Customer Reviews

We Interrupt This Broadcast: The Events That Stopped Our Lives...from the Hindenburg to the Death of John F. Kennedy Jr. (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As an avid fan of both history and news, I was excited to see this book come to the shelf. One would expect the audio to be the key feature to this book, and indeed it should have been. Sadly, the news portions of the audio are kept to ineffective soundbites that average about 15 seconds each. Instead of having the sensation of listening to the radio when a news break comes through, you are lulled to sleep by Bill Kurtis' summation of the event. Only a small cut from a radio broadcast accents the audio. In fact, most of the news clips are not even the "breaking news," but rather some portion of a later news report. Another problem is the omission of key news events for the inclusion of cultural events (death of Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe). Finally, many of the clips begin with the news reporter speaking, not with the broadcast as it occured prior to the break-in. Thus, the "interruption of the broadcast" is never re-lived. Other reviews which claim the edited audio "revive[s] the panic and thrill of some of the defining moments" of these events, are greatly mistaken.

If you are looking for a 'best of' listing of news stories (PBS style, edited to 60 minutes t.v. program), this will be a good edition to your library. The program does do a good job of summarizing major 20th century news stories. However, if you are looking for a unique historical record of major radio news events, this will leave you disappointed and frustrated with the missed potential of this series.

I had the oppurtunity to interview the book's author and have read the book and listen the the audio. The book and it's attachments will long be a part of my family as I viewed and heard the days of my grandparents, my parents, and remember myself where I was when ... Your children's, childrens, childrens, children will love this archive. An instant 20 Century hit.

This is one of the best literary ideas I have ever seen! I was fortunate enough to receive this book for my birthday and have since perused it's pages (and listened to the CDs, of course) a dozen times. The whole book gives you a *you are there* feeling, and the audio just enhances that. Does an excellent job covering so many of the century's biggest moments. The sound of Walter Cronkite's voice announcing JFK's death, the Hindenburg disaster, Princess Diana...amazing! The pictures are great too...an all around wonderful coffee table book to have laying around. If you are at all interested in history, current events, or any major event that occurred in the 20th century, buy this...you won't be disappointed!

I bought this book primarily for my interest in broadcast news events, but I never expected the feelings and emotions that I felt by the time I finished reading and listening to it. As a GenXer, the first event I can vividly recall is the Challenger Disaster. Listening to the CD brought me back to the day and spot I was when I heard about the disaster. Even though I've cared for hundreds of WWII vets, the devestation of the war never really made an impact on me until I read and listened to this book. It makes all the events of the past become real to those who weren't fortunate enough to be alive then. The CDs themselves make this book worth every penny you spend.

This book would make a perfect gift for that hard to buy for person. A walk back in time, a very nostalgic piece for the older reader. Entertaining, interesting and educational for younger readers. The price here is unbeatable, just priced it elsewhere at $45.00.

This is a great concept with a so-so follow-through. The book has some fine photos and lackluster text. The real disappointment is the CD's, which unfortunately feature the exposition of Bill Kurtis over the actual recordings. Instead of minutes of actual news broadcasts knitted together with seconds of exposition by Bill Kurtis, we get lengthy introductions by Kurtis with snippets of the news broadcasts. Bottom line: Worth having, but falls short of potential.

The best part of the book is the forward written by Walter Cronkite - in itself is of important to journalism and our first amendment rights.

If you're going to by this book for the two audio CDs in order to "Relive the Events That Stopped Our Lives. . .," don't. The audio CDs are mostly a narrative, read a bit over dramatically by Bill Kurtis. The actual news broadcasts and historical audio has been edited down to modern-day 30-second sound bites, as if we're too dumb to listen to anything longer. It would have been far better to provide *at least* five minutes of uninterrupted audio so we could experience some of the tension and awe of the first moon landing, the assassination of a president or the launch of an invasion. I can hear Bill Kurtis just about any day of the week on TV. We are of an age where technology can help us re-present history in significant chunks. Too bad this book and audio CDs don't do so.

I was initially impressed with this book, until I began to read..... I noticed several Inaccuracies, most blatantly on p 68, The rocket photo referred to as "Apollo 11" is NOT Apollo 11, also on p 70 inset photos are referred to as "Armstrong descends the Lunar Module" the photos are NOT of Armstrong. Unfortunately I would have to oversee any use of this book by my Son, I would NOT want him to incorrectly absorb even the most minute piece of "false" history.

Since the book already contains detailed commentary on each event, maybe the CDs could have contained more historical clips and less "setup" for each clip.

The book itself contains the expected photos from the events. The accompanying text seemed appropriate for someone with little or no knowledge of 20th century history. While this is not necessarily a fault, it reduces the value of the book to those of us familiar with at least the broad outlines and major events.

But the CDs are seriously annoying. Since these accompany a book, I expected that the book would provide the context (date/time/source of the broadcast, and perhaps some historical background) and the CDs themselves would contain minimal narration. Instead, I'd estimate there's five minutes of narration-blather for every minute of historical recording. And blather it is-- often irritatingly banal, platitudinous, and cliched.

Did I mention that the narrator sometimes actually talks OVER the historical recordings? This book/recording package could have been so much better.

This book will be a bitter disappointment to real news junkies and historians. I had hoped it would be an absorbing primary document, but it is just another watered-down interpretation of history suitable for pre-adolescents, with a few sound bites. Most of the CD tracks consist of the narrator's basso voice telling us the significance of the various events. The Pearl Harbor track is typical. The narrator is the one who utters the "day [sic] of infamy" phrase - twice, in fact. We never get to hear Roosevelt's "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked..." This track is 2 minutes and 50 seconds. About two minutes of it is the narrator. Less than one-third of the D-Day track is original. The rest sounds like a budget history TV special. Again about one-third of the Hindenburg track is original. I won't bother to listen to the rest. I received this book as a well meant Christmas gift. Otherwise I would ask for my money back. There are some good black and white photos in the book, but not enough to warrant the jacked up price due to the CDs. The commentary in the printed book would be useful for a 6th grade C student.