A Complex Fate: William L. Shirer and the American Century, by Ken Cuthbertson
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A Complex Fate: William L. Shirer and the American Century, by Ken Cuthbertson
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William Shirer (1904-1993), a star foreign correspondent with the Chicago Tribune in the 1920s and ’30s, was a prominent member of what one contemporary observer described as an extraordinary band of American journalists, "some with the Midwest hayseed still in their hair," who gave their North American audiences a visceral sense of how Europe was spiralling into chaos and war. In 1937, Shirer left print journalism and became the first of the now legendary "Murrow boys," working as an on-air partner to the iconic CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. With Shirer reporting from inside Nazi Germany and Murrow from blitz-ravaged London, the pair built CBS’s European news operation into the industry leader and, in the process, revolutionized broadcasting. But after the war ended, the Shirer-Murrow relationship shattered. Shirer lost his job and by 1950 found himself blacklisted as a supposed Communist sympathizer. After nearly a decade in the professional wilderness, he began work on The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Published in 1960, Shirer's magnum opus sold millions of copies and was hailed as the masterwork that would "ensure his reputation as long as humankind reads." Ken Cuthbertson's A Complex Fate is a thought-provoking, richly detailed biography of William Shirer. Written with the full cooperation of Shirer’s family, and generously illustrated with photographs, it introduces a new generation of readers to a supremely talented, complex writer, while placing into historical context some of the pivotal media developments of our time.
A Complex Fate: William L. Shirer and the American Century, by Ken Cuthbertson- Amazon Sales Rank: #363467 in Books
- Brand: Cuthbertson, Ken
- Published on: 2015-05-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.60" w x 6.00" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 580 pages
Review “This book has an almost Shakespearian quality: larger-than-life characters, broken friendships, pride and regret, all set against a background of war and depredation. It is also an in memoriam to an era of brilliant reporting, which to this day remains elegant, accurate, and admirable. May it ever be so.” Morley Safer from the foreward“This engaging account of Shirer’s life and groundbreaking accomplishments during tumultuous times raises such fundamental journalistic issues as objectivity, corporate sponsorship, censorship, political correctness, wartime embedded reporting, and contem"A Complex Fate delves into the reasons for Shirer’s excellence as a journalist, and like a Greek tragedy, explores why those very same traits - his intelligence, ego, autodidactic streak, uncompromising search for the truth, and iron will - threatened to
About the Author Ken Cuthbertson is the author of three previous books. His biography of the American journalist John Gunther, Inside, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.
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Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Engrossing and informative on many topics By Ronald H. Clark A good bio begins with an interesting subject, and that is certainly the case with this solid volume on William L. Shirer (1904-1993). As a pioneer newspaper correspondent in pre-World War II Europe, a gifted interpreter of the rise of Nazi Germany and the early stages of the war, an early associate in developing unique radio coverage of war news with Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), the author of important books (especially the classic "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'), and a target of 1950's blacklisting, Shirer packed several lives into his. However, a good bio properly develops the context within which the subject's life unfolds--and this book too meets this criterion abundantly. For the reader learns much about a number of important topics as Shirer's interesting career develops.For one thing, the pre-WWII foreign correspondence covering the news and the logistics of getting it back to the US for distribution is fascinating in this pre-tv era. In this role Shirer covered large areas of Europe, always traveling, and ventured as far east as India, where he interacted extensively with Gandhi. Dispatches sometimes had to be sent via mail or telegram, somewhat less dynamic than the internet. We also learn about a most interesting character, the highly conservative Colonel Robert McCormick, the feisty owner of the Chicago Tribune, for whom Shirer worked between 1925 to 1932. Subsequently, Shirer goes to Berlin to work for Hearst news services during 1934-37--placing him in an exceptional vantage point to report on the rise of the Nazis and Hitler.Much of the book is concerned with Shirer's relationship with Edward R. Murrow as they invented live radio coverage of the early stages of the second war. Today we think nothing of satellite hookups live from anyplace on the planet; this was not the situation in the late 1930's and 1940's. Such hookups were unheard of before Shirer and Murrow created them and pushed CBS radio to leadership in this new medium. For those unfamiliar with Murrow and his contributions to radio and television journalism, the author's discussion is another benefit of this book. Though, I think, sometimes there is just too much Murrow in the book.The book follows Shirer after the war, during his brief career with CBS, and as his forceful political views expressed in journalism and other radio commentary made it difficult to maintain employment. A major bonus of the book is the author's analysis of how Shirer became "blacklisted" due to his liberal views, which foreclosed him from employment for a number of years. Most younger folks, unless they perhaps have seen Woody Allen's "The Front" may be unaware of how oppressive the conservative late 1940's and 1950's could be for individuals in the entertainment and broadcasting industries if they were accused of harboring Communist sentiments. For me, the chapters on Shirer's monumental "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (1960), which sold over a million copies and is still going strong, was particularly interesting as I still have my copy purchased as were so many others from the Book of the Month Club in 1962. The author does a fine job as well of educating the reader regarding all of Shirer's many books and other writings.The author carries the book through until Shirer's death in 1993. There is an effective mixture of the personal Shirer with Shirer the writer and commentator. His personal life seems to have been somewhat messy, and his health really deteriorated toward the end. But, my god, he had an interesting time of it. At more than 540 pages, this is a long bio but it is extremely engrossing at points and the pages fly by. Some notes and a bibliography are included. Two sets of interesting photographs add somewhat to the discussion. Shirer led a complex and fascinating life--and this fine bio lays it all out in a well-structured and effective narrative.Much
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Very well done By nobodyuknow Excellent book. Shirer and his colleagues were given an opportunity to see history that no one in our generation will ever be able to equal. The history of his break with Murrow is interesting and his abuse at the hands of Mc Carthy is just another example of how our government can ruin people without due cause or reason.It is definitely worth your time to read if you have interest in this part of the history of the twentieth century,
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Great Book on a Fascinating Topic By History Buff I loved this book despite some flaws as noted below. As a news junkie and an avid reader of World War II history, it was thoroughly enjoyable and in many respects read like a novel. Author Ken Cutherbertson borrows heavily from secondary sources but effectively synthesizes this material into a fascinating narrative of the life of a man who rose from anonymity and nondescript beginnings to become a trustworthy and world famous commentator on a broad and momentous swath of the nation's history -- earning a living during the Depression, World War II, the birth of the modern news media, and McCarthyism -- pivotal events that shaped the American Century and helped ushered the U.S. from cultural naivety to the forefront of the world stage. The last section of the book focuses on the agony and ecstasy of researching and writing Shirer's masterpiece, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", along with the book's critical reception, and its undeniable contribution to popular history as a literary genre. Stephen Ambrose, David Halberstam, Bob Woodward, and others are all beneficiaries to an extent of Shirer's groundbreaking book. As another reviewer has observed, William Shirer was no saint but his life and accomplishments reflect the vital role of an independent news media in a modern democracy and the inevitable efforts of institutions of power to control its message. Shirer was an eyewitness to many of the principles in Nazi Germany, and the book's vignettes on his passing encounters with Hitler, Goering, and others were revealing. For example, Shirer encountered Hitler passing his table on the terrace of a Godesberg hotel in 1938 and closely observed the dictator's body language in an unguarded moment, which betrayed a nervous tic, dark circles under his eyes, and a mincing walk that suggested a "man on the edge of a nervous breakdown." "A Complex Fate" is well written but, as is unfortunately often the case these days, it was not rigorously edited. The book has a disconcerting number of typographical and, to a lesser extent, factual errors. Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who became the Duchess of Windsor is identified as "Wallace", and the novelist Thomas Wolfe is (erroneously) said to have died of pneumonia in 1940 at age 40 (on p. 124), then on p. 277 (correctly) said to have died in 1938 due to tuberculosis of the brain at age 37. It make you wonder if the same person wrote these passages. These flaws should not dissuade readers from buying this worthwhile and fascinating book.
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