Scan barcode
louisejulig's review against another edition
I read some of the pieces, but after owning this book for a long time I realized I was never going to read all of them
alexblackreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting read. It took me over a month to read not because it was bad but because I never wanted to read more than 1-2 articles a day. I thoroughly enjoyed all the different topics and writers, and the wide range of articles chosen. As with any anthology, some were hit and miss. The satire was largely a miss for me just because I don't particularly enjoy it, but Robert Fisk and Mike Sager both wrote incredibly interesting articles that were critical of Israel's role in the conflict in the Middle East, a topic which I now want to read more of.
I did wish there was more commentary on the articles. Because there was such a wide range chosen, both of topics and time frame (from 1942-2003), I lacked context for a lot of them. I had to do a fair amount of outside research just to get a basic understanding of the topic, and I found myself thinking just a little more of an explanation in the commentary would have been incredibly helpful.
But overall, if this sounds like a book that will interest you, it probably will.
I did wish there was more commentary on the articles. Because there was such a wide range chosen, both of topics and time frame (from 1942-2003), I lacked context for a lot of them. I had to do a fair amount of outside research just to get a basic understanding of the topic, and I found myself thinking just a little more of an explanation in the commentary would have been incredibly helpful.
But overall, if this sounds like a book that will interest you, it probably will.
slferg's review against another edition
4.0
I don''t know that the "great" journalism applies to all the stories. Some of them are just, well, stories. Several of them cracked me up. Some were really good and interesting.
haimson's review against another edition
3.0
highlights include:
A really in-depth article about J.H. Hatfield, the author of the controversial W. Bush biography Fortunate Son, who died shortly after the book was published. Many leftists argue that his death was not really a suicide, as it was reported. This article exposes Hatfield as a liar and criminal throughout his life, which lessens the credibility of the biography. Too bad, since I'd love to believe that the Bush party had something to do with Hatfield's death. Now, someone will need to do an in-depth analysis of the character of Mark Schone, who wrote this article.
An article exposing The Body Shop as a hypocritical, evil company, despite its social activist image. Sadly, this company is still in business, though it is now owned by Loreal. It's founder, Anita Roddick, died in 2007, which I can't say is a bad thing.
There are a few other good articles, but much of this book is actually pretty boring, making the reader wonder whether some of these articles were Killed for good reason.
No wonder it's a remaindered book. Too bad those two articles were never published; now, their potential audiences are quite small. Let me know if you want to borrow this!
A really in-depth article about J.H. Hatfield, the author of the controversial W. Bush biography Fortunate Son, who died shortly after the book was published. Many leftists argue that his death was not really a suicide, as it was reported. This article exposes Hatfield as a liar and criminal throughout his life, which lessens the credibility of the biography. Too bad, since I'd love to believe that the Bush party had something to do with Hatfield's death. Now, someone will need to do an in-depth analysis of the character of Mark Schone, who wrote this article.
An article exposing The Body Shop as a hypocritical, evil company, despite its social activist image. Sadly, this company is still in business, though it is now owned by Loreal. It's founder, Anita Roddick, died in 2007, which I can't say is a bad thing.
There are a few other good articles, but much of this book is actually pretty boring, making the reader wonder whether some of these articles were Killed for good reason.
No wonder it's a remaindered book. Too bad those two articles were never published; now, their potential audiences are quite small. Let me know if you want to borrow this!
harvio's review against another edition
4.0
- an interesting collection of articles commissioned by publications like Harper's, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker...but then discarded - not for reasons of quality, but because their potential for unwanted controversy.
- Jon Entine's devastating investigation of The Body Shop's deceptive marketing practices was my favourite
- Jon Entine's devastating investigation of The Body Shop's deceptive marketing practices was my favourite
librarylin's review against another edition
4.0
Killed is a good example of a book that forces you to think. While all the stories share the fate of being "killed" or unpublished by various publishing outlets, they are quite varied in seriousness. The time period covered is 1943-2003. Writers as well respected as George Orwell are included. Obviously, for a work to be killed, it must be capable of offending someone. Sometimes that someone is a sponsor; sometimes it is readers; sometimes the reason is more obscure and ominous.
I enjoyed the book because I learned a lot from it. That is one of my requirements for a book worth reading. It opened my eyes to stories and viewpoints that were kept out of the mainstream press while the events were happening. I look at this book as an old chest in the attic. The things inside are sometimes puzzling, sometimes smelly, and sometimes enchanting. I would say that, unless you are squeamish, this would be a good book for anyone to read.
I enjoyed the book because I learned a lot from it. That is one of my requirements for a book worth reading. It opened my eyes to stories and viewpoints that were kept out of the mainstream press while the events were happening. I look at this book as an old chest in the attic. The things inside are sometimes puzzling, sometimes smelly, and sometimes enchanting. I would say that, unless you are squeamish, this would be a good book for anyone to read.
canadianbookworm's review
3.0
This is a book that has been on my shelf for a while and I finally pulled it down to read.
Wallis has gathered a number of articles commissioned from 1942 to 2003 by a variety of newspapers and magazines, but cancelled before making it to print. They vary widely in subject and were pulled for a number of reasons. Many of the would-be publications didn't give clear and honest reasons for the cancellation of the articles, and some were published later either in other publications, or in books.
It was very interesting to read, and I learned a lot about a variety of issues and people. Politics keeps coming up here, whether it is government politics, business politics, or gender politics. It is interesting to see how fear limited the sharing of information, and see how the editorial process works. Self-censorship is one of the worst forms of censorship, based on fear of risk, whether it be of reader reaction, offended advertisers, or future access to those of importance.
I'm glad I read it.
Wallis has gathered a number of articles commissioned from 1942 to 2003 by a variety of newspapers and magazines, but cancelled before making it to print. They vary widely in subject and were pulled for a number of reasons. Many of the would-be publications didn't give clear and honest reasons for the cancellation of the articles, and some were published later either in other publications, or in books.
It was very interesting to read, and I learned a lot about a variety of issues and people. Politics keeps coming up here, whether it is government politics, business politics, or gender politics. It is interesting to see how fear limited the sharing of information, and see how the editorial process works. Self-censorship is one of the worst forms of censorship, based on fear of risk, whether it be of reader reaction, offended advertisers, or future access to those of importance.
I'm glad I read it.
More...