In So Many Words: Arguments and Adventures - Tapa dura

"There is a generosity of spirit that runs through Robert Schmuhl's work that I am certain his readers (and his students) appreciate. Furthermore, these pieces are well researched. The polling data and other information he includes in some of the articles add considerably to the value of the book." -- Philip Seib "Readers who enjoy the works of the great "International Herald Tribune" columnist William Pfaff and the estimable "New York Times" reporter and columnist Thomas Friedman will find comparable delight in Schmuhl's book. A collection of previously published newspaper and magazine articles written over the last decade, the book ranges confidently across presidential politics, foreign policy, history, the celebrity culture and the present crisis of the news business, all with impressively sure footing." --"Chicago Tribune "(December 17, 2006) Readers who enjoy the works of the great "International Herald Tribune" columnist William Pfaff and the estimable "New York Times" reporter and columnist Thomas Friedman will find comparable delight in Schmuhl s book. A collection of previously published newspaper and magazine articles written over the last decade, the book ranges confidently across presidential politics, foreign policy, history, the celebrity culture and the present crisis of the news business, all with impressively sure footing. "Chicago Tribune "(December 17, 2006)" "This collection of nearly 40 essays by the director of Notre Dame's Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy focuses on American political culture and contemporary communication, particularly the news media." --Notre Dame Magazine(Autumn 2006) "Readers who enjoy the works of the great International Herald Tribune columnist William Pfaff and the estimable New York Times reporter and columnist Thomas Friedman will find comparable delight in Schmuhl's book. A collection of previously published newspaper and magazine articles written over the last decade, the book ranges confidently across presidential politics, foreign policy, history, the celebrity culture and the present crisis of the news business, all with impressively sure footing." --Chicago Tribune (December 17, 2006)

Since 1975, Robert Schmuhl's writing and teaching have focused on American political culture and contemporary communication, particularly the news media. ""In So Many Words"" brings together nearly forty of Schmuhl's essays, which have appeared in the ""Washington Post"", ""Philadelphia Inquirer"", ""Chicago Tribune"", ""Boston Globe"", ""American Journalism Review"", and ""Notre Dame Magazine"", among others. From investigating contemporary political life, to assessing the current state of journalism, to ruminating on today's republic of letters, this volume demonstrates one writer's probing - and catholic - curiosity. Arranged thematically, and divided into three sections - Matters Political and Journalistic, Matters Literary, and Matters Personal - ""In So Many Words"" invites readers to ponder a wide range of issues, such as the debate over preemptive war, the compositional idiosyncrasies of wordsmiths, and the vagaries of media punditry. Variety in subjects considered and approaches pursued is a hallmark of this collection. The phrase ""in so many words"" carries two meanings: precision or exactitude in language and candor or plain speaking. This is a book that lives up to its title by presenting arguments and dramatizing adventures in no uncertain terms. Whether stimulating thought, generating controversy, or evoking laughter, the consistently high quality of Schmuhl's writing throughout ""In So Many Words"" offers both elucidation and enjoyment.