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One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko [Paperback]

Mike Royko (Author), Studs Terkel (Foreword)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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Book Description

0226730727 978-0226730721 May 15, 2000 1
With the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko was a Chicago institution who became, in Jimmy Breslin's words, "the best journalist of his time." Culled from 7500 columns and spanning four decades, from his early days to his last dispatch, the writings in this collection reflect a radically changing America as seen by a man whose keen sense of justice and humor never faltered. Faithful readers will find their old favorites and develop new ones, while the uninitiated have the enviable good fortune of experiencing this true American voice for the first time.

"A treasure trove lies between these covers. Royko was in a class by himself. He was a true original."—Ann Landers

"The joy of One More Time is Royko in his own words."—Mary Eileen O'Connell, New York Times Book Review

"Reading a collection of Royko's columns is even more of a pleasure than encountering them one by one, and that is a large remark for he rarely wrote a piece that failed to wake you up with his hard-earned moral wit. Three cheers for Royko!"—Norman Mailer

"Powerful, punchy, amazingly contemporary."—Neil A. Grauer, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"This crackling collection of his own favorite columns as well as those beloved by his fans reminds us just how much we miss the gruff, compassionate voice of Mike Royko."—Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

"A marvelous road map through four decades of America."—Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune Books

"Royko was an expert at finding universal truths in parochial situations, as well as in the larger issues—war and peace, justice and injustice, wealth and poverty—he examined. Think of One More Time as one man's pungent commentary on life in these United States over the last few decades."—Booklist

"Royko was one of the most respected and admired people in the business, by readers and colleagues alike. . . . Savor [his sketches] while you can."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

"Book collections of columns aren't presumed to be worth reading. This one is, whether or not you care about newspapering or Chicago."—Neil Morgan, San Diego Union-Tribune

"A treasure house for journalism students, for would-be writers, for students of writing styles, for people who just like to laugh at the absurdity of the human condition or, as Studs Terkel said, for those who will later seek to learn what it was really like in the 20th century."—Georgie Anne Geyer, Washington Times

"Full of astonishments, and the greatest of these is Royko's technical mastery as a writer."—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker

"A great tribute to an American original, a contrarian blessed with a sense of irony and a way with words."—Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today

"In this posthumous collection of his columns, journalist Royko displays the breezy wit that made him so beloved in the Windy City."—People

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Chicagoans think of Royko as a Chicago kid from the Northwest Side whose newspaper column--in the Daily News and then the Sun-Times and finally the Tribune, over the course of 34 years--was a regular feature of their days. But that column was syndicated to some 600 papers around the country and won fans and multiple awards until Royko's death in 1997. Friends helped Royko's widow go through his thousands of columns and narrow this selection to just over 100. Good buddy Studs Terkel provides an introduction, and friend and coworker Lois Wille supplies an overview for each decade from the '60s through the '90s. Royko's classic characters like Slats Grobnik are here; and Chicago pols get more attention than they perhaps deserve. But Royko was an expert at finding universal truths in parochial situations, as well as in the larger issues--war and peace, justice and injustice, wealth and poverty--he examined. Think of One More Time as one man's pungent commentary on life in these United States over the last few decades. Mary Carroll --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

An insightful, at times amusing walk through America's collective psyche and history by one of this century's most popular newspaper columnists. For nearly 35 years, Royko (Like I Was Sayin' . . ., 1984, etc.) entertained newspaper readers and alternately cajoled and aggravated bureaucrats. By the time the Chicago-based Pulitzer Prizewinning writer died in 1997, his columns were syndicated in more than 600 papers nationwide, and his ``characters'' (convenient pals, such as Slats Grobnik, who acted as literary foils) were fixtures in many Americans' lives. Here his widow and some longtime colleagues have culled 100 of Royko's best from nearly 8,000 columns. They are remarkable on many levels, not least for his ability to churn out five columns weekly (his only real break came after the death of his first wife). Royko also impresses with the breadth of his work. Sometimes he is the outraged muckraker: ``A Faceless Man's Plea'' decries the Veterans Administration for refusing to pay for plastic surgery that would enable a Vietnam veteran to chew food once more. (The VA changed its mind almost within hours of the column appearing in print.) At other times he is the voice of just-plain-folks, questioning exactly why our government is acting in a particular way. Sometimes he's just funny, as in the columns bemoaning his allegedly ugly feet. A gruff, no-holds-barred writer, Royko spoke for the many who are voiceless. Despite his success and the rise of celebrity journalists, he remained refreshingly unimpressed with himself. ``I just hope my next column is readable, doesn't bore people, he said in a 1993 interview. I don't have any grand scheme.'' Yet the continued relevance of these columns reminds us that good journalists can make a difference. A terrific compendium for those who always meant to clip and save Royko's words but didn't. (17 photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 322 pages
  • Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0226730727
  • ISBN-13: 978-0226730721
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Royko was the best, May 9, 2000
This review is from: One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko (Paperback)
Mike Royko was the best American newspaper columnist ever. Like Johnny Carson did for late night television, Royko DEFINED what it means to be a columnist. Even if you do not reside in Chicago, your heart cannot help but be moved by the columns in which he tried to help the little people against whatever force (bureaucratic, criminal or otherwise) that was trying to trample them. Sometimes humorous, sometimes disdainful, but always full of life, a Royko column was always a treasure. His loss is much lamented and this book is a fitting tribute.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Lots of great memories., October 18, 1999
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I have been a fan of Mike's for 25 years. When he died I felt I had lost a friend. I said to my husband that I hoped that Mrs. Royko or someone would publish a book such as this one. The story of closing the summer house I read shortly after it was written and hoped that it would be included. I still can't read it without crying.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Let's All Read This Book, September 17, 2004
By 
This review is from: One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko (Paperback)
Baltimore had its sage in H.L. Mencken. San Francisco had Herb Caen. Chicago surely owes a debt of gratitude to the late, great Mike Royko for his faithful reproductions of the comical tragedians - or is it tragic comedians? - who trod the stage of the City Hall and Cook County Courthouse. To laugh or not to laugh, that was always the Hamlet-like question that begged an answer at the end of every column Royko wrote.

Royko won a Pulitzer Prize for his portrayal of the larger-than-life Mayor Daley after years of study. "Boss" was his doctoral dissertation following a decade of undergraduate work turning in blue book after blue book of the myriad shenanigans overseen or overlooked by Daley.

Like the guy whose newly-renovated home was demolished by the city who had the wrong address. Or the old lady who was threatened by an alderman for feeding pigeons in the dead of winter which was against the city code, although her real offense was going against The Code, namely, the fact that her voting card was stamped "Republican."

Although Royko wore a white collar on the job, you knew he always had a blue collar underneath. His column was often the only obstacle that stood between the little guy and the impersonal Machine that threatened his well-being, job, reputation, property, even pets: "For every honest, inoffensive, harmless citizen, there is a bureaucrat waiting to goof him up."

His lunch-bucket instincts extended to all facets of life. He detested yuppies, building inspectors, fern bars, self-important people who use cell phones in the movie theater and ward heelers. He also disdained celebrity worship, Bob Dylan in particular, and movies "that have unhappy endings or movies in which the villain wins, or movies in which the hero whines, or movies in which the hero isn't a hero, but a helpless wimp. If I want to become depressed, why should I spend three dollars at the movies. I can go to work, instead."



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