A list of all of Doc Werlin’s writings pertaining to biographies.
After 10 years, Jim Abbott retired in1999 with a career record of 87-108. Imperfect relates the spectacular story of Jim Abbott who was born with one hand and yet went on to pitch 10 [...]
Ernest Pyle was the best-known, most beloved correspondent during World War II. My mother who was a journalist named me after him. She and Ernie were working journalists in Chicago in the 1930’s. Like [...]
It would be fun to speculate why some of the truly great Americans are forgotten within one hundred years of their life. Jane Addams by any definition should be an icon that we pay homage [...]
In May 1868, the Senate came within a single vote of taking the unprecedented step of removing a president from office. Although the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson was ostensible about a violation of [...]
By Jonathon Kaufman Introduction I have always wanted to know about the people who facilitated the immigration of 18,000 European Jews (many of them penniless) in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s to Shanghai, saving them [...]
Introduction H.W. Brands, who spent six years writing a book about Ronald Reagan, provided me wonderful insights. In brief, the public Reagan who appeared so warm and approachable was in fact distant. Brands commented that [...]
Introduction Since 1986 I have been able to listen to books. For me, this has been immensely satisfying. I initially received books on tape and then returned the books to Books on Tape and [...]
“You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.”--Phil Knight Introduction A normal review book would involve highlighting the important message of the book. In this case, I enjoyed the book so much [...]
Tom Hanks portrays Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. This is a timely story of kindness over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and the [...]
Sacco and Vanzetti for a generation of Americans, the names of the two Italian anarchists, are forever linked. Questions surrounding their 1921 trial for the murders of a paymaster and his guard bitterly divided a [...]
Last week, Paul Volcker, one of our greatest Chairmen of the Federal Reserve, passed away. Volcker’s most notable accomplishment was his successful struggle to subdue inflation in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Volcker [...]
Ernie Pyle was beloved by readers and service members alike for his coverage of the war through the eyes of infantrymen on the front lines In this week’s New York Times Magazine, the article was [...]
As I have previously mentioned, I have thoroughly enjoyed the book The American Story by David Rubenstein. Doris Kearns Goodwin provided wonderful insights into Abraham Lincoln. She repeated a story about Tolstoy and Lincoln. Tolstoi [...]
I absolutely loved this book, Working. The author, Robert Caro, has devoted his life to writing biographies of two men, Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson. Caro is fascinated by how men amass power in a [...]
Several days ago, I had a wonderful opportunity: (1) I introduced Senator Lieberman before he addressed attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC) annual meeting in Sarasota and (2) spend a few minutes [...]
Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour By Lynne Olsen As he spoke in his last interview Eric Sevareid fought to keep his voice steady. At the end [...]
Introduction John XXIII introduced a turning point in history and initiated important reforms for the Church. He was a conservative that sought to cure the Church because it needed radical surgery. Under his leadership, the [...]
No Ordinary Time Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin I recently reread Goodwin’s book in which she recounted the war years, 1940 through 1945, from the perspective of the American Presidency. Both Franklin [...]
Frontline: Abacus, Small Enough to Jail I highly recommend this documentary On Tuesday, September 12 at 10 p.m. Public Broadcasting is going to broadcast a documentary about the only U.S. bank prosecuted after the financial [...]
“Suffrage once given can never be taken away, and all the remains for us now is to make good that gift by protecting those who have yet received it” Ulysses Grant Ulysses Grant: An extraordinary [...]
Introduction: In the October 1st-7th issue of The Economist, the magazine highlighted the stupendous amounts generated by the Clinton’s personal accounts and the Clinton Foundation. In fairness while The Economist is very critical of [...]
Ludwig van Beethoven remarkable compositions won him favor among the enlightened aristocracy congregated at Vienna, and he enjoyed their support throughout his life. They were tolerant, too, of his notoriously boorish manners, careless appearance, [...]
Eloise and I recently enjoyed the Chagall exhibit in San Francisco. He composed images based on emotional and poetic associations, rather than rules of pictorial logic. From the perspective of a critic, Chagall ranks [...]
Will Rogers (1879-1935) had what it takes to tickle the national funny bone. His keen wit and the ability to see the humor in all things concerning mankind continue to endear him to millions [...]
In 1994, Gene Kelly made his last on-screen appearance, hosting “That’s Entertainment”. His last words were on the big screen were, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on”. That is the way, [...]
Victor Hugo, novelist, poet, and dramatist, was the most important of the French Romantic writers. In an era when France was the greatest nation of the Continent, most of the nineteenth century, Victor Hugo [...]
The Opposite of Love, is not Hate, it is Indifference Although today’s world has not descended to the detestable conditions associated with the Holocaust, I certainly feel that today’s perpetuators of these innumerable terrorist acts [...]
In brief, I found Judge Scalia’s speech disappointing on several fronts. First of all, his comments regarding homosexuals were most inappropriate. On several occasions, Scalia coupled homosexuals conduct and sodomy. While fun, many sexual acts [...]
Practically everyone has either seen or heard The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy story. The Wizard of Oz over the years has become one of the truly classic movies among children and adults alike. If [...]
David Kertzer, a finalist for the National Book Award and professor of history at Brown University, provided a groundbreaking work on the relationship between Pope Pius XI and the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. It gave [...]
The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson By Robert A. Caro President Bill Clinton wrote the following in his review of Caro’s book, the Passage of Power. “After all the years of striving [...]
I recently watched a wonderful series that portrayed Churchill during his wilderness years. From 1929-1939 Churchill was not a member of the cabinet. He even lost two elections for Parliament. William Manchester in his book [...]
Charles Darwin, best known as the discoverer of natural selection, was born in 1809 to a very distinguished English family. Mr. Darwin by all accounts was an extraordinary English gentleman who avidly followed his [...]
Book Review: Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope (17th-century Scarlett O’Hara) By Eleanor Herman Overview The author, Eleanor Herman, provided a spectacular account of Olimpia’s incredible life [...]
Introduction: after at least 8 years of American troops trying to defeat terrorists in Afghanistan, America needs to rethink our options expeditiously. While all of us fear terrorism, we need to address whether we [...]
1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History By Charles Flood Introduction: During the same month two hundred years ago, two of the most remarkable men in history were born, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Several [...]
