David Crumm > Recent Status Updates

I'm doing a good deal of other reading and research as I am reading this collection of original reporting. One thing to bear in mind, if you do dive into this collection, is that even the top reporters who wrote these pieces in the first place later realized there was a lot they did not know. So it takes a discerning eye to read this material.

I am struck by how harrowing and prophetic the reporting was from Vietnam, far worse than movies about Vietnam make out. And still our nation's leaders kept pouring more men and resources into a conflict we should never have undertaken. Tragic.

This novel was written 14 years after his own first novel and, by this time, McMurtry clearly had honed his skill for isolating and crafting movie-worthy scenes. Earlier, in "Leaving Cheyenne" and "Moving On," he seemed to let rather pointless scenes run on forever as if the characters would find their own way to a memorable scene. By this novel, we can see his own self editing tightening to powerful effect.

I can see why my kids, Katie and Ben, wanted me to read this book and gave it to me at Christmas. Roberts is aiming at a synthesis of all that has been written by and about Churchill in reaching a consensus about his life. Churchill himself regularly embroidered on the past and Roberts uses other sources to balance those exaggerations. For a big book with lots of dense type on a page, I'm enjoying it.

Since Larry McMurtry died in 2021, I have been reading my way through all of his novels. I've finished the 3 "Thalia" and the 5 "Duane Moore" novels. I'm now working my way through the 6 "Houston" novels, having just finished "All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers" a few days ago. So, next up is "Terms of Endearment." Already, even after 50 pages, I can tell that McMurtry's style had matured considerably.

Surprising to me how early in our Vietnam buildup American media was publishing really accurate journalism about how much of a mistake this war was for America. A U.S. News collection of letters from an American pilot in 1963-64 is starkly prescient about what was unfolding over there.

As a life-long journalist, at various times, I have specialized in writing about food and culture. So, I opened up this book from Workman Publishing this morning and found myself hooked right away by its bright colors and its crystal-clear recipes. Raghavan Iyer is famous for his earlier books and video projects on Indian cuisine. This volume "maps" variations across four major global regions, including The Americas.

Our "kids," Ben and Katie, gave me this giant volume for Christmas and I'm so glad they did. The period of history spanned by Churchill's life is a crucial turning point in world history and in our own family history. My father, uncles and grandfather all served in WWII. I love the opening of this book and spent time just looking at all the maps and the Churchill family tree as well. Thanks Ben and Katie!

When McMurtry died, since he has been such a huge influence in my life, I decided to take an odyssey through all of his novels. This journey will take me some years. And, no, I did not enter all the books I've read so far in GoodReads. I'm now in this novel, which is not one of his best. It's got a host of problems, not least of which is casual sexism. Still, I'm on the road with Larry and that's a great place to be.

I'm fascinated by this era of history, because it was such a pivotal turning point in civilization. This history brings together analysis of media, sports, politics, propaganda and virulent streams of racism and antisemitism to explore how these games were allowed to take place. This volume would be a great choice for anyone who appreciates Ken Burn's recent documentary series about the U.S. and the Holocaust.

Absolutely fascinating collection of American journalism as our nation's involvement in Vietnam intensified. What's tragically clear from the early reporting dating back to 1959 is that we never should have invaded this country and tried to conduct this war. Anyone who cares about the quality of American journalism would enjoy these remarkable pieces.