A Great American Writer is Gone

[jack]

David Halberstam died yesterday. He is the author of many great nonfiction books and proved that fiction is over rated.
I wish Bush,Cheney,and gang had read "the best and brightest", the story of how our smartest and best educated fucked up Nam. It is quite simply the guide in how not run a war and the story of  how and why most US politicians are just ill equipped to manage wars. If only LBJ had had the guts and political capitol to fire all of JFKs advisors, but he didnt.  Halberstam was a great liberal writer who worked in Nam for the New York Times. He was one of the last great liberal writers because he was able to write his books and tell his stories without defending his side.
"the best and brightest" is his most famous book but his best and most informative book is "the powers that be", the story about the rise of the us media, tv,radio, and newspapers. Fascinating. You have to read it.
There is no more comfortable and engaging companion than having a Halberstam on your nightstand. When I finish one of his books I start counting the days till the next one.

[Robert]

You're spot on Jake.  I read The Best and the Brightest back in '72 when it came out and was just enthralled with it.  Not long ago another member here was talking about the 60's and the Kennedy's and the Nam.  I recommended he book and I hope he read it.

It's too bad Bush and his gang of neo-cons (Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld et.al.) didn't read it.  It would have saved us all so much grief.

robet

[dtwpuck]

My first exposure to David Halberstam was for a class I took in college called "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers".
My had to read "The Reckoning".  The book was about the history of Nissan and Ford, not a topic I usually would have an interest in.  However, he sucked me in and made this topic relevant, compelling and interesting.   It is sad that we will no longer see more of his brilliant and lucid writing.