Decision ‘08

A Huge Loss For The World Of Journalism

Very, very sad news from California, as one of the giants has died in a car crash. David Halberstam is the author of any number of extremely worthy books, including his Pulitzer-Prize-winning masterpiece The Best and the Brightest [correction - Halberstam did win his Pulitzer while reporting on Vietnam, but it was in 1964, while a reporter for the New York Times], which remains the quintessential study of the politics behind the Vietnam War, The Powers That Be, a massive work on the press at the height of its glory, and The Children, one of the most moving books you’ll ever come across, and almost certainly the greatest book on the Civil Rights era written by a white man.

He will be sorely missed, but his work lives on as an example of the power of the pen and an inspiration to young (and old) journalists worldwide..

UPDATE 10:49 p.m.: Nice tribute from the Times here, and - a classy touch - some selected reviews and excerpts from the archives…

4 Responses to “A Huge Loss For The World Of Journalism”

1 JB Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 12:34 am
As a huge baseball fan, today’s events saddened me. Thanks Mark for acknowledging this GREAT baseball writer.
2 Aaron Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Hey Mark, the spam filter must be broken or something . . .
3 km Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I also recommend “The Reckoning,” about the Japanese and U.S. auto industries.
4 Mark Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Yes, indeed, that’s a good one, too…