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
Prize - winning 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 chum 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. (Kirkus
Reviews)
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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