David Maraniss crafts deeply researched and compelling narratives that illuminate pivotal moments in American life and history. He excels at delving into the complex characters of influential figures, exploring their ambitions, motivations, and the broader cultural forces that shaped their legacies. Through his meticulous approach and engaging prose, Maraniss offers readers a profound understanding of the human element within significant historical contexts.
A Writer's Journey Through Life, Politics, Sports and Loss
The collection showcases thirty-two stories by David Maraniss, highlighting his versatility as a writer. Covering a diverse range of topics, the stories delve into significant moments in modern history alongside personal reflections. Maraniss's deep reporting and unique perspective bring each piece to life, offering readers a blend of insightful commentary and intimate storytelling.
Elliott Maraniss, a WWII veteran who had commanded an all-black company in the Pacific, was spied on by the FBI, named as a communist by an informant, called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952, fired from his newspaper job, and blacklisted for five years. Yet he never lost faith in America and emerged on the other side with his family and optimism intact. David Maraniss weaves his father's story through the lives of his inquisitors and defenders as they struggle with the vital twentieth-century issues of race, fascism, communism, and first amendment freedoms-- adapted from back cover
David Maraniss tells the epic story of Vietnam and the sixties through the events of a few gripping, passionate days of war and peace in October 1967.With meticulous and captivating detail, They Marched Into Sunlight brings that catastrophic time back to life while examining questions about the meaning of dissent and the official manipulation of truth—issues that are as relevant today as they were decades ago.In a seamless narrative, Maraniss weaves together the stories of three very different worlds: the death and heroism of soldiers in Vietnam, the anger and anxiety of antiwar students back home, and the confusion and obfuscating behavior of officials in Washington. To understand what happens to the people in these interconnected stories is to understand America's anguish.Based on thousands of primary documents and 180 on-the-record interviews, the book describes the battles that evoked cultural and political conflicts that still reverberate.
In this groundbreaking biography, David Maraniss captures all of football great Vince Lombardi: the myth, the man, his game, and his God. More than any other sports figure, Vince Lombardi transformed football into a metaphor of the American experience. The son of an Italian immigrant butcher, Lombardi toiled for twenty frustrating years as a high school coach and then as an assistant at Fordham, West Point, and the New York Giants before his big break came at age forty-six with the chance to coach a struggling team in snowbound Wisconsin. His leadership of the Green Bay Packers to five world championships in nine seasons is the most storied period in NFL history. Lombardi became a living legend, a symbol to many of leadership, discipline, perseverance, and teamwork, and to others of an obsession with winning.
Millions have read Barack Obama's Dreams from my Father and think they know his story. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Maraniss has produced a startling biography which reveals the true narrative of Obama's early years. číst celé
Who exactly is Bill Clinton, and why was he, of all the brilliant and ambitious men in his generation, the first in his class to reach the White House? Drawing on hundreds of letters, documents, and interviews, David Maraniss explores the evolution of the personality of our forty-second president from his youth in Arkansas to his 1991 announcement that he would run for the nation's highest office. In this richly textured and balanced biography, Maraniss reveals a complex man full of great flaws and great talents. First in His Class is the definitive book on Bill Clinton.
This biography delves deeply into the life of America's greatest all-around athlete, revealing the complexities behind the myth of Jim Thorpe. Through extensive research and historical context, it uncovers the challenges he faced both on and off the field, presenting a nuanced portrait filled with bittersweet honesty. The narrative explores Thorpe's achievements and struggles, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of his legacy and the societal issues of his time.
Prize-Winning Washington Post Journalists Reveal How Reality Gagged the Gingrich Revolution
PRIZEWINNING WASHINGTON POST JOURNALISTS REVEAL HOW REALITY GAGGED THE GINGRICH REVOLUTIONSpeaker Newt Gingrich and his troops promised a revolution when they seized power in January 1995. The year that followed was one of the most fascinating and tumultuous in modern American history. After stunning early success with the Contract with America, the Republicans began to lose momentum; by year's end Gingrich was isolated and uncertain, and his closest allies were telling him to shut up.Here is an unprecedented, fly-on-the-wall look at the successes, sellouts, and perhaps fatal mistakes of Newt Gingrich's Republican Revolution. Based on the award-winning Washington Post series that documented the Republicans' day-to-day attempts to revolutionize the American government, "Tell Newt to Shut Up!" gets to the heart of the political process.
