Customer Reviews

A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard the name Ben Bradlee while watching "All the President's Men" in 11th grade history class. I'm a big fan of Watergate and all its intricacies, so I bought the book. It really surprised me. Being an autobiography, I wasn't expecting much, but this is truly a good book. Bradlee shares with us his life in full...his ups and downs...loves and lost loves. He also gives a more personal account of JFK. His devotion to and love for journalism is something that should be applauded...and copied. This book shows that there are some people out there who still believe in publishing good, honest news. If you want to read a good book about a great newpaperman, this is the one to read.

I read this Ben Bradlee's memoir after I had read his boss Katherine Graham's 642-page grossly wordy "A Personal History." It didn't take me long to realize that "A Good Life" is a work of a good editor. His writing is concise and well focused without trying to get into excessive details, often only to bore readers, as both his boss and Maggie Thatcher successfully did with their auto-biographies. He's also so honest and candite about his personal life, including that of between the sheets.
When you are approaching 80, what's he got to lose, I guess.
For a non-native English speaking reader like me, it is also easy to read with plain and casual vocabulary and expressions. It almost reads as if the whole book was dictated. If you read All The President's Men, Final Days and A Personal History and enjoyed them, A Good Life is a must read to complete your Watergate experience.