Myra MacPherson is the author of three previous books, including the Vietnam War classic Long Time Passing. She was a highly regarded journalist at the Washington Post for many years, and has also written for the New York Times and numerous magazines, including Vanity Fair. She lives in Palm Desert, California, and Washington, D.C.
"'All Governments Lie' strikes me as the right book at the right
time. It is not only the fascinating story of an American original,
it is also a sophisticated history of what went wrong between
American journalism and American government." -- Richard Reeves,
author of President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination
"At last! Myra MacPherson has offered us the definitive life and
times of the most independent journalist of our epoch -- I. F.
Stone. Known as Izzy, he revealed to us in his tiny four-page
weekly not the 'objectivity' of the Official Word but a hard truth
from the bottom up. This book may become a classic: it is mandatory
for all young journalists." -- Studs Terkel
"I loved every page of this book. My God, what fabulous stories --
newspaper stories, political stories, world history, and the
greatest tabloid there ever was, all crammed into one life. And
above all, what a hero -- indomitable, learned, funny, and
fearless. I learned more stuff I didn't know -- that Izzy Stone
solved the murder of George Polk, that when his paper told him he
couldn't cover the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, he quit and
hitchhiked to Boston. What a combination of integrity and learning.
He really did have a wonderful time. Now is the time for all good
journalists to read this book and remember what it is all about."
-- Molly Ivins, author of Who Let the Dogs In
"Izzy Stone comes as close to living up to the rhetoric of free
speech and a free press as anyone in the twentieth century. His
story is told here in the rich historical context of his time. This
book is an important contribution to the current debate about the
future and the nature of journalism and why the public as well as
journalists should be involved in that debate." -- Bill Kovach,
chairman, Committee of Concerned Journalists
"Stone remains enormously relevant today, in an era of too much
journalistic acquiescence. A newspaperman for decades, he became
'an eclectic craftsman, ' with a reformist and intellectual
bent.... 'Izzy, ' as he was called, emerges as a challenging,
complex fellow, an ebullient workaholic. But his legacy was earned
by a willingness to read documents in depth and apply his eclectic,
passionate intelligence -- and MacPherson brings all this to life
in this terrific and timely book." -- Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
"Thanks to Myra MacPherson, we finally have a nuanced and
sophisticated biography of one of the great legends of American
journalism. One can only hope that it wakes up some of the lapdog
reporters in today's Washington press corps and reminds them, as I.
F. Stone taught us during the Cold War, that 'all governments
lie.'" -- Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud
"Where is Izzy Stone when we need him? His spirit is back in 'All
Governments Lie, ' a powerful, passionate biography of the
courageous writer who defied Official Washington and inspired
several generations of journalists. Myra MacPherson, a pioneer in
the art of cutting-edge profiles, is brilliant in evoking his life
and times." -- Curtis Wilkie, author of Dixie
Myra MacPherson is a brilliant writer who has written a great book
about a journalistic idol -- Izzy Stone. Would that he were alive
today to lead our country to its greatest ideals again." -- Helen
Thomas, Hearst newspapers columnist and author of Watchdogs of
Democracy?
Stone (1907-1989), the man behind I.F. Stone's Weekly and a congenital prober behind official facades, remains enormously relevant today, in an era of too much journalistic acquiescence. MacPherson (Long Time Passing) hasn't written a conventional biography--as her subject left no private papers-but has woven in a study of the press (especially establishmentarian Walter Lippmann) and "Stone's running commentary on twentieth-century America." A child of Jewish immigrants, Stone (born Isador Feinstein) was, according to a friend, driven by insecurity and curiosity. A newspaperman for decades, he became "an eclectic craftsman," with a reformist and intellectual bent; even at 19 he quit a job to chase the Sacco and Vanzetti execution. "Izzy," as he was called, emerges as a challenging, complex fellow, an ebullient workaholic adored by his wife. Columnist and reporter, on the left but a self-described nonconformist, Stone issued sound judgments on the Holocaust and the Cold War, yet, the author allows, could be too willing to give the Spanish Loyalists and the Soviets the benefit of the doubt. Near the end of his life, Stone taught himself ancient Greek and wrote The Trial of Socrates, a hit. But his legacy was earned by a willingness to read documents in depth and apply his eclectic, passionate intelligence-and MacPherson brings all this to life in this terrific and timely book. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
"'All Governments Lie' strikes me as the right book at the right time. It is not only the fascinating story of an American original, it is also a sophisticated history of what went wrong between American journalism and American government."
-- Richard Reeves, author of President Reagan: The Triumph of
Imagination
"At last! Myra MacPherson has offered us the definitive life and
times of the most independent journalist of our epoch -- I. F.
Stone. Known as Izzy, he revealed to us in his tiny four-page
weekly not the 'objectivity' of the Official Word but a hard truth
from the bottom up. This book may become a classic: it is mandatory
for all young journalists."
-- Studs Terkel
-- Molly Ivins, author of Who Let the Dogs In
"Izzy Stone comes as close to living up to the rhetoric of free
speech and a free press as anyone in the twentieth century. His
story is told here in the rich historical context of his time. This
book is an important contribution to the current debate about the
future and the nature of journalism and why the public as well as
journalists should be involved in that debate."
-- Bill Kovach, chairman, Committee of Concerned Journalists
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
-- Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud
"Where is Izzy Stone when we need him? His spirit is back in 'All
Governments Lie, ' a powerful, passionate biography of the
courageous writer who defied Official Washington and inspired
several generations of journalists. Myra MacPherson, a pioneer in
the art of cutting-edge profiles, is brilliant in evoking his life
and times."
-- Curtis Wilkie, author of Dixie
Myra MacPherson is a brilliant writer who has written a great book
about a journalistic idol -- Izzy Stone. Would that he were alive
today to lead our country to its greatest ideals again."
-- Helen Thomas, Hearst newspapers columnist and author of Watchdogs of Democracy?
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