Deadline Artists

Starred review from August 22, 2011
"It is the great American art form, read by millions every day." When these eloquent, compassionate newspaper columns were first delivered, they were treated as individual works of art, almanacs to suit any disposition. Well-catalogued and categorized, this exultant retrospective of American journalism seems ideal for today's attention spans and travel schedules. In the most memorable modern excerpt from the section "Wars and Other Foreign Affairs," Pete Hamill stands in a "pale gray wilderness" following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and tells readers: "As I write, it remains present tense." In other sections, Hunter S. Thompson and O. Henry reveal a raw, emotional, and entertaining style of journalism; a formula that Jimmy Breslin's surreal "âAre You John Lennon?'" piece surely encapsulates. Avlon, Angelo, and Louis's glorious compilation "is a chance to be there at moments when America changes, for better or for worse." Free-flowing to the very end, lasting drops of pure wisdom come in the form of Mary Schmich's infamous "sunscreen" composition, while Benjamin Franklin's 1757 sermon of advice literally offers words to live by. "Well done is better than well said," Franklin writes, but as far as this essential anthology goes, it's so well done, there's nothing left to say.

November 1, 2012
Three journalists present a sequel to their Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns (2011) with a motley collection of pieces dating back to the 19th century. Avlon, Angelo and Louis divide their collection into three major topics (see subtitle), each of which they arrange chronologically. The editorial apparatus is light--some introductions, a bit of information about the background of some of the stories--but for the most part, the stories stand on their own. In the "Scandals" section are pieces about long-ago murders and other depravities (the execution of Mata Hari makes for grim reading), including the liberation of Dachau, the Zodiac killer, Watergate and Bernhard Goetz. Included with these tales are pieces about Dennis Rodman, Monica Lewinsky and Bernie Madoff. The "Tragedies" range from the death of Lincoln to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (reported here by Jack London), Franco's atrocities, the RFK assassination and a George Will piece about the difficulty of being a Cubs' fan. Among the "Triumphs" are numerous sports pieces--victories by Joe Louis and young Cassius Clay, a perfect game by Don Larson, the maturation of Joe Namath, a key home run by Kirk Gibson--along with the bombing of Nagasaki, the anniversary of the Normandy invasion and pieces about a favorite teacher, a battle with cancer and 9/11. If the pieces seem incongruously chosen and juxtaposed (a baseball game, the atom bomb--both triumphs?), it's because they are. Moreover, columnists from New York and Washington, D.C., are heavily represented, and the definition of "column" itself seems generous--a number of the pieces are clearly feature articles. Engaging eyewitness pieces--often very oddly grouped together--that nonetheless elicit admiration, wonder and gasps of surprise.

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