A Conversational History of Modern America - Hardcover

Heffner, Richard D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 078671087X ISBN 13: 9780786710874

Publisher: Carroll & Graf, 2003

Synopsis

American Studies, History, Political Studies

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Mined from 47 years of Heffner's television show, The Open Mind, this collection of "conversations" shifts from thinker to thinker within large topical umbrellas ("Power & Politics"; "The Law"; "The Media"; etc.) through artful editing. A conversation with William F. Buckley Jr., in which he argues in favor of drug legalization, follows a conversation with Mario Cuomo, in which he calls for a reassessment of American values. An exchange with Gloria Steinem on Marilyn Monroe precedes a discourse with Naomi Wolf on the "beauty myth." The elegance of these arrangements is delightfully perplexing, for a reader can only wonder what material Heffner and Jaffe have excluded. But while this collection is definitely a mighty addition to the historical record, to call it a "history of modern America" is a gross inflation. One can read this simply (and fairly) as a diverse reflection of American thought over the last half-century, But a dearth of conversations with artists (novelists, musicians, poets, painters, architects, actors) is disturbing for a book that by its title claims to encompass so much of modern America. (In fairness, Heffner, who worked as chairman of the board of the motion picture industry's rating system, has avoided potential conflicts of interest throughout his interviewing career, which offers a partial explanation for these absences.) On a more practical note, placing transcript dates at the end of each interview rather than at the beginning means the reader has to wait to discover that much of the commentary is more often prophetic than it is dated.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

From nearly a half-century of interviews of guests on his high-minded public television program The Open Mind, Heffner transcribes the best badinage and assigns it to the standard slots of politics, law, media, feminism, and the like. One subject area conspicuously absent is science, which is curious for a volume that is a trend-tracker for the times. Nevertheless, television viewers weary of current-events shows that resemble arena wrestling more than sane public-policy discussion will appreciate Heffner's conduct of the format. He lets his guests talk--for 35 pages in the case of Malcolm X and others debating black separatism circa 1963--and, while rarely challenging them, Heffner has the knack of asking the question that keeps the conversation stoked. Loquacity may be the occupational trait of many of Heffner's author guests, but he keeps them focused and interesting, even in the case of Helen Gurley Brown flogging her Cosmo philosophy. For Heffner's core readership: PBS loyalists. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 078671087X
• ISBN 13: 9780786710874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 541
• Editor: Jaffe Marc