 | Price Comparisons: Rental | | Sorry, the textbook you were looking for is not available as Rental, at any of the stores we searched. | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | With the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko was a Chicago institution who became, in Jimmy Breslin's words, "the best journalist of his time." Culled from 7500 columns and spanning four decades, from his early days to his last dispatch, the writings in this collection reflect a radically changing America as seen by a man whose keen sense of justice and humor never faltered. Faithful readers will find their old favorites and develop new ones, while the uninitiated have the enviable good fortune of experiencing this true American voice for the first time.
"A treasure trove lies between these covers. Royko was in a class by himself. He was a true original."—Ann Landers
"The joy of One More Time is Royko in his own words."—Mary Eileen O'Connell, New York Times Book Review
"Reading a collection of Royko's columns is even more of a pleasure than encountering them one by one, and that is a large remark for he rarely wrote a piece that failed to wake you up with his hard-earned moral wit. Three cheers for Royko!"—Norman Mailer
"Powerful, punchy, amazingly contemporary."—Neil A. Grauer, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"This crackling collection of his own favorite columns as well as those beloved by his fans reminds us just how much we miss the gruff, compassionate voice of Mike Royko."—Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News
"A marvelous road map through four decades of America."—Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune Books
"Royko was an expert at finding universal truths in parochial situations, as well as in the larger issues—war and peace, justice and injustice, wealth and poverty—he examined. Think of One More Time as one man's pungent commentary on life in these United States over the last few decades."—Booklist
"Royko was one of the most respected and admired people in the business, by readers and colleagues alike. . . . Savor [his sketches] while you can."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World
"Book collections of columns aren't presumed to be worth reading. This one is, whether or not you care about newspapering or Chicago."—Neil Morgan, San Diego Union-Tribune
"A treasure house for journalism students, for would-be writers, for students of writing styles, for people who just like to laugh at the absurdity of the human condition or, as Studs Terkel said, for those who will later seek to learn what it was really like in the 20th century."—Georgie Anne Geyer, Washington Times
"Full of astonishments, and the greatest of these is Royko's technical mastery as a writer."—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker
"A great tribute to an American original, a contrarian blessed with a sense of irony and a way with words."—Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today
"In this posthumous collection of his columns, journalist Royko displays the breezy wit that made him so beloved in the Windy City."—People
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Average Customer Rating:   Awesome! Mike was a great writer and he is greatly missed by many. I have read all of his books that I have been able to find. I havent found any yet that I didn't like. He says what he thinks and he means it. hero of the working class I always find it hardest to write reviews for books that I like unconditionally. The genius of this work just seems... too obvious for words.
Royko has a good eye for unsung heroes, as in "Mighty Teddy Still the Champ." First describing a "twenty-eight-year-old muscle-head" who earns six figures, he contrasts this with an talented, gritty, but unknown Chicago softball star who played about 250 games a year for 20+ years.
Royko also has a keen eye for absurdity, as in "Don't Let Food Bug You," where he describes actual legal definitions for acceptable defect levels. "Don't ask me why they allow fewer insects in apple butter than in raisins, but more rodent hairs," he comments. "I guess it's a matter of taste."
Royko has an obsession with justice and bluntly cuts through the absurdity of government beaurocracy, as in "A Faceless Man's Plea," the story of a veteran whose request for help in restoring his blown up face are replied to in form letters from the VA.
Perhaps most impressively, whenever it seems that Royko gets backed into a corner, he fights back with humor- and ALWAYS wins. On of the high points for me is "High Rise Man," where Royko responds to criticism that he is drifting away from his working class roots. "As an amateur anthropologist, I was familiar with the ways of Two Flat Man, Bungalow Man, Tavern Man...," he claims. "I decided to follow the example of Margaret Mead, the late social anthropologist, whose method was to be part of the tribal culture she studied." Royko at his best again A great book! The only bad part is that some of the subject matter would not be what his best was. Also the book could have been longer. Maybe they will do a sequel! Rememberances of Times Past Mike Royko WAS Chicago. His column in three of the city's newspapers was truly the world's window to Chicago as well as Chicago's window to the front sidewalk. He chronicalized the best -- and the worst -- our city had to offer.
Mike's gone now, but his work lives. "One More Time" reads like a compendium of a Chicago that was and perhaps still is. The editors who selected the columns for this anthology of Mike's work did a fantastic job not just of capturing his ability, charm and style, but also capturing the mood of a city and a nation.
His farewell column to Mayor Daley the first was one for the ages. People from, say, Westchester County, NY, can read this column and understand why we Chicagoans elected Mayor Daley six times. And, thinking about it, why Richie keeps getting elected.
Other wonders included his "God" column from the 1980s, talking about how much we earthlings "loved" and "respected" God, his "Birth of Jesus in Chicago" column and his final column on the Cubs and why they're perenial losers. Also, don't miss the Jackie Robinson column for one of the most incredible discussions of how people learned to be one -- even if for a small time.
Mike, if only you were here now! You'd love writing about Richie, George Ryan, Enron and God knows how many other Chicago and National fobiles. We miss you, but this book makes it easier to enjoy and remember what we had. One More Time : The Best of Mike Royko Mike Royko at his best. Learn more about him from intros to each section. Excellent with only 1 drawback: too hard to put down. |  |
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