographies, least of all of C list celebrities. However I was surprised by this book - it is excellent. George Alagiah has an engaging writing style full of wit with a deeply humanistic sentiment, his experiences in Africa from the time he emigrated from Sri Lanka (as a Tamil) to Ghana up until his time as a BBC reporter are used as background to the history of a number of countries and their adjustment to a post-colonial world. He offers explanations of their frequent failures, examples of their successes and his optimistic hopes for the future.

2 comments about Against The Grain.

1. Geoffrey Nyarota is an unbelievably experienced man. His stories bring shivers down your back and tears to your eyes. He has been through more than most people can imagine. His artful language skills portray a wistful look at Zimbabwe, where this man longs for the country he loves.
   
   Beautifully written, brutally honest...
   6 stars out of 5.



2. Geoffrey Nyarota started off his career as a teacher in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe in the 1970's. He describes firsthand the brutalities civilians endured and those he himself experienced at the hands of both the security forces of Ian Smiths government and ZANLA guerrillas fighting in the area where he taught. The intensification of the war forced the closure of many schools resulting in him embarking into a career in journalism. Having the unique experience of being a black journalist in the white dominated media of Rhodesia provided him with the necessary experience and qualifications allowing him to rise to the top of his field post-independence with postings as Editor of the Manica Post and most notoriously the Chronicle of Bulawayo. He gives insight into the extremely difficult situation he found himself in as Editor of the Bulawayo Chronicle during the Gukurahundi massacres, facing the dilemma of risking personal safety and telling the public a story that needed to be heard. As a youth growing up in Zimbabwe in the 1980's I personally feel one of Mr Nyarotas greatest achievements was his exposure of corruption in Robert Mugabe's government through the Willowgate car scandal and resultant Sandura Commision. An extremely brave act fuelled by his belief in freedom of the press and his uncompromising tenacity in pursuit of the truth, these unfortunately were not seen as admirable qualities by his superiors and cost him his job as Editor.
   Mr Nyarota continued in his fight to expose corruption and fraud as founding editor of the Daily News, an independent newspaper and a breath of fresh air to us Zimbabweans for years force fed government propaganda through the state controlled media. The odds were stacked heavily against the Daily news however it persevered and won a few battles but unfortunately the Government won the war forcing closure of the paper and Mr Nyarota into exile.
   The book is unique in that although autobiographical, it covers important periods of Zimbabwean history by a resident Zimbabwean, most recent works charting the rise and decline of Zimbabwe have been penned by non-blacks and foreigners. He follows the transformation of notorious Zimbabwean politicians and military figures from their student and liberation war days to their rapid accumulation of wealth and power post-independence. He gives recognition to Zimbabwean heroes snubbed and forgotten after having fallen out of favor with ZANU PF such as Dzinashe Machingura and Willie Musarurwa to name a few. Unfortunately his accounts are not always chronological and at times he digresses, however his experiences of Zimbabwean politics, politicians and society coupled with his good sense of humor make the book in general very interesting to read.
   Very importantly, he highlights the grave dangers African journalists and their families risk in pursuit of the truth, the repercussions being more harsh and brutal than western journalists protected by their respective governments.
   My hope is that his story does not end here and that he will return home soon to continue uncovering the truth.

5 comments about Hemingway: The Final Years.

1. There is little I can add to the above reviews. Long before this final volume of Michael Reynolds' masterpiece came out, he had already taken his place as our finest Hemingway scholar and one of the five or six greatest literary biographers of our time. This last volume merely confirms his position. Tragically, he succumbed to cancer shortly after this book appeared, but he left us a daunting legacy as a scholar. I doubt anyone ever understood the infinitely complex Hemingway as well as Professor Reynolds did. It is a cause for celebration when a major writer and a great biographer come together; these volumes will never grow old.



2. Reviewed by TOMA 1999

   Here's one to add to your Hemingway collection. Michael Reynolds tells us the story of Ernest Hemingway's last score years from the era of World War II to his suicide in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961. We have here the Hemingway hero we love and wish we personally knew: the articulate man full of high sentence, the man among men, the behemoth drinker, the virtuoso hunter, the dedicated idealist to his craft, the continent jumper, the fun-loving and cherished father especially to his three boys, the husband now going on his third wife in Martha Gellhorn and the literary lion in his last years where the Victor finally reaps the spoils of a lifetime pitted against the dragon called writing. Icon would be too small a word for such a colossal figure. Hemingway through all his own growling, fist-fighting, taunting of literary figures, strutting in and out of wars, promenading through world events, and arguing with his own publisher in Charles Scribner remains like the figure of the Greek Odysseus, the figure as Tennyson put it who set his life "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." This is why many admire this American son while others see him as full of sh--, a braggart, and fraud for having never truly experienced the larger than life adventures he immortalized in his war books: For Whom The Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not, and A Farewell To Arms not to mention his slew of other relevant stories set in exotic locations. At the date marking the century of his birth and with the latest Hemingway piece-meal work to be drawn together by his son Patrick in True at First Light, and the dozen or so other "timely" biographies, fancy-covered reprints, and photobooks presented during the summer of 1999, Reynolds does his duty to his subject with skill, organization, and insight. Although sentiment is not always unbiased, for it is obvious this research has been a labor of love, this book marks Reynolds' fifth and apparent last volume in a series of the chronologically-based Hemingway biography. In this final version, Hemingway is never idolized but shown in the somewhat balanced color of black and white where Hemingway can not but create his own shadow like some vibrant oak towering above Finca Vigia in Cuba or with his skeleton crew of "agents" monitoring the inland waterways for German submarines or as the bespectacled ancient literary lion much like his own tiger at Kilimanjaro, worn and heavy, resting within the expanse of Idaho country far below the mountains at his Sun Valley Lodge. Other exotic landscapes nicely slip into view along the journey: Hong Kong, Venice, Paris, Key West, New York, and Mombasa like a set of snapshots upon a reel. We find the sensitive Hemingway trying to keep together a marraige that seems over just as it has begun. We have a vivid image of Martha Gellhorn, the reluctant housewife and bonafide journalist torn between the woman Hemingway wishes and the one she desires to be. We feel him sparring with Scribner's over language in his novels and courtroom battles. We get a feel for the atmosphere of Finca Vigia with its bug-ridden sunburnt rooms, and for the silent, pine-washed Ketchum ranch where the echo of a rifle blast stills remains today. Characters saunter in and out of the story like locals into their corner bar. The quoted material from various personages of the times has been expertly chosen to move the Hemingway legend along its way. These haunting voices create such atmosphere and setting that the imagination has little to do but continue to create a story that unfolds in cinemagraphic slow motion. Moreover, we seem to capture a panoramic view of our literary past so important to reflect upon as we step over the century divide. This is a joyous read especially for summer reading not only for the enthusiast but for the academic who wishes to gain a fuller insight into the one of our greatest literary figures this nation has ever produced.




3. In all respects -- in terms of research, sensitivity, perception, analysis, and style -- Mr. Reynolds has written the finest biography of one of the most fascinating and complex personalities the world has ever known.

   Three citicisms, if I may: First, though very well written, there are occasional lapses in editing. Second, Mr. Reynolds owes it to his appreciative readers, as well as to himself, to provide somewhat more in-depth and revealing final thoughts than he has. My final "gripe" is admittedly extremely trivial. It irritated me, though -- in such a superbly researched endeavor, such a silly mistake should have been easily avoided. Hold on to your hats, ladies, because here it is: At one point, Mr. Reynolds mentions that Hemingway met Barbara Stanwyck and her husband, Robert Montgomery. Well, Robert Taylor, not Mr. Montgomery, was Miss Stanwyck's husband. A trivial mistake, to be sure, but why make it?

   Despite the mix-up with the Roberts (which can be easily made right in future editions), this is an outstanding biography, which I heartily recommend.




4. Michael S. Reynolds' "Hemingway: The Final Years" is excellent and a worthy addition to any library, as are the previous volumes. I have read every Hemingway biography (I even have such paperback quickies as HEMINGWAY: LIFE AND DEATH OF A GIANT and THE PRIVATE HELL OF HEMINGWAY that were published shortly after Papa's death) since my father, twenty-two years ago, gave me a copy of Carlos Baker's 1967 authorized biography (which I also recommend; it gives you the a great overview of Hemingway's life and work and is very readable), and I have found Reynolds biographies to be wonderful and informative.



5. The story of Hemingway's last years lets you enter a world of desillusion, faked grandeur and, ultimately, madness.

   It seems as if the reader was present at the scenes which are brilliantly depicted by Reynolds.

   Getting to know the life of Hemingway lets you add a supplementary dimension to the reading of his works.

No comments about American Original: A Life of Will Rogers.

4 comments about It's News to Me: The Making and Unmaking of an Editor.

1. Mr Kosner details his rise to become an editor at several journalist institutions. The best part of this book is how he describes the non-glorifying and very anti-climatic process of being fired. it is never easy ona person and this author described that perfectly. The ending of this book which lists several traits that should define a person are an extra bonus with this book. It was smart to include in this book.



2. The name of Edward Kosner will doubtless fail to ring a bell in the minds of most Americans. This is because Kosner was a journalistic insider in the Eastern Establishment who preferred to work behind the scenes and also did not write much in the line of columns or any other work that bore his name.
   
   Edward Kosner held top editorial positions at such institutions as Esquire, New York, Newsweek and the New York Daily News. Kosner was in an excellent position to witness the ongoing decline of newspapers and newsmagazines as well as the rise of the Internet as a news source. Among other things, Kosner predicts that newspapers will increasingly become marginalized as a mass medium and come to have only a limited audience in what he calls the "educated elite."
   
   Kosner's book is rich in insight into the state of journalism today and about the practitioners of modern journalism. This is a most important book and as such is warmly recommended.



3. I enjoyed the sections on the youth and family of the author as well as those chapters following his career. The book is extremely well written. I bought it as a gift for my journalist son and decided to read it first and was pleasantly surprised that I liked it so much.



4. By a person few-- outside U.S. publishing circles-- will know. The book is best when describing the high politics within major (mostly New York-based) magazines and papers. Sections on the author's youth and family will be of little real interest to most.
   
   While Mr. Kosner's ego is certainly large (dropping famous names is rampant), he does have the redeeming feature of not overstating the cosmic value of editors and reporters. They are there to get information out-- packaged in a way the public will buy it.

1 comments about New York Days.

1. Okay, in reality Mr. Morris was, what, 26 -- and the youngest person to hold the position of Editor at Harper's? Anyway, a fascinating look at the NY literary world during the mid to late 60's. Morris was witness to one of the greatest gatherings of young and gifted writers ever assembled in the modern era.

   The book starts with the professional steps Morris took prior to accepting the position. The narrative contiues with his insights into the history of Harper's, and then goes into detail about some of the current and previous literary heavyweights that populated the cramped offices as either full-time workers or contributers.

   The passages on how he got Norman Mailer to contribute pieces are illuminating and memorable.

   If you liked 'North Toward Home,' you'll like this one as well. A very touching book.

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.

5 comments about Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila (Palgrave Studies in Oral History).

1. Author Sandy Polishuk reflects the determined efforts of her subject Julia Ruuttila - people who fight for their beliefs with little reward but the satisfaction gained from doing something right. The plight of working people is keenly felt as Ruuttila recounts the suffering at the hands of mill owners and indifferent public officials. Some things don't change. Whether you're a logger whose job is gone because companies decided to overcut forests, a tech employee whose job has gone overseas, or a retiree whose lost savings filled the pockets of self-serving CEOs, we all have lessons to learn from Polishuk's book and Ruuttila's story. It's a startling insight into our past, and a sober vision of our future. This is oral history at its best and most respectful.



2. Sticking to the Union is a delight! Ms. Polishuk definitely has a gift for making Julia Ruuttila's words sing, and I very much appreciate her journalistic attention to detail with respect to the places where the oral history diverges from recorded history. Viewing the immensely important Pacific Northwest labor movement through Julia's eyes with Sandy Polishuk as a guide is like a well-crafted gourmet meal. Delicious, satisfying, nourishing, and extremely educational!



3. Julia Ruuttila was never scared of "Sticking to the Union". She lived her life sticking up for the underdog and protesting what she saw wrong in the system. Small, spunky Julia told her own version of events. Sandy Polishuk carefully and respectfully corrects the stories. "The transcript of the interview [with the FBI] reveals that Julia's responses during the interview were less heroic than her recollection." Ms. Polishuk offers enlightening context, real knowledge of radicals and clear, concise writing. This book is a fascinating account of a radical woman willing to protest. What a wonderful way for a reader to learn history. I highly recommend "Sticking to the Union".



4. Julia Ruuttila's life was amazing! And Sandy Polishuk has done a great job bringing her life to the page. The best part is the book is it's totally engaging and then you realize you've learned a ton of history about twentieth century activism (peace, labor, civil rights, birth control, women's rights etc.)at the same time.
   While this book was written for adults, my teenage son read it too and loved it! He couldn't resist it because I was raving about it almost from the first page.



5. If you've ever wondered whether "just one person" could have an impact on history, read the story of Julia Ruuttila. Her lifelong activism shaped and changed the lives of many people in the Pacific Northwest and her personal courage in the face of hardship is truly inspiring. The author lets Julia's voice speak out from the pages, while also offering the reader helpful background information to understand the context of each situation. This is a truly fascinating book.

5 comments about Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist.

1. Ever wonder why a fraction of the world's population is lavished in wealth, yet emotionally impoverished, while others eek by on little to nothing feeling rich? Handler beautifully responds to this global dichotomy in "Loyal to the Sky." Her social commentary about our common humanity divided by numbing drive for success and oppressive politics that maintain the status quo is spot on. Her inner-voice unfiltered by political correctness, is hysterical. And, her courage to engage strangers, from Nepalese politicians to the Miami-Dade police is inspirational. Handler's memoir is a breath of fresh air in a world of stifling avoidance. Don't miss this colorful work.



2. 
   Author Marisa Handler takes you along on her courageous journey through many lands and through many formative, life experiences exposing different cultures and the struggles they encounter. She eloquently articulates the injustices that are taking place throughout the world and in her own backyard. Highlighting political demonstrations Ms. Handler provides a voice for those who are not otherwise heard. The author's passion for justice combined with her astute way of guiding the reader through history and through her own personal accounts makes this book one not to be missed.



3. Short of having the opportunity to travel the world yourself, read this book and be transported to lands near and far as if it were actually you, in search of global justice. Handler's vivid and colorful narrative of her experiences invite the reader along as if she/he were traveling in the author's back pocket. The tales of humanity - from an Indian man's description of local Muslim-Hindu race relations to the perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict voiced by University students around the country - are conveyed with passion that do justice to the "human voice"; something that is so real in each of the geographic experiences described by Handler.



4. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. In these uncertain and often dark days, this is a relevant and hopeful book about making a difference. And, it manages to be humorous and entertaining too. Handler writes beautiful and accessible prose. She comes across as an honest, lovable, brave and inspiring person. You'll wish you had been with her as she traveled the globe and was an eyewitness to (and in some cases participant in) many of the recent social and political shifts of our time. Luckily, you can read about it.



5. When I finished this book I sighed and closed my eyes in gratitude, as if I'd finally found clear cool water after being thirsty for years. Marisa Handler comes across as an enormously likable reluctant hero, mouthing off at hecklers, running like hell from cops, and - in one of the book's funniest moments - gamely mediating a protest group's argument over whether their placards should say "Stop War" or "Stop the War." But the greatest achievement of the book is Handler's steady wholeness of vision. In scene after scene she reminds us that those who befoul the world are not evil but lost, alienated from their own true nature. Love and compassion are the best tools we have to save them - and ourselves. In a world of poisoned political discourse, Handler's fiercely tender memoir will remind weary Americans that it's still possible to be angry without hating, and to fight while remaining compassionate.

2 comments about Reporters: Memoirs of a Young Newspaperman.

1. This book conincides with the interview I had with Will Fowler in 1999. It outlines his life as a Reporter and how different the reporter is today as it was then. I really loved the book as it detailed the life of him as a reporter in the days when newspapers were the main source of information. He is a credit to his family and his father before him, Gene Fowler.



2. This is an excellent book, highly recommended for writers, journalists or media of any kind. Fowler's style pulls you in as he tells his story in an enjoyable, gripping, humorous and often heartbreaking fashion. Is he still with us ??? ... because I want to tell him personally how much I enjoy this book.