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REPORTING THE WAR

Name: REPORTING THE WAR
Author: Frederick S. Voss
ISBN: 1-56098-349-3

THE JOURNALISTIC COVERAGE OF WORLD WAR II

by Frederick S. Voss ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 26, 1994

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An outstanding and colorful account of the men and women who covered WW II for newspapers and radio. As we approach the 50th anniversary of D-day, Voss profiles the bravery and high ethical standards of these correspondents, photographers, and battlefield artists. Voss, a curator at the National Portrait Gallery, discusses such legendary figures as Edward R. Murrow, William Shirer, Ernie Pyle, and the cartoonist Bill Maudlin. But Voss is not content merely to recite the biographical details. He grapples with the very contentious issue of censorship when a great democracy goes to war, or as he puts it, ``the nation's security vs. the right to know.'' Two particularly noteworthy chapters deal with women journalists in combat and the African-American press. He chronicles the story of George Schuyler, editor of the black newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier. Schuyler trenchantly pointed out the irony of racism toward blacks in America while the country was fighting fascism abroad. The story of cartoonist Maudlin's run-in with General George Patton, who hardly appreciated Maudlin's satirical jabs at military life, is told with flair. Voss sees comics as having performed the function of editorial pages—rallying support for the war. He concludes his book with a moving discussion of John Hersey's Hiroshima, about the dropping of the atomic bomb. Voss also includes an appendix with Murrow's reporting from the Buchenwald concentration camp following its liberation, and a sample of Schuyler's searing commentary on racism. This book has dozens of photos and illustrations that bring the period to life. As the events of WW II fade from living memory, this book will hopefully preserve the work of that era's journalists for generations to come.

Pub Date: May 26, 1994

ISBN: 1-56098-349-3

Page Count: 208

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.