Synopses & Reviews
In a period of vast technological advancement that has given birth to mass-circulation newspapers, television and the Internet, these evocative reports from around the world prove that the art of eyewitness reporting is as gripping and as valuable as ever. We Were There includes not only some of the best journalism of the last century but also the private confidence of diaries and letters. Each selection from sources as diverse as Ernest Hemingway, Neil Armstrong, Woody Gurthrie, James Cameron and Hunter S. Thompson, is preceded by a brief introduction that illuminates the passage's historical context and introduces the author.
Review
¦Robert Fox¦s first-rate treasury of reportage, diaries, oral history, and even fiction frames a scintillating panorama of the 20th century¦s decisive moments
Parade ¦A most wonderful collection...I will put it on my shelf and take it off over and over again.¦ -Simon Schama
,br ¦To have an anthology of first-rate eyewitness material of this kind is both a treat and an education. ¦ A.C. Grayling, Financial Times
¦In assembling his composite portrait of the last century, Robert Fox aimed at the ¦magical effect of giving the reader the sensation of being there at great and curious events, and with extraordinary people.¦ For the most part, he has succeededS It is an enthralling mix, leavened with the frequent testimony of non-celebrities who just happened to wander into the historical hurricaneS A valuable book. It vividly illustrates a general principle of such first-person testimonies: they are most interesting when they surprise us, when some element of human perversity creeps into the picture and messes with our expectations.¦ -- The New Republic
"A fun readS It's easy to flip a few pages to find another fascinating peek into the 20th century." - San Francisco Chronicle
AUTHOR BIO: Robert Fox has been a reporter, author, and broadcaster for nearly 40 years. He has reported from the front lines of conflicts around the world. He is Defense Correspondent for The Evening Standard and senior associate fellow at the Centre for Defense Studies at King¦s College, London.
Synopsis
Covering two world wars, revolutions, discoveries and the rise and fall of empires across the globe, We Were There reports on the defining moments of the last hundred years, from the turn of the last century through the Wall Street Crash and D-Day, to the Vietnam War, Tiananmen Square and 9/11.