The best journalistic writer in America does it again!
349336
"Playing for Keeps" demonstrates why Halberstam so richly deserves recognition as the best journalistic writer in America -- and probably the best writer of sports books ever.  Insightful, full of  wonderful stories, he never fails to involve the reader and maintain one's  interest.  There's nothing better, I suppose, than a long book that seems  like a short read and "Playing for Keeps", like all of  Halberstam's works, is one of those books.  Pick any of his titles, from  the lengthy yet fascinating "The Reckoning" to the short yet  wonderfully complete "The Amateurs" and you're in for a real  treat.  I started with "The Breaks of the Game," went quickly  through all the rest and urge anyone to pick up any one of his books and  start your own adventure into Halberstamland.  Picking up "Playing for  Keeps" is as good a way to become familiar with Halberstam as any and  you'll no doubt find that, like me, you'll be hard pressed to find a better  writer in contemporary American non-fiction.
175249
This guy's not the greatest writer in the world but he really tells it like it is.  Read this book and wake up, America!
4167473
Excellent author plus, the shipper got it here on time, just when expected! Loved this journalist's talent ...superb and masterfully prepared, engaging stories all to highlight some common thread. Each chapter is a keynote feature of some intriguing theme. My favorite was the over-arching idea that some things are just outside of the norm and probing all the possible takes of WHY that is.  Hence the title. Now, the most visual of story-tellers takes you into many time periods and cultures and slices of professions in order for you to see his perspective and buy into his philosophy. It is part history, science, statistics and A TON of human interest all blended with an honest voice the reader trusts. Finished this one in hours.
3792177
John Locke is an absolute writing machine and each book is a happy experience in page-turning! He is witty, engaging and a consumate skilled creator of great stories. It makes no difference which genre of stories he writes, each one is a stand alone 4 or 5 Star book.  Too many nights I stay awake being entertained and if I had a wish I'd wish he wrote faster.  My problem, and every readers problem, is that he is one of the fastest writers I/we know of, yet his creativity and quality never wavers. It is almost as though he were taking dictation.  If you have never read any of his 17 books, start with one and you will have many, many John Locke books to download.  I would start with his series of Donovan Creed - "Lethal People" - he is one of the best characters of any book and then you'll understand why he is only one of eight authors to sell more than one-million books in just three years!
3038188
Pat Conroy is simply outstanding!  His writing makes him one of the best writers America has ever produced!  This book brings closure to the saga of the Conroys.  A must read for Pat. Conroy fans, and I definitely am one!
117717
Joel Rosenberg is a winner! The Last Jihad is top notch writing! As the saying goes, "torn from today's headlines!" I was hooked from page number one. It's not often I can say that!
2704805
David Perez scores another success with the sequel to his award-winning memoir, "Wow!" David's wonderful wit, expertise in capturing the essence of a person's character, and in revealing much in an economic space return in full force in #2! Each scene, each character in David's coming-of-age memoir snags the reader's attention and doesn't disappoint. For superb writing, sharp dialogue, and fast-paced entertainment, David Perez cannot be surpassed. Highly recommended.
1991694
This is a great a book and read. MR. ET Williams lays it all out on some of the most current topics in our society: gays, liberals, muslims, and Obama. Nothing is off limits, he goes where no other writer is brave enough to go, this guy is a brilliant writer!

He explains his points and then backs them up! If you enjoy your freedom, then you love this book!

A great follow up to is first book&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Whatever-Happen-To-Common-Sense-Just-Tell-It-Like-It-Is/dp/B008L8RBLO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Whatever Happen To Common Sense?: Just Tell It Like It Is</a>.

Thanks for taking the time and the effort to write this for us Doctor!
770274
Saunders is the funniest, most intelligent writer working today.  He has a unbelievably perceptive view of contemporary American culture.
3568739
This was one of his best!  It was exciting and witty!  Hope he will use this character again or write one with a very classy reporter in D.C., trying to clean up that cesspool!
1538516
Laura Ingraham's captivating and knowledge-filled, commonsensical personality keeps me coming back for more.  She's done it again in this book. Many famous people utilize ghost-writers to put their books on the shelf - which is a total turn-off. Not Ms. Ingraham! She tells it like it is.. in her own words! I recommend this!
3396537
Jeff Shaara is (in my opinion) the best historical fiction writer today.  I have read several of his books and each one has absolutely gripped me - and this book is absolutely fascinating reading as well.

Shaara covers the period 1770-1776 through the eyes, thoughts, and actions of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, and General Gage.  When he writes through these characters, it is as though he BECOMES them!  The writing is so vividly personal that it is as though the reader is transported back in time and is actually experiencing the events as they happen.  This is the way history should be (read) taught!  Absolutely amazing writing.  Shaara is my new favorite history writer (sorry James A. Michener).

This book reads like a novel, and if the reader pays attention, a lot of history is learned in the process.  I will definitiely purchase the sequel (The Glorious Cause).

kone
2383926
If you're a constant reader, and you haven't read this, read it.  Joseph Mitchell was a reporter, first for a New York daily during the depression, and then for the New Yorker for years.  He effortlessly entertains and completely informs on a huge variety of subjects.

His other collection, Up in the Old Hotel,  is as equally well written but doesn't include the newspaper reporter's wiseguy remarks that make this so hilarious.  I only wish more of his work was reprinted.

While he mostly describes the down and out, he does it with compassion that isn't saccharine.  He details the characters of a lost New York, of Fulton Fishmarket, of the Bowery, of bartenders and his own follies as an enthusiastic young reporter from the South.  You'll wish you could meet many of the characters he interviews, but Mitchell himself more than anyone.
1054545
Bob Woodward again brings us the inside dealings of the White House, this time the Obama White House. The book makes it clear that Joe Biden should have been president, that John Boehner is not a clown as the media portrays, that Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor are true believers in their causes, and that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are hack politicians. If this book had been read by every voting American prior to the 2012 presidential election, there would have been a far different result. Superb journalism by the best there is.
3405498
As we watch the perhaps terminal death of the newspaper industry unfold one of the many journalistic questions remains:

Are newspaper columnists about to go the way of pay phones? Already newspapers have trimmed op-ed pages and laid off editorial cartoonists. Yes, there are still some wonderful political and nonpolitical columnists out there, and weblogs are sort of like op-ed pages (except most blog posts on most blogs would not be of sufficient quality to get through a secretary's scan of incoming mail let alone to an editor's desk since op ed pieces must  be more than name callng) are there writers there who still "get it"? Are the great columnists the ones we already have or who have died? Or are there more out there, waiting for their big breakout?

The good news is that yes, Virginia and Sidney, there is someone out there who is carrying on the grand tradition of the columnist -- someone who wears his heart and his past failures on his sleeve, although he now wears a nice, clean sleeve since he is a role model for writers everywhere.

In Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life Michael Greenberg proves proof that great short-form column writing is not dead but more alive than ever. Writing in a style that is almost a combination of the late Mike Royko, or a New Yorker column, with a touch of the dark humor of David Sedaris thrown in, Greenberg's collection of short columns is a must-reading role model for aspiring, writers, new and old media columnists, aspiring journalists, bloggers who want to lift the quality of their posts beyond sounding like cyberspace reguritations of Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann -- and anyone who lives a quick, thought-provoking, often funny and sometimes bittersweet read.

Taken together, these 45 thoughtfully and painstakingly crafted short essays originally written for London's Times Literary Supplement portray a story of a writer who persisted despite relatives trying to discourage him, early experiences that sometimes ended in seeming failure and an occasional misjudgment. In the end, stick-to-it-tiveness, talent and mastery of his craft won out. Because this is Greenberg's second major book and we can expect (or hope) many more for him in the future.

It is a remarkable journey. Greenberg turned his back on his father's stable scrap metal business, married and had kids, traveled, did all kinds of jobs such as driving a taxi, all the while struggling write his novel and pursue his dream. The essays cover a variety of subjects: from visiting Argentina (where his wife was arrested in a demonstration), killing a chicken, writing for movies, a dog with a funny shaped head, his experiences at Hebrew school -- and the story of Hart Island, where prisoners bury the indigent dead. But above all, it's a story of Greenberg, how he worked at his art, absorbed every single morsel of life's details in his travels abroad and in the United States, the story of a self-effacing Jewish guy from New York who never gave up his dream despite discouragement -- with a portrait of New York City in all its greatness and ungreatness painted throughout.

And I need to say this. I'm someone who travels with a book of Mike Royko columns in my car (this is written while on a trip up and down California's coast) and who admires the essays of David Sedaris. Greenberg has his own style, since his life's experiences and professional writer's background are the filters through which we read his work.

But he belongs with the best of `em up there.

Which is why Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writers' life is MUST READING for journalists, bloggers, writers -- and people who like to read the work of journalists, bloggers and writers.

Or for anyone who has a dream.
3995378
Best vetted reliable news. Pulitzer prize-winning journalists, can't go wrong with it.
2595308
The fervor of the protestors, the uncertainty and wrong decisions by the authorities, the tragedy of the violence at the Maidan -  are brought home so vividly with the detailed, insightful and always humane contemporaneous reports by the fine reporters of the Kyiv Post.  These reporters are excellent - they write so well, they investigate so thoroughly. Truly the reader feels he is there, day by day. I'd recommend the book highly.