Morning Miracle

May 15, 2010
Kindred ("Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship") takes a look at how the "Washington Post", like many other newspapers, is trying to stay alive despite the rise of the Internet and the recent economic downturn. A former "Post" sports columnist, he presents highlights of the newspaper's history, key figures, and groundbreaking reporting. Throughout he intersperses his thoughts on why newspapers are strugglinge.g., the rapid rise of digital media, the decrease in circulation and ad revenue, the overall economy. He also addresses the ways papers have adapted an online presence in order to keep their readership. VERDICT Kindred never quite fleshes out his thesis, offering no new insights or solutions to the challenges print media faces in light of evolving technology and the new ways people receive news. For journalism students and die-hard news junkies; general readers would find more engaging Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's "All the President's Men" or legendary "Post" publisher Katharine Graham's memoir, "A Personal History".Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2010
Despite its storied historyaward-winning coverage of Watergate and of the abuses of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospitalthe Washington Post has been subject to the same challenges that are killing newspapers across the nation: plummeting circulation and loss of revenue to Internet advertising. Whats worse for the Post is that in the mid-1990s, at a pivotal point before the Internet became widely public, a brave few of its staff pushed management to consider a major investment in going digital. The moment passed as management pressed ahead with the old model of print journalism, still winning Pulitzers as it lost readers. Kindred, with 45 years experience reporting for newspapers and magazines, brings passion, insight, empathy, and a critical eyeas well as great access to Post reporters and management, including Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward, David Broder, and Dana Priestto this completely engrossing look at the decline of a great newspaper. Reporters recall the golden moments of their careers when the risks to life and limb were justified by spectacular reporting that proved the higher aspirations of journalism. They also recall newsroom turmoil as management struggled to stay ahead of the inevitable in the most chaotic period in American journalism. Sad and delightful at the same time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)