Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion [Paperback]

David Brinkley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1997

From America's favorite television reporter--wise and hilarious commentaries on the always fragile human condition.

In this one-of-a-kind book, we get the undiluted David Brinkley. He marvels at government regulations that require paint cans to bear a label reading "Do not drink paint." He reminisces about a White House that once welcomed casual picnickers on its lawn. He observes that "if we can put a man on the moon, we could put Congress in orbit." He skewers lawyers, bureaucrats, Washington insiders, hypocrites of all stripes. He commemorates absurdity--and hence suffers fools gladly. This collection is Brinkley at his unbeatable best.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a selection of Mr. Brinkley's favorite short commentaries, compiled from those he delivered over the last 15 years as host of "This Week With David Brinkley." Brinkley brings his weighty bearing, rich tones, dark humor, and acerbic wit to bear on the problems of the day and editorializes on the political questions of Washington. He is often funny in his irreverent dismissal of politicians and his world-weary resigned attitude to intractable issues both large and small is curiously appealing. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Brinkley brings his bracing wit and journalistic acumen to this selection of his brief closing commentaries delivered over the last 15 years of his Sunday morning ABC-TV news program, This Week with David Brinkley. He skewers Washington's lingo of cover-up and denial, satirizes Clinton's defeated health care plan and blasts Japan for its resistance to imports. His rogues' gallery includes Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Libyan dictator Muammar Khadafy, Haiti's deposed Duvalier clan and North Korea's Kim Jong Il. Many of these 180 mini-essays, each a page in length or less, topple easy targets, such as lax airline safety standards or self-aggrandizing government bureaucracies. Other pieces comment amusingly on the annoyances of modern life or on the odd or the bizarre?e.g., castles for sale in East Germany, longhorn cattle bolting from a California rodeo to push into a bank's front door. Although Brinkley is a formidable foe of cant and hypocrisy, too many of these pieces seem dated or work better on the tube than on the printed page. 250,000 first printing; available in large print and on audio cassette.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Ballantine Books ed edition (October 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345409523
• ISBN-13: 978-0345409522
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,002,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic 80s-90s Brinkley Wit In Short Weekly Doses, August 22, 2000

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion (Paperback)

Legendary TV journalist David Brinkley revived dormant Sunday morning political interview shows with "This Week," mixing news, interviews, bicker and banter between Brinkley and panelists Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson and George Will. Brinkley nearly always closed the show with an anecdote or thought-provoking, curmugeonly comments that, delivered with trademark diction, trumped any cute animal story local news closed with.

"Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion," collects these short closers, reminding you that Brinkley's oratory gave fresh, common sense drama to what reads now as classier shaggy-dog stories or whining. The book has highlights, mainly Brinkley addressing his favorite topic of government bureaucracy (cited in everything from $2500 Air Force pliers to his dime tax bill). He praises junk mail ("You never get bad news by third-class") and global warming. He forgives President Bush for getting ill in Tokyo after a whirlwind Pacific Rim tour and nominates Richard Nixon for "official US scapegoat." He also offers touching eulogies for the Philadelphia Bulletin, Sam Ervin, and Benny Goodman.

The book recalls the Reagan-Bush years with their heroes (the presidents themselves, Margaret Thatcher) villains (John Sununu, Tip O'Neill) and fools (James Watt, Leona Helmsley, Jim Bakker, Imelda Marcos). This book is best enjoyed in its audio format; otherwise, check out Brinkley's autobiography or 1989's excellent "Washington Goes To War" for the best writing from this American news icon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chuckle, Chuckle!, March 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read, with a few chuckles on the way, get this book. If you think the U.S. government has a unique outlook on life, this book proves it. "Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion" is a small book with witty commentaries from "This Week" television show. The government is not the only oddity in the book. Life itself is seen as the intriguing, mysterious, comedic adventure it is. What I really liked about the book is you can read it in quick bites (on breaks at work) or for a longer visit (after dinner). David Brinkley's insight into the human condition is always enjoyable. And the fact his opinion often (but not always) is mine as well doesn't hurt. This is not GREAT LITERATURE (I was shouting there) but a very good book

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light, but amusing, December 1, 2000

By 

Alexander Stroup (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion (Paperback)

There isn't really much to say about this book. It is charming, amusing and intelligent. Reading this book makes for an interesting trip down memory lane and reaffirms the old adage that "the more things change, the more they remain the same."

The format is very simple and leads itself to a single read-through or picking a page at random. Several dozen of David Brinkley's closing statements on "This Week with David Brinkley" have been collected and presented here as short essays of no more than three pages each. If nothing else it is a pleasure to once again make fun of former Secretary of the Interior James Watt.