Take a photo of a barcode or cover
40 reviews for:
Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Charles Krauthammer
3.84 AVERAGE
40 reviews for:
Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Charles Krauthammer
3.84 AVERAGE
Really good collection of columns and other writing. They aren't in chronological order. Instead, they're grouped by subject, which gives some of the earlier columns a time capsule feel that is interesting. Not a lot of irony or surprising positions. Krauthammer is a conservative. In print though, at an incredibly high standard of writing, it was interesting to read these pieces.
In the Introduction, Krauthammer explains that "The body of this book is made up of newspaper columns and shorter magazine pieces grouped by theme in 16 chapters."
This is a book that I browsed, not one that I read cover to cover. And, as much as I admire the author himself, it is not a book that I enjoyed reading. Each of the articles on their own are wonderfully and thoughtfully written, but to sit down and read one after the other is a tedious process.
In the end, I scanned the index for topics that interested me, and chose random articles to read. Also, I learned to approach each article by first checking the date it was published (referenced at the end of each) -- so to give myself a frame of reference for reading it.
Krauthammer's weekly opinion articles are published on Friday in The Washington Post; after browsing this book, I make it a regular habit to check for his most recent articles. He is a no nonsense, humorous, well-informed and accomplished man. I highly regard and recommend his work.
This is a book that I browsed, not one that I read cover to cover. And, as much as I admire the author himself, it is not a book that I enjoyed reading. Each of the articles on their own are wonderfully and thoughtfully written, but to sit down and read one after the other is a tedious process.
In the end, I scanned the index for topics that interested me, and chose random articles to read. Also, I learned to approach each article by first checking the date it was published (referenced at the end of each) -- so to give myself a frame of reference for reading it.
Krauthammer's weekly opinion articles are published on Friday in The Washington Post; after browsing this book, I make it a regular habit to check for his most recent articles. He is a no nonsense, humorous, well-informed and accomplished man. I highly regard and recommend his work.
I read the book December 2018 - aproximetly 6 months following his death. The collection of essays reveals the contant of his character, experience, clear thinking and optimism. Miss him. Through the collection of essays your able to piece togehter his remarkable story. Not because it's about him, but because he shares how his journey from medicine to journalism, from liberal to conservative, from healthy to paralyzed shaped his views and build his character. Character is more important than health. As he intended, the essays permeate time and the ones that deal with issues that have now been decided provide an "I told you so" delivery, but still deliverioud with a level of graciousness. A great thinker that shaped conservatism that in return shaped our great country.
challenging
medium-paced
Very enjoyable read. Though I didn't agree completely with all of his essays, I love his dry wit.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Such a brilliant man and so enlightening to read through events the past 30 years from his perspective. Highly recommend
Interesting to see if claims and predictions in decades' old columns hold.
informative
medium-paced
I skimmed the last 25% of it. It’s a good read if you really enjoy Krauthammer. This is the first of his stuff I’ve ever read, so even the dated columns were new. I just got bored reading his writing in such a condensed manner. I’m sure it read much better in the paper as it was published.
3.5 stars; I wanted to give it 4 but I had a difficult time getting through some of the essays, perhaps due to the subject matter. But no doubt, Krauthammer is a brilliant writer and commentator.