Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream by Bob Herbert

[Guest guest]

Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream

by Bob Herbert

 

http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/05/04/pre05046.html

 

BuzzFlash.com's Recommendation

 

We have often lambasted the news section of the New York Times for

being a suck-up to the White House, which it is. It's coverage of the

Bush Administration is somewhere between apple polishing, journalistic

malfeasance, probable collaboration with White House strategy (e.g.,

Judith Miller's Iraq stories, which the White House and Chalabi fed to

her, and then the Administration used Miller's stories as " evidence "

of the credibility of their own lies), and occasional minor " leak "

exposes.

 

But we have always been careful to qualify that the NYT editorial

board has remained " traditionally liberal " (although it supported the

Iraq War) -- and it has several top-notch columnists.

 

Among those pro-democracy columnists we often link to on BuzzFlash.com

is Bob Herbert, who embodies the heart of America, if you define our

country as a national community that should care for its citizens.

 

Herbert never fails to eloquently and compassionately point out how

America has fallen short of its potential to be the shining light of

enlightened government of, by, and for the people. That is why this

352-page book, just released, is entitled, " Promised Betrayed: Waking

up From the American Dream. "

 

As Herbert reveals in this book based on his New York Times columns,

there is a dark underside to the constant GOP mantra of the " American

Dream. " The " American Dream " is now just a Disneyesque image of a

nation long ago sold out to the highest bidder and campaign

contributor. Corporations run the nation through the legislators that

they contribute to. The citizens of our nation come a distant second,

as they do -- ironically -- in the mainstream press.

 

But there are exceptions to the rule in the corporate media -- and Bob

Herbert is one of them. If Paul Krugman is the economic Diogenes,

Herbert is the moral conscience of the NYT.

 

His America is a great nation that leaves no citizen behind; but

unlike the " bait and switch rhetoric " of Bush, Herbert believes it

with all his heart and journalistic powers to " afflict the powerful

and plead for the afflicted. "

 

Other Reviews | " Promises Betrayed "

 

" Beneath the sharp analysis and straightforward prose of Bob

Herbert's columns is dogged and, often, ferocious reporting. Herbert

is determined to narrate in vivid detail the tragedies and triumphs of

invisible Americans in their everyday lives. Whether writing about

criminal injustice in Tulia, Texas, or worlds at war in Iraq, Herbert

brings to bear on his subjects fierce intelligence, no-nonsense

reasoning, and unflinching honesty. This book is essential reading for

anyone concerned about the state of the American people-and, by

extension, of our country-as we plunge headlong into the twenty-first

century. "

-Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

 

" Bob Herbert's strong, brilliant voice consistently reminds America of

where we still fall short of the ideals of the nation we want to be

and can become. "

-Marian Wright Edelman

 

" You will not forget the people in this book. They are people Bob

Herbert will not let us forget. His journalism has the power of

Dickens to enable us to see life as others experience it. In an era

that may one day be known for the tragic meltdown of American

journalism, Bob Herbert brings us back to the fundamentals-to what

happens to our craft when it is practiced by a man who considers it a

calling. "

-Bill Moyers

 

" Bob Herbert is the conscience of a great newspaper, a powerfully

compelling and consistent voice for underdogs of all colors, ages, and

genders. With Promises Betrayed, you can read him in one big, bracing,

highly nutritional dose that will propel you off the couch and into

action! "

-Barbara Ehrenreich

 

Description | " Promises Betrayed " |

 

The award-winning New York Times op-ed columnist probes the widening

gap between

American ideals and American realities, and urges us to do something

about it

 

Bob Herbert is the conscience of the op-ed page of The New York Times,

and his work is characterized by a strong moral vision and a deep

understanding of the human costs of political decisions. From partisan

politics to popular culture, from race relations to criminal justice,

few journalists bring to life so movingly the stories of ordinary

people caught between the American dream and American realities.

Whether it is the inherent injustice of the death penalty or the

demagoguery of the war on terrorism, Herbert questions whether we are

truly upholding our ideals or merely giving them lip service.

 

In Promises Betrayed, Herbert makes the case that in recent years

America has too often failed to live up to its creed of fairness and

justice in the lives of working people, racial minorities, children,

and others not among the powerful. He introduces us to real people

facing real problems and trying to maintain their dignity along the

way, and he blows the whistle on imperious public officials who think

the rules of common decency do not apply to them. Herbert's tenacious

reporting has resulted in the overturning of many wrongful convictions

and the release of dozens of innocent people from prison. In these and

so many other ways, Herbert keeps us all honest and lives up to the

journalist's credo: to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

 

Author | " Promises Betrayed " |

 

Bob Herbert has been an op-ed columnist for The New York Times since

1993. He was previously a correspondent for NBC News and a reporter,

columnist, and member of the editorial board for the New York Daily

News. He has taught journalism at Brooklyn College and at Columbia

University, and has won numerous awards for his reporting and

commentary. He lives in New York City.

 

Product Details | " Promises Betrayed " |

# Hardcover: 368 pages

# Publisher: Times Books (May 3, 2005)

# ISBN: 0805078649

# Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches

# Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds.