‘Between You and Me…’ I Love Journalism!

...So you must know I just finished reading Mike Wallace's memoir and loved every single page of it. Yes, I laughed, I cried, I cheered and jeered, and now soon will knead out my thoughts about my overall perception of this well-defined work.

Between you and me, --stepping back for a sec,-- I originally wanted to pursue a career in journalism. I liked the ring of the word―journalism. It sounded a little more upscale than plain 'ole writing, except a few things deterred me. Actually, that would be incorrect. Deterred probably isn't the right word. Derailed is more like it. A part of the problem was likely what initially fascinated me about journalism; that being other than the nice ring of the word.

Yes, my crush on journalism started with Action News and Larry Kane. I loved dancing to that sound track Action News came out with, and I liked watching Larry Kane. One thing progressed to the next, and before I knew it, I was literally sitting in front of the TV with my eyes glued to whosever lips were reporting the news, waiting for that reporter to trip over a word. In case you don't already know it, there really is a precise art to flawlessly speaking while cameras are rolling. I wanted to one day do that; and since  journalism seemed to rhyme with writing, I banked my hopes on becoming a journalist.

But darn it if high school hadn't come first, when I talked myself out of this career thinking long before I'd get to sit behind a desk and make my words flow like the journalists I fawned over, I'd have to first master comprehending that ancient literature I most dreaded reading.

Today I'm glad for the deterrents, or derailments. After reading From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman, and Larry Kane's Philadelphia, and now Mike Wallace's Between You and Me, I can't be more convinced, and my decision more crystalized that my troubles would've been far greater than struggling to comprehend a semester (or two) of literature had I pursued journalism.

All three biographies (Friedman, Kane, and Mike's) are memorable keepsakes. From Beirut to Jerusalem is a tough extraordinary chronicle of the raw struggles of the Middle East. Once I was able to unhinge and untangle my eyes from the great flux of coups and regimes, and leader names and similar givings, to focus more on purposes, did I get to see the innerlings of the largest creature onboard Mother Earth—Perception.

Inside Larry Kane's Philadelphia I was chased around a bit looking at how the business of chasing stories grew, and its effects on journalism today. Between You and Me, however, and perhaps because it is so fresh in my mind having just finished it, is now my favorite. The writing was just so clear, and candid, and concise, particularly for containing the depth of information covered.

Again, all three bios are unforgettable telling epitomes of the great sacrifices journalists make to provide us with information; and the even greater sacrifices made when he (or she) respects the tenets of solid fair reporting.