Anormalguy

Murrow: His Life and Times, by A.M. Sperber

It's taken me quite a while to read this Edward R. Murrow biography that runs 705 pages (not counting 54 pages of notes, a 5 page bibliography, 4 pages of acknowlegments, & a 22 page index). I don't regret reading this book, but I feel compelled to admit that I could only read it in small parts, needing to let it sit for days, sometimes weeks, before I was able to continue.

While the journalist in me admires Sperber's thoroughness, the reader in me finds this book very dry. Sperber spends way too much time focusing on Murrow's early start prior to helping create/form radio and television news.

Most TFPers have grown up with the internet, in the age of information. Although I was four years old when Murrow died on 04-27-65, I recall him being revered in the news media. When I studied journalism in the '80s, most of my professors were old enough to have been influenced by Murrow.
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Hmmm...I didn't want these two reviews in the same post, but it seems that I have experienced an automerge.


The Greatest, My Own Story, by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham

In a previous post I wrote that I rarely read books by/about celebrities, and this book is a great example of why: TGMOS is filled mostly with self-congratulatory bullshit. If this book is accurate, Muhammad Ali was one of the most egotistical athletes ever, in any sport in any era.

Interesting note--I found TGMOS while on one of my thrift store forays. The hardback book published in 1975 originally listed for $10.95, but the price sticker shows that Foley's (which was a local department store chain) had marked it down to $1.00.

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In a society where the individual is not free to pursue the truth...there is neither progress, stability nor security.--Edward R. Murrow