Steven P. BarrettONE MAN'S AMERICA: ANOTHER LOOK AT AMERICA FROM ONE OF ITS BEST OBSERVERS
July 7th 2008 00:33
By Steven Barrett -- W-MA ("Happy Valley" of Western Massachusetts)
One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation -- By George Will (2008, Random House, NY)
Many years ago, back in the early Eighties, when I was attempting to make my mark in political commentary, my first hero -- besides William F. Buckley, Pat Buchanan and then Boston Globe's Mike Barnicle -- was George Will. He was the new face in poltical column writing, and perhaps the most authoritative articulator of conservatism outside of Buckley.
There was just something refreshing about this relatively new voice of an ancient and old philosophical approach to life and government. One of Will's most proficient survival tactics necessary in a town full of writers all seeking to carve out their own "power base" was his ability to eschew the "who's more ideologically pure" tribal cannibalistic behavior that more often destroyed this warfare's most prodigious participants.
Ideologues and ideology don't upset me nearly as much as ideological puritans and the damage they can bring in train as a result of their bullheadedness. Save us all from more Grover Norquists and Al Frankens. And don't they both deserve each other!
What impressed me most about Will was his ability to reach out and bring people to his point of view in ways most ideologues could only in their wildest dreams imagine pulling off. This is the difference between sandpaper writing and getting your point across with elegance, clarity and purpose. Sad to say, I have a long way to go when it comes to mastering those qualities. But my God, had I only received and mastered this kind of advice years ago concerning the art of writing a good column. (Taken from the Introduction):
This book is far more than a reporter's look at the nation from his perspective as a Washington Post, Newsweek columnist and regular commentator with ABC News. Will takes us all over the United States and introduces his readers to a wide swath of American culture and different personalities.
In a review written for Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Reed Business Information explains:
If you're into American politics, culture and a looking for a good "summer read," get your hands on Will's latest book.
Author/Columnist George F. Will
One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation -- By George Will (2008, Random House, NY)
Many years ago, back in the early Eighties, when I was attempting to make my mark in political commentary, my first hero -- besides William F. Buckley, Pat Buchanan and then Boston Globe's Mike Barnicle -- was George Will. He was the new face in poltical column writing, and perhaps the most authoritative articulator of conservatism outside of Buckley.
There was just something refreshing about this relatively new voice of an ancient and old philosophical approach to life and government. One of Will's most proficient survival tactics necessary in a town full of writers all seeking to carve out their own "power base" was his ability to eschew the "who's more ideologically pure" tribal cannibalistic behavior that more often destroyed this warfare's most prodigious participants.
Ideologues and ideology don't upset me nearly as much as ideological puritans and the damage they can bring in train as a result of their bullheadedness. Save us all from more Grover Norquists and Al Frankens. And don't they both deserve each other!
What impressed me most about Will was his ability to reach out and bring people to his point of view in ways most ideologues could only in their wildest dreams imagine pulling off. This is the difference between sandpaper writing and getting your point across with elegance, clarity and purpose. Sad to say, I have a long way to go when it comes to mastering those qualities. But my God, had I only received and mastered this kind of advice years ago concerning the art of writing a good column. (Taken from the Introduction):
The basic approach to writing columns and other periodic journalism resembles what used to be the unwritten but understood rules regarding Catholic confession: Be brief, be blunt, and be gone. In commentary, this approach is not optional, because print journalism is governed by two scarcities. One is a scarcity of space: Columnists who cannot get said what they want to say in 750 words should consider another vocation. The other scarcity is of time: Americans are harried, and their attention spans are not lengthening. Increasingly clamorous media, covering an always turbulent world, are constantly tugging at Americans’ sleeves, urgently saying, “Pay attention to this!”
This book is far more than a reporter's look at the nation from his perspective as a Washington Post, Newsweek columnist and regular commentator with ABC News. Will takes us all over the United States and introduces his readers to a wide swath of American culture and different personalities.
In a review written for Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Reed Business Information explains:
With Will’s signature erudition and wry wit always on display, One Man’s America chronicles a spectacular, eclectic procession of figures who have shaped our cultural landscape–from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., from Victorian poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from cotton picker— turned—country singer Buck Owens to actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan.
Will crisscrosses the country to illuminate what it is that makes America distinctive. He visits the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor and ponders its enduring links to the present. He travels to Milwaukee to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of an iconic brand, Harley-Davidson. In Los Angeles he finds the inspiring future of education, while in New York he confronts the dispiriting didacticism of the avant-garde. He ventures to the Civil War battlefields of Virginia to explore what we risk when we efface our own history. And on the outskirts of Chicago he investigates one of the darkest chapters in American history, only to discover a shining example of resilience and grace–the best the country has to offer.
Will crisscrosses the country to illuminate what it is that makes America distinctive. He visits the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor and ponders its enduring links to the present. He travels to Milwaukee to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of an iconic brand, Harley-Davidson. In Los Angeles he finds the inspiring future of education, while in New York he confronts the dispiriting didacticism of the avant-garde. He ventures to the Civil War battlefields of Virginia to explore what we risk when we efface our own history. And on the outskirts of Chicago he investigates one of the darkest chapters in American history, only to discover a shining example of resilience and grace–the best the country has to offer.
If you're into American politics, culture and a looking for a good "summer read," get your hands on Will's latest book.
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