Customer Reviews

Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

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Tim Russert died unexpectedly on Friday, June 13, 2008. He was beloved by many and respected by many. He was one of the few political reporters that I believe gave us both sides of the story. He always spoke with eloquence and intelligence, and when he spoke, we listened.

"People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad." ~Marcel Proust

We all know Tim Russert as the moderator of "Meet the Press", and now we meet Tim Russert, son of Big Russ. Tim Russert tells the story of growing up in Buffalo, and how he grew to be the man he is today has much to do with the father he idolizes. His father is his hero. This is a story of love, family love, religious love, love of sports, love of people and love of life.

Much of this book has to do with the lessons learned at the knee of Big Russ. Big Russ was a hard worker- he loved his family, a wife and four children. Big Russ learned his love of life in the Army. He was in World War II and was badly injured in a plane accident. Big Russ learned valuable lessons that day- he was saved from certain death by another soldier who threw caution to the wind to save his brother soldier. Big Russ is a reticent man who does not talk much about his experiences, as is common with WWII soldiers. It took Tim Russert many years to learn about his dad and about his experiences in the Army. Tim Russert once said the person he most wanted to interview was his own dad!

Tim Russert had an idyllic childhood, but it was not an easy life. He worked hard at school and hard at home. He came from a family who loved him and taught him many lessons. The family was Catholic, and his entire education was completed at Jesuit's schools. Food was a big part of their life. Big Russ worked two jobs to give his family a home, clothing and food on the table. There is an entire chapter talking about the food of the Russert home and the food of Buffalo. The roast beef weck sandwich is one of the famous foods of Buffalo but it is the Buffalo chicken wings that are the best known.

Tim Russert goes on to tell about his life, college, law school, working for Senator Moynihan and Governor Cuomo. He was well liked and as always a very hard worker. His work with these politicians was noted, and he was picked by NBC to work in the news division. He became the news Director of the Washington Bureau, and was later asked to be the moderator of "Meet the Press". He has made "Meet the Press' the most popular Sunday political show on television. He credits his success to Big Russ who told him to be himself, and to always tell the truth, and to ask questions the little guys would ask.

Tim Russert met and married a reporter, Maureen Orth, in 1983, and in 1985 one of the most important days of his life occurred with the birth of his son, Luke. Luke is a much beloved son, and from the stories Tim Russert tells, we know that Luke must idolize his dad much as Tim does Big Russ.

Tim Russert has made a success of his life. He attributes much of his success to his father. Tim Russert can best describe his father with this sentence taken from Gail Godwin's book
"Father Melancholy's Daughter".
"He lived his life by the grace of daily obligations."

This is a book to be read again and again. Full of stories of hope and goodness and love and life. It is a feel good book. A story of the life of one of our best political reporters. I believe that Tim Russert is one of the most respected man in America.

Tim Russert told us that Bruce Springsteen was one of the people he most wanted to interview. He was able to make enough money selling Bruce Springsteen concert tickets to attend college. One of Springsteen's songs:got a song to sing, keep me out of the cold
And I'll meet you further on up the road.

Further on up the road
Further on up the road
Where the way dark and the night is cold
One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sY__dua_pEg&feature=related


Highly Recommended. prisrob 2004

I bought this book a while ago, meaning to read it one-of-these-days. It broke my heart to pick it up today. The values that Tim's dad taught him are the values we lost---honesty...integrity...hard work. How alike his dad's generation was to my dad's. I cried as I read it. Journalism won't be the same without Tim Russert. Thank you, Big Russ, for raising such a fine person and thank you, Tim, for writing this book. I know you will be in Heaven having debates with the Angels! God bless you. You left this world a better place.

First, those one star reviews tell nothing about the book, and are only intended as personal assaults on Tim Russert as an interviewer on Meet The Press. makes me wonder if they even picked the book up, never mind read it.
That said, I found it to be a celebration of a man whose son is justifiably proud of him. Those of us whose fathers (and mothers) grew up in the depression and survived World War II understand and and admire that generation beyond words. Sometimes the writing is a little sappy, but who among us doesn't get sentimental about parents they loved and admired. Maybe I'm an easy sell because I see so much of my own father (he passed away in 1996), and maybe it is also because my son and I have a close relationship, and love and respect for each other unconditionally.
If you weren't as fortunate as Tim Russert and his father it might be difficult to relate to these feelings, but there is more, much more than that here, and whether or not you like Tim Russert personally, you have to admire his willingness to put himself out there knowing that some people will use it as an opportunity to take a swipe based not on the book but a polititical agenda.
How many of us get the chance to send such an amazing, loving tribute to our fathers, a public thank you for all he has done without ever expecting anything in return?
Thank you Tim.

This is a heartwarming, uplifting book. Tim Russert's "Big Russ & Me" encompasses both his own life story and the story of his father ("Big Russ.") The senior Russert grew up in a working class family in South Buffalo, New York and went off to play his part in World War II as a member of the Army Air Force. Big Russ came home after the war, married, raised four children and worked two jobs for thirty years without complaint. In the way he's lived his life and the lessons he's taught his son, he's been an exemplar of the values Americans have treasured: honesty, hard work, loyalty, self-discipline.

The author also spins a warmly entertaining chronicle of his youth, where the adults in his Irish-Catholic neighborhood served as an extended family; where the parochial schools he attended did as much to shape his character as build his intellect; and where, in the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, his own passion for politics was first awakened. Russert paints a rich, loving portrait of his first boss, New York Senator Pat Moynihan; remembers some highlights of his briefer tenure on the staff of New York Governor Mario Cuomo; and paints a lively portrait of his years at NBC News, first as a behind-the-scenes executive, and since 1991, host of Meet the Press. Along the way, he married and became a father of a son, Luke.

Russert is a natural-born storyteller. Recalling his feelings of inadequacy when he moved from Moynihan's Buffalo office to Washington, D.C. and found himself surrounded with Ivy League graduates, the senator warmly reassured him that he could learn what the others knew, but they would never have what he did. After all, the senator pointed out, none of them had ever worked on the back of a garbage truck--something that Big Russ did his entire working life and his son did during the summers of his college years.

This is a very personal story about one father and one son, but it's also a universal saga of all fathers and sons. I highly recommend it.--William C. Hall

This author died today, and this book is a tiny part of his legacy. His career as a political reporter overshadowed this glimpse into the man he was, which actually made him as good at his job as he was for many years. It could stand alone as worth reading, but is essential to understanding who we're mourning; a Good, Fine man his dad's surely proud of.

The background story behind this book is learning from your elders. In this particular one, we are talking about Tim Russert and how he explains the way that his father's knowledge (something that most children never appreciate until after the fact) and experience shaped his life. We learn of Big Russ, as he refers to his father, and how he was raise in poverty, was a WWII vet with an admirable record and his ability to raise his four children and support his household while holding down two jobs for a good part of his life. That, in itself, shows the character of Big Russ.

As is the dream of every parent, Russert's life is anything but representative of the suffering his father witnessed. A wealthy lawyer, Capital Hill insider and married to a celebrity journalist, Russert is the success story his father could brag about to any and everyone.

The book provides a nostalgic walk through time as the author reflects on his own life as well as that of his country. By the time you finish the book, you can understand why Big Russ earns the biggest title that any father can ever dream of. That of being seen as a hero in his own son's eyes. No amount of money or honors can ever top such a title as that.

I was at an REM concert last night, and just called my voicemail for a tear filled message from my grandmother. She said, "Ken your favorite person passed away." I am distraught. I know I am not alone in saying that Tim was a member of my family through proxy. How can we have an election without him around for semblance? He was a shining star in an often horrendously filled genre of saturation. Tim made politics fun, easy to understand (florida, florida, florida!!) and brought the world to our living rooms in a way that only Tim could have done. He had moxy!

I read Big Russ and Me a few months ago. His passion for life and the love of journalism and his religion was gracious and real. He was a real person, who's directness and personality will surely be missed. He will be irreplaceable.

If you haven't read TIm's book, buy it to know him better than you do. The business of running the government was so important to him, and his utter deep respect of people that run this country, was ever present in everything he had his hands on. The book is brilliant.

I would have liked to have known him in real life, yes indeed, I would have liked that very much. I will miss my friend.

If you lived through the 50's and 60's think it would been even more meaningful. It does tug at the heartstrings though. More than once I had to stop because of the tears. I wish I could have been as lucky to have the realtionship with my father. A quick, easy and lighthearted read.

It seems that if you had a happy childhood filled with genuine love and respect among family members, and you write about it, you must be prepared for the inevitable nastiness of those who were not fortunate enough to have had that type of experience. That is what I find among these reviews. People who had unhappy childdhoods invariably have to trash those who did. Tim Russert has told a loving, heartwarming, funny, inspiring account of his childhood, that happens to mirror that of thousands of other baby boomers. It has nothing to do with politics, with the author's job, etc. This book should serve an example of what parents should be doing today; putting their kids and their kids needs first among all things. Also, the guy who described Tim's father as working 95 hours a week and spending half his paycheck on beer is dead wrong. Tim Russert specifically says that he is thank ful that his father WAS NOT one of those father who drank half his paycheck.
It's a good book, easy to read and should serve as an example to all.

What a great tribute to a Dad ,fatherhood and the family.
It's a shame the negative reviewers aren't as objective as
Russert Jr. is on his show. Stop judging a very personal story
with a political bias.
The book is a positive look BACK including the memories
compiled by a clever, idealistic and optimistic boy from 1950's
Buffalo NY. His memories are upbeat because he was upbeat.
What a wonderful gift for his family to share and for us to
enjoy observing, second hand. I can watch prime time TV if
I want to focus on the negative or dysfunction.
As for the politics of media...
I grew up with the tradition of news people speaking the facts
of the news. I don't care what Dan Rather or Brokaw vote for
or think about a particular political party. Just give me the news,
including both sides , and I will decide for myself. Russert Jr.
is the only news man who is objective. He doesn't make it,
invent it or prejudice it.He reports it.
That's a lesson well learned.Read the book.
I sent a copy to my Dad and my kids for Father's day.