A New York Times Book Review New & Noteworthy Book
"For democracy's weary champions, White's time-tested prose is a shot of adrenaline."--Madeleine Albright
A collection of essays, letters, and poems from E. B. White, "one of the country's great literary treasures" (New York Times), centered on the subject of freedom and democracy in America. The special book includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham.
"I am a member of a party of one, and I live in an age of fear."
These words were written by E. B. White in 1947. Decades before our current political turmoil, White crafted eloquent yet practical political statements that continue to resonate. "There's only one kind of press that's any good--" he proclaimed, "a press free from any taint of the government." He condemned the trend of defamation, arguing that "in doubtful, doubting days, national morality tends to slip and slide toward a condition in which the test of a man's honor is his zeal for discovering dishonor in others." And on the spread of fascism he lamented, "fascism enjoys at the moment an almost perfect climate for growth--a world of fear and hunger."
This concise collection of essays, letters, and poems from one of this country's most eminent literary voices offers much-needed historical context for our current state of the nation--and hope for the future of our society. Speaking to Americans at a time of uncertainty, when democracy itself has come under threat, he reminds us, "As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman . . . the scene is not desolate."
About the Author :
E. B. White, the author of such beloved classics as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of the New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. He died on October 1, 1985, at his home in Maine.
Mr. White's essays have appeared in Harper's magazine, and some of his other books are: One Man's Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. He won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a ""substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.""
During his lifetime, many young readers asked Mr. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, ""No, they are imaginary tales . . . But real life is only one kind of life--there is also the life of the imagination.""
Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including three that have made their #1 bestsellers list. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Book Review and a contributing editor of Time magazine, and he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine "Best Of" Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.
Martha White, granddaughter of E. B. White and manager of White Literary, edited the updated Letters of E. B. White, as well as In the Words of E. B. White: Quotations from America's Most Companionable of Writers. As a contributing writer and editor to Yankee magazine's Old Farmer's Almanac, White wrote two weekly syndicated columns and was the author of Traditional Home Remedies. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, Country Journal, and many other publications.
Review :
"For democracy's weary champions, White's time-tested prose is a shot of adrenaline."
-- "Madeleine Albright, American politician and diplomat"
"One of the great narrators, Arthur Morey takes the simple beauty of White's well-wrought words and delivers them eloquently...Morey's tone, tempo, and style are pitch perfect for White, who lucidly enumerates those elemental matters that make a democracy--from the letter to the editor to waiting until the bell sounds before fighting. In short, pithy essays White takes on the bigoted (the House Un-American Activities Committee) and the boorish (America Firsters). White's wit is ever present, and Morey artfully captures his plainspoken humor. Few have put prose to better use. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award."
-- "Audiofile"
