News and Media Books

This is the definite cluetrain (doc searls et al)for broadcasTV news. Much the same way cluetrain sparked a marketing revolution, this does the same for broadcast journalism.
I first meet the author when she was interning for Florida Today in Cocca Beach.
Every point she makes in this book is vaild. The take on "fox fair and balanced" tells me she won't be on the O'Reilly factor anytime soon.
I found only one sort of error. FYI> Matt Lauer does have a broadcast journalism background on the local level. He came out of the same environment that former NBC correspondent and current talk show host (WBUR Boston) Robin Young did, PM Magazine at WJAR TV 10 in Providence Rhode Island. That's the only small flaw I could find in the book.
The suits at CNN don't want you to read the book. They are not happy campers and with good reason. The hollywood suits trashed the network big time, and with than came the opening for Fox news to fill. Rick Kaplan is currently doing the same thing for MSNBC that he did for CNN take it down the pike.
It's a fast read but once you start you wont' want to stop.

Finally---an insider with enough intestinal fortitude to call a sham a sham!!! One can just imagine the 6 o'clock news being primmed, powdered and perfumed with just enough tear (or smile) to make it palatibly entertaining. Ms. Anderson, with her years of experience and credibility, still believes that the American citizenry is due the news, the whole news, and nothing but the news. Reserve the spin and "holy cows" for the baseball commentators! If the media execs remain stoically entrenched in the annals of the entertainment world, then let them be reminded of the old radio classic, Dragnet, where the byline was...."the facts, Ma'am, just the facts".

Bonnie Anderson's book has brought to the light of day what I have felt has been a problem with the media for some time. Many of the newscasts are more concerned with form, not substance; how they look and not what they say. Her book is a very good read and pulls no punches in pointing out the way many in the media are more concerned with entertainment than hard news coverage. Her description of this type of coverage as "Infotainment" is right on point.

News Flash brings to the reader another big problem influencing news coverage which is how mega mergers are affecting the coverage that is being presented to the viewing public. Unfortunately the impact is not good and these large conglomerates are proving the old adage "bigger is not always better" to be very true.

From her experience at CNN as a reporter, managing director of a news division and Vice President of Recruitment and Training, Anderson offers the reader a unique perspective as to what goes on inside a large news organization. She provides an in depth look at what takes place behind closed doors when it comes to hiring, firing and staffing in today's media corporations and much of what she reveals should be quite disturbing to the viewing public. This book provides some very interesting statistics about the media and its management which I am sure most of us were never aware of.

While Anderson points out numerous things that are wrong with today's TV media and its management, she also brings out the good that the true journalist can and should do. At the end of the book she offers her thoughts on what the media can do to provide the viewing public with quality news coverage. She should be commended for taking a stand and bringing to our attention the problems and proposing solutions to get TV journalism back to the quality we need and deserve.

In light of Anderson's criticism of the TV networks and cable news channels, it will be interesting to see if any of the media will afford her the same opportunity to present her views as they did when Bernard Goldberg published his book on bias in the media. If they do not, shame on the media, again.

News Flash appears as a rising meteor against a field of weakening stars. Ms. Anderson's book takes the reader through the shenanigans of the TV news broadcasters in their unadulterated striving for place and profits while leaving behind journalistic investigation and integrity. Her words turn out to be an exciting journey of personal experience and incisive exposure.
As a long time news journalist Ms. Anderson sets a fair bar for news organization to reach. Her experiences and reporting often show just how good news organization can function. The same intimacy exposes the petty, inexcusable machinations of networks in journalistic decline.
Ms. Anderson's news flashes exposes the perfidy of CNN's executive wing in its Tailwind scandal, the staging of news as presented by NBC's Dateline story on General Motors in 1992 and the apparent homophobia of Roger Mudd given his attitude toward AIDS victims. But indeed, Ms Anderson is not a muckraker. On the contrary, hers is to excite the industry to better, to reset the standard of TV journalism. She gives as examples her own series on drought and famine in Africa bringing a change in American policy on humanitarian aid, or of CNN's initiative in covering the return of twenty-four U.S. Navy spy plane crewmen held in China. While these could be considered scoops, her admiration for her industry is best held by her words on the, "spectacular breaking news coverage of the 9/11 attacks."
Ms. Anderson words border on the requirement for broadcast journalism to return to its traditional values and to assure the public a clear and unbiased presentation of the news. Ms. Anderson carries the fight to those in the industry already sullying news broadcasts as entertainment and who have diluted their own professionalism for money, position, or simply hubris.

From her insiders view of the whole industry, Bonnie
Anderson delivers a searing indictment of our corrupt,
sensationalistic television news. She lays out fact
by fact, and name by name, just how, why, and most
importantly who is to blame for this once esteemed
institution's downward slide into the very muck it
used to deplore. For years, Noam Chomsky's theories
about the corruption of the news media have grown less
alarmist and eerily more prescient as the
infotainment age reaches its belligerent maturity.
But while Chomsky was lecturing about it, Ms. Anderson
was out in the field living it. She recounts, with a
journalist's eye for detail, all that went astray
within our large media conglomerates. The cast of
characters are all to familiar, Browkaw, Jennings,
Schwarzenegger, Striesand, O.J., Clinton, Leo,
Lewinsky, and Lettermen, as Ms. Anderson makes a
compelling case for the media's distortion from a
revered source of accurate information to an
increasingly grotesque and obvious fountain of
entertainment. "If it bleeds it leads" is the mantra
of newsrooms of our day, and may truth and rational
perspective be damned. Everything of value is
jettisoned in light of shocking and sensational video
footage about any subject, no matter how irrelevant
and trivial. No one will hear about the latest civil war in
Africa when every second of news time is dedicated to
footage of a shark attack in Florida, human interest
stories, a surfing cat, or another excessive
Hollywood wedding.

I loved this book! Hilda and Zelda have to tell Sabrina that she is a witch! (And she does not beleve them at first!) Then she starts doing magic when she does not really want to. Very funny. It's good.

No wonder they say that the first book is always the best- it's true!

The beginning. Its her 16th birthday Sabrina finds out that shes a witch. But the only thing shes learnt is how to turn something into a pineapple. So when Libby is nasty to her and gone just to far she becomes a pineapple. But with her aunts help she is reversed again. But its too late. Her reputation as a freak at the new school has been established. She goes to the other realm counsel to plead for time to be reversed so she can start the day again. DENIED. But Aunt Hilda, Drells (the head counsellor)old girlfriend goes to pay him a little visit. That sure sorted him out. Excellent first book.

Sabrina Spellman lives with her Aunt Hilda and Zelda, but on her 16th birthday, they tell her the secret of her life...she's a witch! Sabrina's spellbook has a magical picture of her father that can talk to her! But one problem, Sabrina can't control her powers! Will Sabrina ever learn to be the witch that she really is?

Meet Sabrina Spellman.Just your average teenager wanting to have fun in her new home in the care of the Spellman sisters,Hilda and Zelda. Sabrina's parents have just split up and Sabrina has moved in with her aunts on her birthday. Something strange is going on though.Why is she receiving big dusty old books titled "ye olde magic" and small cauldrons? Well guess what? Sabrina is a witch! Her aunts try to explain,but this is all too much for her.On her sixteenth birthday she finds out she is a witch and has to start out at a new school "Westbridge High". Trying to forget about her powers,Sabrina makes new friends and new enemies. To find out and capture the magic of the first of Sabrina's adventures and discoveries about becoming a witch,read this fantastic novel today.

Blade was .... completely different from the movie. The movie had more fighting and you didn't get to see the true meaning of the novel. The movie described Blade as a cold blooded slayer with no mercy. The novel describes Blade as someone who risks his life everyday to save the human race in spite of the fact that the human race thinks he's a murderer and wants him dead. He uses his powers to serve and protect the very species that depises and fears him-our own. He has the power of an immortal, the soul of a human, and the heart of a hero.

Another ride on the good ol' roller-coaster of adrenalin! Who says books can't raise your blood pressure? For those who think so: Read Blade! Awesome action, packed with vampire-slaying excitement, and intense fun! I haven't even seen the movie, though I'm about to. If all movie-novels were like Blade, Carmike Cinemas will be seeing me more often.

Blade is the tightest book you'll ever want to read!!! The movie and the book are amazing. I've been watching the movie a hella-lot of times and you'll also like the book. Buffy v. Blade??? Blade all the way! cause he's the #1 slayer!

Blade was a kick ass book, completely different from the movie. The movie had more fighting and you didn't get to see the true meaning of the novel. The movie described Blade as a cold blooded slayer with no mercy. The novel describes Blade as someone who risks his life everyday to save the human race in spite of the fact that the human race thinks he's a murderer and wants him dead. He uses his powers to serve and protect the very species that depises and fears him-our own. He has the power of an immortal, the soul of a human, and the heart of a hero.

I loved both the book and the movie. I was really surprised at how the book captured the manic energy of the movie and the complexity of the characters. The book really delves into the deeper areas of the characters and captures the feeling that it's hard not to admire Frost while you're hating him, he's an awesome villain. Even if you haven't seen the movie, read the book, it's an absolute must for anyone who's a fan of Anne Rice or vampires in general, as well as anyone who wants to read a well-crafted piece of literature.

At twelve years old, Alex begins thinking that she might be a good enough swimmer to represent New Zealand in the Olympics in 1960, when she is sixteen. Juggling high school, other extracurricular activities, and competitive swimming is tough, though. It becomes especially tough when Maggie, who has been competing since she was two, moves nearby and begins training at Alex's pool. Maggie has an overbearing mother and an absolute dedication to swimming that means she mostly wins her events against Alex. Alex remains certain that she will be able to come out on top at the Olympic trials, though.

As that time comes closer, Alex becomes less and less certain of herself, and she finds herself getting more and more overwhelmed by the events in her life. Will she be able to set everything aside in order to focus on what may be the most important swim of her life?

This was a decent story about swimming and about the pressures of high school, which haven't really changed all that much in the last forty years. However, I was disappointed by the predictability of the storyline with Andy. On the second page of the prologue, before we had even officially met him, I already knew exactly what happened. It was a letdown when my suspicions ended up being true.

I read this book over and over again. It's well-written and handles emotions more complex than most books for this age group.

I was at the secondhand bookstore, reading a book about greatbooks for girls, and it mentioned one I thought I'd seen whilebrowsing the shelves earlier. I went and picked it up, 259-page"In Lane Three, Alex Archer" and decided to get it - itsounded good and was only ... anyway. I spent the next three daysreading little parts of it at a time, and could barely put itdown. The epilogue was especially good, and after finishing it Iimmediately wrote out a new Favourite Books List - there was a new onein first place.

I loved this book! It is an excellent read and is well written. The story is beautiful and the characters are believable. It's a story an girl can relate to, no matter their age. The emotions and trials of Alex are very real; it's hard to put it down until you're done! I recomend this book to anyone. Not only does it talk about growing up a teenage girl, but it describes things such as the personal struggles of competiting in a way that is different and refreshingly honest. Buy this book today!

This book was a great book. If you are a swimmer you can relate to all the training and the time you have for everything else. If you have ever dreamed of going to the Olympics this book shows you what you have to need and go through. Alex shows courage and faith in this book. The book also gives examples of a swimmer's friendships and dreams. "In Lane Three, Alex Archer" is a really good book, it tells the story of a swimmer's life when she is training and trying to have fun.

Melainie is a very funny character. She has a very strong relationship with her friends. She has two friends. They fight. Melanie is very angry. She has to choose between her friends. She chooses Celia. Her other friend is very mad at her. Soon, her other friends sadness turns into revenge. In this world people have to take hard decisions in life. No ones life is perfect. Just believe in what decision you do.

As NYC's number one tour guide, I see I have some real competition with Melanie, she sure knows Manhattan. She shows us our city here in a very intetresting yet fun way. Nice going Carol, all the best!
Malachy Murray

This story is about an 11-year-old girl named Melanie who lives with her brother Matt the Brat. Melanie is going through a lot of problems. I think the book is good for girls 8-14. This book has very good artwork. This book is also a great book because it can teach you some Spanish and art. It also has very good humor. It is a very good book.

It is about a girl that has a long distance love with a guy named Miguel. Also, she has a girl that is stealing her best friend. Her name is Suze. Also they talk a LOT of Spanish. Next, the cover is really cool with a lot of action. Also she lives in the city.

Melanie is an 11-year-old girl who has an adventure in the big city of Manhattan. Her boyfriend Miguel is coming to New York for a week. Oh no! It was very good. However I recommend it for girls 10 and over.

It is about a girl who lives in the city. She has a boyfriend named Miguel. She also has a younger brother, Matt, her Dad and her Mom and an art teacher. I think it is a very good and detailed book. I loved the cover.

I think Melanie in Manhattan is a good book for kids in 4th-6th grade because the book could help through those years. The book is about a girl named Melanie and the problems she struggles with her friends. Her friends are Cecilia and Suze. Her boyfriend is Miguel. Miguel is a Spanish boyfriend she met in Spain. The boyfriend comes to visit all the way from Spain. There is also a lot of Spanish so if you are learning Spanish you should read it. She hates her brother so she calls him Matt the Brat.

A very good and interesting book. Made for middle-schoolers. Very nice and detailed cover. Lots of things going on. Melanie in Manhattan is the last of the series. There are a few before this book, like Melanie goes Dutch and With Love from Spain. I loved the book Melanie in Manhattan. It also was very funny and interesting.

I think Melanie in Manhattan is an OK book because it has inappropriate things. It is good because the illustrations are amazing. Also I like how it tells you about her life, and when she signs her name when she's done writing in her diary.

As Melanie goes through adventures, author Carol Weston makes it realistic and humourous. Although slightly inappropriate, Carol's pictures and Spanish dialogue make up for it. Her writing makes up for it. Her writing makes it seem like a real diary of an 11-year-old who wishes to be more mature.

This is a good book. This has amazing pictures. I love how Carol Weston has some Spanish in there. However it is a little inappropriate for kids 8 and under. 9 and up it should be a good book. It is about an 11-year-old who is trying to get more mature and has a little brother - Matt the Brat - and is sometimes getting in the way of her crush Miguel. Overall this is a great book.

Girl Scout Troop 154

Melanie Martin is beginning 6th grade and has many new challenges placed upon. Melanie has to find ways to deal with these daily life problems. Melanie in Manhattan has been one of my favorite books that had me laughing along.
Melanie in Manhattan is written in a diary format in the opinion of Melanie. She writes daily about her family and friends. Her best friend Cecily has become friends with the new, stuck up girl, Suze. They spend every minute together and rarely include Melanie. She feels like she's losing her best friend. On Melanie's trip to Spain that summer she met her mom's friend's son and she feels something special for him. They had many fun times together in Spain and Melanie is starting to really miss him. They send each other e-mails and keep in touch. Miguel's uncle has to come to New York for a work trip and has offered to take Miguel along to see Melanie. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She would see him once again. Together they tour New York with Melanie's family and see the great sights. Melanie starts to see the beauty of New York. Things start to change and Melanie isn't sure if Miguel considers her as just a friend or a girlfriend. Melanie likes him but she also has a small crush on Jason, a math whiz in her class. Melanie doesn't know how she feels. She has mixed feelings about everything at this point.
Carol Weston shows the fun-loving character's personality and describes the breath taking tourist attractions in the massive city of New York. Weston has put the teenage perspective in Melanie. Melanie talks and acts like an average middle school girl. When Melanie's mom leads her class on a field trip she says, "It's embarrassing having Mom stand in front of everyone like a teacher," (pg. 12.) All teenagers get embarrassed by their parents at some point or another. Like most siblings, Melanie can also be rude to her younger brother. Throughout the book she calls him, "Matt the Brat." During the book Melanie guides Miguel around New York. Melanie finds herself taking advantage of all the attractions New York has to offer like their museums and the skyscrapers. Miguel says, "New York is marvel," because he has never seen anything like it. He appreciates it the "marvel" New York more than her. As they walk through Central Park, Melanie and her family recognize all of the people enjoying the beautiful day. "Central Park is giant. You could walk all day and not get to see all of it...teams of kids were playing sports, a few mothers were jogging with their babies in strollers... we were in a park surrounded by tall buildings," (pg. 149.)If Melanie lived in a small rural town she could never experience this. She wouldn't get to walk outside late at night and see people walking around because like it says, "New York never sleeps." Melanie couldn't see people outside walking in the park because there aren't many people living in the country. Her closest neighbor would be a mile away.
The book, Melanie in Manhattan was a very funny and enjoyable book. Weston showed creativity in her format choice. She wrote the story in a diary and shows Melanie's real thoughts. She used many different fonts and ended each diary entry with an adjective to describe the entry. For example, Melanie ends with "Romantically Melanie," or "Mathematically Mel." This is a must-read book for all young girls.

Great story, love the NYC and art references. I previewed this book before I sent it as a gift and now I will pass it along to all my friends kids. Excited to read more in the series. M in M tackles real tween issues such as changing bodies, first smooch, troubles with friends in a very realistic and honest format. Wish I had Melanie when I was a kid.

Sealed
Tony Choufati
ISBN 1-931633-64-9
285 pages at [cost of item] paperback
Washington House Publishing
[website]

Reviewed by Melissa Brown - 04/03

John Staff was living a comfortable life as a professor at the
University of the Divine when he began receiving visions. Fired from his position at the university due to rumors that the dean of his department has joined a cult, John decides to examine the visions.
Instructed to find three mysterious people to help him fight the
forces of evil, John embarks on a journey that will take him across the world to the United Holy States. A noted religious scholar, John encounters various religious scholars-many with ulterior motives and thinly veiled distaste for him. In his struggle to combat the evil invading the world, John attempts to unite the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to aid him in his fight. As natural disasters and the Third World War threaten the peace-and survival-of man, will John be able to unravel the mystery of his identity and end the suffering? Or will the ambassadors of Satan finally defeat organized
religion? Both historical and futuristic, Sealed is a fantastic
exploration of the various world religions and the faults within them.

Written by Tony Choufati, who admits to questioning religious creeds and concepts, this book offers the reader a truly unique experience.
Choufati has obviously done his research, as he quotes the Bible, the Qur'an, and various religious and philosophical scholars throughout the novel. His fresh ideas and wonderful storytelling make Sealed a great book for anyone who questions religion. A fast-paced mystery, this is an excellent first book and a great example of what religious fiction should be. After reading Sealed, you'll be looking forward to Choufati's second book, due out Summer 2003.

Disclaimer: Because of its religious nature, Sealed may arouse anger in the hearts of the faithful, but doesn't quite cross the line into heresy. Apocalyptic, controversial, and positively delightful!

I bought the book on January second and it took me only one day to read it because when I started it I could not put it down. I had to find out the end. I will quote this if I may: 'I have also been critical of the Imams of Islam, Shiites and Sunnites becasue they turned into fanatic fundamentalists thriving from wars, as they are hungry for power' YOU HAVE TO READ IT buy it from amazon.

WOW!!! That's all I can say about this book. So captivating that it makes you wonder. If this book isn't a bestseller, i'll be surprised. I couldnt put it down. Buy this book if you want suspense, intrigue, and if you want something to make you think about religion and the world today...

I read the book and it felt like reading one of Nostradamus's books. This book though, was much more descriptive than simple predictions. I also liked the religious flavor of the book. Two thumbs up to the author!

Hi, just wanted you all to know that sealed is the best book I have ever read from Los Angeles to New York. I started the book at the airport in LA and finished it six minutes before landing. Am I a fast reader? NO,,, the book is just very captivating that you do not want to lay it down! READ IT!

Mr. Yagoda presents the results of his exhaustive research with clarity and style. It's a compelling story and makes a great companion to the Kunkel books on Ross. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Shawn and the Shawn years at the NYer, since many of my favorite writers were nurtured under his watch. The best one-book history of the NYer I know of.

Disclaimer: I love The New Yorker. I have been a dedicated subscriber for ten years (and I am only twenty-six), and I read the magazine for years before subscribing under my own name.

Given my disclaimer, perhaps my five-star rating is self-evident. But not necessarily: As a lover of the magazine, I approached this text skeptically. I was interested in an unbiased review, yes, but likely I would have been wounded by a wholeheartedly negative portrayal.

Yagoda loves TNY even more than I do, if that's possible, yet he truthfully approaches his biography of the magazine. The ugliest facts are laid bare, but in a sympathetic whole.

TNY writers, editors, and staff members are lovingly recreated; Yagoda writes so well that I felt I knew these people, I understood these people, and I physically missed them after turning the last page. Like others who have reviewed this book, I wanted more--more, more, more. I felt astonished and sad to have finished the book. Were it a novel, I'd beg for a sequel, even knowing that sequels rarely live up to the original. Even a second-best second-tome would be better than missing the people and the institution that this book brings to life.

Admittedly, TNY readers will love this book vastly more than those unacquainted with its pages. However, if you are even beginning to approach the magazine, you must read this book. You will understand the weekly journal better than you do now, and you will appreciate it far more. I certainly do.

Bravo, Yagoda!

There are at least two ways to view Ben Yagoda's book ABOUT TOWN: 1) as the history of The New Yorker Magazine, how it was conceived and developed and changed over time, and 2) as a social document reflecting its times. The subtitle of the book "and the World it Made" does not seem quite as accurate unless one considers that "world" to be the corporate culture created by the staff led by Ross and Shawn, the two longtime editors who built the magazine. The New Yorker certainly has influenced the world within which it existed along with many other magazines.

Harold Ross, the founder and first editor of the magazine, with the help of Katherine and E.B.White, Thurber, Dorothy Parker, and many other fine editors and writers launched the magazine in the 1920s. The sophisticated and literary focus of the magazine soon captured the fancy of New Yorkers. During the hard days of the depression the magazine actually gained subscribers as readers enjoyed the humorous repartee and cartoons that helped them laugh at their troubles. Many new readers learned of the magazine during WWII as it was handed around the barracks. The GI bill produced many educated readers who remembering their wartime contact with the magazine now subscibed to it. Following WWII, the magazine included more and more "social conscience" articles, for example, John Hershey's essay on "Hiroshima."

Ross died in the early 1950s, and during the fifties under the editorship of William Shawn, the magazine became relatively banal according to Yagoda who says it appealed to stay-at-home wives who enjoyed articles that reminded them of their college days (among other pieces, Mary McCarthy's tales of her Italian travels were featured). In the 1960s, the magazine once again became more vocal about social issues and the environment.

Yagoda says the best years of the magazine came in the 1970s when writers like Woody Allen wrote wonderful wacky pieces and investigative journalists covered the scandals in
Washington. Following a downturn in subscriptions in 1980s, the magazine was purchased by a media mogul and William Shawn departed. With Tina Brown's arrival, the magazine metamorphed into a Conde Nast publication. Garrison Keillor's comments about Brown's arrival (as he left) are amusing.

Over the years, I have read John Updike, Alice Munro, Jamaica Kincaid, Katherine White, and many of the writers who once wrote for the New Yorker. When I was a child, my mother used to quote Dorothy Parker regularly ("Rivers are damp..."), but I had no idea Parker wrote for The New Yorker until years later (we lived in a rural area and subscribed to the Progressive Farmer!!). When I read Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING, it changed my life, but I read it in book form when it was first published as a Book of the Month Club selection. I only became aware of The New Yorker magazine when I was in my thirties and a college writing instructor suggested it. Yagoda says many people discovered the magazine when they were students.

As a social document, The New Yorker articles very much reflect the times, and to some extent, at least under Ross, the magazine seemed to be ahead of the times. In reading this book, I was reminded of National Public Radio, which seems to be the main innovator in broadcast journalism these days--though I am told there are all sorts of happenings on the Internet. The in-depth news stories, the essays by various knowledgeable citizens, the political commentaries and Garrison Keilor are all comparable to The New Yorker magazine.

If you are interested in a snapshot of the 20th Century from an educated New Yorker magazine perspective, or in writing and magazine development in general, you will find much of interest in this book. The tales concerning the origins of many innovative features of the magazine are quite good.

Yagoda suggests the magazine pretty much ended with Shawn's departure in the late 1980s. He devotes eight pages at the end of the book to the three editors who followed Shawn. He says the median age of the readership grows older every year (not replacing subscribers) and most of current readership as such is owing to the retention of loyal readers. He quotes some of these readers who no longer actually read the magazine but have not given up their subscriptions. His book goes a long way toward explaining to me why I dropped my subscription a few years ago.

There are two types of writers: those who aspire, no, dream of being published in the "New Yorker", and those who, after several rejections, bitterly deride the very institution they hoped to conquer. I am solidly of the first camp, though give it a few years and I might be a latter-day grouch.

The work of Ben Yagoda brings the magazine alive, from the heyday of such luminaries as Thurber and White to the tough war years, right up through the Shawn era and even right up to (for 1999) the present. Through it all, Yagoda examines the many lives who devoted themselves to this literary exercise in humor and good faith. The most compelling character studies, however, are the two main editors throughout the magazine's history, Harold Ross and William Shawn.

Ross, who founded the magazine in 1925 and managed it through its first twenty-six years, comes across as a gruff, thoroughly Western man who nonetheless saw the need for a magazine like "The New Yorker", and brought it to being through sheer will and fortitude. He also happened to publish significant works by James Thurber, E.B. White, and J.D. Salinger among others. Shawn, taking the reins after Ross's death in 1951, saw the magazine through 30+ years of challange and triumph, only to be forced out in 1987. Throughout the book, Yagoda makes these men the central focus of his tale, but he includes brief looks at literary and other lights of the twentieth century, some who did get published (like Donald Barthleme, Veronica Geng, and John Updike) and some who didn't (Tom Wolfe, whose scandelous expose on the magazine shook it out of its fuddiness).

Overall, the book looks fondly back at the magazine's past, with a hint that it might never reach the same heights of importance it once had. That may very well be, but there's still something to be said for a magazine that is such an institution no one could imagine starting a writing career without considering the possibility of submitting to it.

"The New Yorker" is still the premier magazine in America, and this book explains why, after almost a century, it still carries the weight it does.

"About Town", by Ben Yagoda chronicles the majority of the 80+ years, "The New Yorker", has been contributing its unique journalistic culture to everyone, including, "The old lady in Debuque". Mr. Yagoda's book stands out from many books that have been offered to readers about the magazine for while he certainly is aware of the contributions the magazine has made for over 8 decades; he does not seem to be in awe of it or the people to the point it affects his writing. He clearly admires the magazine, but this does not stop his including a wealth of information that documents the eccentric personalities that shaped the magazine. Some may not find the notes flattering, but he objectively shows some of the magazines famous quirks without committing the blasphemy of a young Thomas Wolfe.

The list of writers who either became major or occasional contributors, reads like an amalgam of winners of the highest literary awards that have been offered. The list of those names repeatedly rejected expands the list even further. The book contains dozens of examples of the famous rejection letters that often are almost apologetic about turning down a piece of work while always writing in the first person plural. Having a piece selected by, "The New Yorker", was often considered the ultimate indicator that a new writer had arrived, that he or she had entered the pantheon of the magazine's literary legends. This was true even if the work accepted for publication may not have appeared for months, or even several years. The reception of the envelope stating a writer's work had been admitted was all many authors needed to have their work given unique value and cachet, publication was a bonus.

Mr. Yagoda also spends a good amount of his book on the cartoons, their artists, and the painful process that started with an idea only to have to run a gauntlet to be published. As hard as this path may have been, the scrutinizing that a written piece received is almost beyond imagining. It is understandable that first time contributors would have their worked scoured and polished, but when some of the 20th Century's finest writers nearly drew blood over commas the action within the building must have been spectacular. There is a story of one writer who sat outside the editor's office for almost 5 hours over the issue of a single comma. This World War I trench warfare standoff continued until the early hours of the next morning. The editor capitulated, but noted to the writer, "you are still wrong".

The story of this fascinating magazine could fill many volumes. If your starting place for gathering an overview of this institution, its editors, staff and writers, is this book, you will have chosen very well. Mr. Yagoda has written a great tribute to those he has chronicled.

I purchased the Sweep series for my 13 year old daughter in the hopes that maybe she would read. "She hated to read." Well I was amazed, and could not get her to go to sleep, as she would spend the whole night, with a night-light on reading these books. She enjoyed them so much, and could not stop talking first about Cal and then Hunter, that I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Well after two weeks, a book a day, for a girl who hated to read, it sparked my curiosity, so I started reading, and was surprised to find out how enjoyable a Teen book about Teen Witches could be. I am not really into Wicca, but these books are really enjoyable. I am on my fifth book, and my daughter read each twice, and is know on the Circle of Three Series. I have to highly recommend these books to those parents who can not get their daughters to read. These are excellent stories, full of fantasy, horror, and fun.

This one is also good...just like the other ones. Morgan is still trying to understand her powers, but doing well when she has Cal with her. But, something strange is happening that is making Morgan scared. What could it be? You will have to read and find out, just typing this review temps me to read it again. GO get this book, you wont regret it.

Morgan is a blood witch. She was adopted. Morgan's life has been changing and is changeing still. THen Hunter another blood witch enters her life. From the very first moment she saw him she disliked him but now she absolutely hates him. Hunter is saying things about Cal that hurt her. Then things take a turn for the worst and Morgan is to blame. What did she do? Read this book and find out!

Morgan's seventeenth birthday is approaching and she should be very happy. But the rest of her life is not a wonderful as it should be. Cal is great, and her anchor. But now she has learned more about her mother and her clan. Her coven is losing some members and might be losing more. Bree is still distant and is mixed up with a strange witch. Who are the strange witches and what do they have against Morgan and Cal?

Most of these questions are answered by the end of the book which culminates on the night before her birthday.

Another fine book about a girl coming to terms with the changes in her life (adoption, love, witchcraft, friends, etc.).

Morgan is still trying to piece her life together. Bree has deserted her and her adoptive family can't even begin to understand her. The only person she seems to trust and have on her side is Cal. Cal her wonderful boyfriend who believes they are murin breatha dans, soulmates. But then Hunter comes and shakes things up. He claims that he is Cal's half brother and a member of the International Council of Witches. He says that he has been sent to investigate Cal and Selene who are believed to be practicing dark magick. Morgan denies this and refuses to believe him. But she does feel that something dark and strange is going on and if she doesn't figure things out soon she could face hte same tragic death her parents did.

This book is really a great book. I couldn't stop reading it. This is a good book because it tells you what its like for a divorced parent to get married again. It tells about the struggles and the ups and downs of a parent getting remarried. I liked this book because it was very well written

"To Have and to Hold" is a very good Madison Finn book. I really enjoyed it, and had to keep reading. I finished it in three days! This book is mainly about Maddie's dad getting married with Stephanie, in Texas! Madison doesn't want to leave Phinnie, her friends, and her mom. And then, Maddie finds out that she has to do a reading in front of a hundred people! Meanwhile, back home, something very bad happens to Fiona's father, and Maddie wishes she could be back home. Maddie doesn't want to meet Stephanie's huge Texas family.....especially a Posion Ivy like cousin. Will Maddie get through this wedding? What about everybody back home?

This is the BEST Madison finn book EVER! Madison;s dad and Stephanie are getting married! And Madison is a little overwhelmed, and then, she is asked to go and be a bridesmaid in Texas! So she turns to Bigwheels for advice, then, Fiona's dad has a heart attack, and is in the hospital! Will this wedding turn out okay, or will this New Yorker get more than what she can Have and to Hold?

Summer Vacation is on and Madison's dad drops a bombshell. He is got engaged to his girlfriend, Steph and they are getting married in two weeks. Plus, they want Madison to be junior maid of honour and recite a poem at the wedding. Dad says that there will only be 30 people at the wedding. Then Steph's mom gets carried away with the guest list. Before long the wedding goes to 300 hundred people and about five different affairs. How is madison going to survive?

Madison Finn is back! And in a whole new, exciting way. On the first page, the book just sucks you in, wanting you to read more. It begins with Maddie's Dad announcing his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Stephanie. Suddenly, Madison's world turns topsy turvy, and she's become part of the wedding rush. As if her Dad getting married wasn't enough...it's going to be far away from home...in Texas! Think things can't get any worse? Well, it does. Stephanie's niece, Tiff, acts like a total spoiled brat towards Maddie. Will Madison's luck change? Or will this whole ordeal turn out a disaster...just like Madison thinks it will? Find out in 'To Have and to Hold'.

This is without doubt the best of all Star Trek stories, both in film and in print. It touches on many grand philosophical, scientific, and technological themes: machine intelligence (both in Commander Data and in the Borg), space-time engineering (the first time humanity has done this, via the efforts of Zefram Cochrane), the first contact from an alien civilization (the arrival of the Vulcans), the confrontation with true history (meeting Cochrane and finding out just who the man really was), and the ethics of highly advanced civilizations (the contrast between the Borg and humanity). This book and the film will without a doubt inspire many a young reader to take up the practice of science, and thus it will do the best job of all. Science fiction has the habit of coming true sometimes, but it also has the fault of underestimating. The future of humanity, as exemplified by the Star Trek crew of the year 2367, is a grand one to contemplate, but the true future will be much better: a world populated by humans and machines striving to be the best they can be; a future that is never static, for stagnation to intelligent life is an abomination. We will do genetic engineering of humans, to be the best we can be; we will do space-time engineering, to travel beyond any immediate confines; we will create intelligent machines, to be our friends and allies. All of these things we will do, and much more. Humans and all other lifeforms, organic or not, will be very different in the time frame set in this novel. But they will be restless, ambitious, and always yearning for more understanding, for more insight, for more knowledge: these traits will characterize the beings of the 24th century...and beyond.

"And you people...you're all astronauts on some kind of...star trek?"

That line, uttered by Dr. Zephram Cochrane in both movie and novelization, has to be my all time favorite from the Trek film series. The most interesting difference between movie and book, as far I am concerned, is that despite James Cromwell's fine performance I found the film's Zephram Cochrane incredibly annoying. I never developed a shred of sympathy for him, because the background the film gave me - the Third World War and its chaotic aftermath - wasn't sufficient to make me understand him. I don't know, not having seen the script from which J.M. Dillard worked, whether she added "Zef" Cochrane's tragic battle with bipolar disorder (a disease that before the War had an effective treatment), or if it was among the elements that inevitably got cut as the film took shape. But I do know that for me, it made all the difference in being able to care about this character and root for him.

The book follows the film with little filler added except for background on Lily Sloane and Zephram Cochrane, which gives it a similar pace. They complement each other well.

As usual, J.M. Dillard does a fine job of remaining true to the source material, while still elaborating on it. The story is an excellent one, with plenty of action and plenty of interesting science-fiction concepts for the more thoughtful to consider. It gives us a bit more insight into the "future history" between the near-collapse of civilization and the beginning of the Federation that has been hinted at but rarely detailed in various episodes of Star Trek, in various generations of series.

The plot and characterization are both excellent and the writing is fluid and professional. The book is a pleasure to read.

This is, of course, the novelization of the highly successful Star Trek: The Next Generation film of the same name. First Contact refers not to first contact with the Borg, for, six years later, Picard still bears the mental scars of his assimilation in the form of Locutus, but to Earth's first contact with an alien civilization. It is a story that had yet to be told, although Captain Kirk and his crew had met the extraordinarily old Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, in an episode of the original series; additionally, there had been hints that this pivotal event in human history took place some time after a terrible Third World War on Earth.

As the story begins, the Borg have attacked the Federation, with one of their massive cube ships making a bee-line for Earth herself. Picard and the new Enterprise-E starship defy Starfleet orders and rush to the battle, after which they follow a small Borg ship through a time portal which takes them back to 21st-century Earth. The Borg plan is to destroy the Phoenix, the spacecraft which Zefram Cochrane launches and, by way of its successful warp drive test, captures the attention of a Federation scout ship. If that pivotal event does not happen, the Federation we all know and love will never come to be. While half of the senior staff is planet-side trying to make sure the Phoenix launch happens on schedule, the rest of the crew find themselves battling a Borg infestation onboard the Enterprise herself. Data is captured, Picard is in danger of letting his hatred of the Borg overrule logic and reason, and we get to meet the Borg Queen. Personally, I've always felt that the introduction of the Borg Queen was a disservice to the greatest Star Trek villains of them all. The Borg Queen is a complete contradiction that introduced a level of individual vulnerability into a collective that was, up until this time, faceless and seemingly invulnerable.

This is an impressive novelization of the film, making it a worthwhile read to those of us who are already familiar with the onscreen story. In particular, it provides a great deal of insight into the erratic nature of Zefram Cochrane himself; in the movie, he came across as basically a drunk, but the novelization does a much better job of explaining his behavior. That alone makes this novel a natural and extremely beneficial corollary to the movie.

Star Trek First Contact by J.M. Dillard was an excellent book. it showed emotion, fear, dispair, and anger. IT was a well written book considering it was made after the movie. I encourage all Star Trek fans to read this book and watch the movie.