Introduction
David Halberstam was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. His works include countless newspaper and magazine articles, and more than twenty books on topics ranging from war and foreign policy to the auto industry and sports. Although he is best known for these nonfiction contributions, Halberstam started his book writing career with a novel. The times in which he wrote were wrought by controversy, and Halberstam’s writings fit the times. A true professional dedicated to skepticism and tireless research, David Halberstam used his critical analysis to convey events as they occurred, as intrinsically valuable, as necessary for the continuation of an informed, civil society.
Life
David Halberstam was born on April 10, 1934 in New York City to parents, Charles and Blanche Halberstam. His father was a United States Army surgeon during World War I and World War II; his mother was an elementary school teacher (4). The Halberstam home was one in which reading was very important. David, and his older brother, Michael, always saw their parents reading: “We heard them talking about books, and we knew that they discussed them, and we knew that they valued it,” said David. The books from his childhood, in an age without television, were the first conduits of imagination, and the first means by which the future author could sense that there was a world bigger than his own (2). Halberstam’s mother and father are responsible for sparking not only his interest in reading but also his interest in journalism. Even though they were not journalists themselves, Charles and Blanche displayed a respect for good reporting as they discussed current events and figures like John Gunther and Harrison Salisbury. By the time he was eight years old, David had started a family newspaper, reporting on his father’s letters from overseas and recent fishing trips with his brother (2). Although his family moved to many places as a result of his father’s military career, Halberstam remembers growing up mainly in Winsted, Connecticut, a small, blue collar town located about 100 miles northeast of his birthplace. As a young, primary school student, David was encouraged by teachers who were able to inspire students to follow their instincts, deny conventional wisdom, and accept their differences as unique capabilities. The teachers in his time were mainly single women who had completed teacher-specific coursework and were paid $800 per year to be educators. Despite their pay, they taught well and helped produce a few influential figures just out of Halberstam’s class. His primary school classmates included the former Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs and Yale graduate, John Bush and political activist and Harvard Law School graduate, Ralph Nader (2). The Halberstams did not stay in Winsted, CT for David to go to high school. Instead he attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York where he ran track and wrote for the school newspaper. After graduating from Roosevelt in 1951, David set his sights on a Journalism degree from Harvard. He supplemented his coursework with a position as managing editor of the Harvard Crimson, a student-controlled daily newspaper which Halberstam called “fiercely independent.” The newspaper had no ties to the Harvard administration, received no money from the school, and created an atmosphere that was culturally and politically independent (2). Even with his subpar averages, Halberstam managed to earn his bachelor’s degree in 1955. Later he went on to cover the civil …show more content…
These authors were able to take their historical accounts and present them in a way that would read more like novels; this style always intrigued Halberstam (2). His style has been classified as novelistic and narrative, and was made possible through dogged research and personal interviews (4). Halberstam had a consistent pattern of alternating heavy-themed books with lighter ones, such that his book on the American media was followed by a book about basketball. His book about the American auto industry’s race with the Japanese was followed by a baseball book. Although he constantly and strenuously exercised his journalistic muscles, the lighter themed books were “his entertainments,” and “his way to take a break,” said his wife
David Halberstam was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. His works include countless newspaper and magazine articles, and more than twenty books on topics ranging from war and foreign policy to the auto industry and sports. Although he is best known for these nonfiction contributions, Halberstam started his book writing career with a novel. The times in which he wrote were wrought by controversy, and Halberstam’s writings fit the times. A true professional dedicated to skepticism and tireless research, David Halberstam used his critical analysis to convey events as they occurred, as intrinsically valuable, as necessary for the continuation of an informed, civil society.
Life
David Halberstam was born on April 10, 1934 in New York City to parents, Charles and Blanche Halberstam. His father was a United States Army surgeon during World War I and World War II; his mother was an elementary school teacher (4). The Halberstam home was one in which reading was very important. David, and his older brother, Michael, always saw their parents reading: “We heard them talking about books, and we knew that they discussed them, and we knew that they valued it,” said David. The books from his childhood, in an age without television, were the first conduits of imagination, and the first means by which the future author could sense that there was a world bigger than his own (2). Halberstam’s mother and father are responsible for sparking not only his interest in reading but also his interest in journalism. Even though they were not journalists themselves, Charles and Blanche displayed a respect for good reporting as they discussed current events and figures like John Gunther and Harrison Salisbury. By the time he was eight years old, David had started a family newspaper, reporting on his father’s letters from overseas and recent fishing trips with his brother (2). Although his family moved to many places as a result of his father’s military career, Halberstam remembers growing up mainly in Winsted, Connecticut, a small, blue collar town located about 100 miles northeast of his birthplace. As a young, primary school student, David was encouraged by teachers who were able to inspire students to follow their instincts, deny conventional wisdom, and accept their differences as unique capabilities. The teachers in his time were mainly single women who had completed teacher-specific coursework and were paid $800 per year to be educators. Despite their pay, they taught well and helped produce a few influential figures just out of Halberstam’s class. His primary school classmates included the former Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs and Yale graduate, John Bush and political activist and Harvard Law School graduate, Ralph Nader (2). The Halberstams did not stay in Winsted, CT for David to go to high school. Instead he attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York where he ran track and wrote for the school newspaper. After graduating from Roosevelt in 1951, David set his sights on a Journalism degree from Harvard. He supplemented his coursework with a position as managing editor of the Harvard Crimson, a student-controlled daily newspaper which Halberstam called “fiercely independent.” The newspaper had no ties to the Harvard administration, received no money from the school, and created an atmosphere that was culturally and politically independent (2). Even with his subpar averages, Halberstam managed to earn his bachelor’s degree in 1955. Later he went on to cover the civil …show more content…
These authors were able to take their historical accounts and present them in a way that would read more like novels; this style always intrigued Halberstam (2). His style has been classified as novelistic and narrative, and was made possible through dogged research and personal interviews (4). Halberstam had a consistent pattern of alternating heavy-themed books with lighter ones, such that his book on the American media was followed by a book about basketball. His book about the American auto industry’s race with the Japanese was followed by a baseball book. Although he constantly and strenuously exercised his journalistic muscles, the lighter themed books were “his entertainments,” and “his way to take a break,” said his wife