In the News

Remembering Haynes Johnson

by Phillip Witteveen May 29, 2013

This tribute to Haynes Johnson was written by Sara Fitzgerald, the author of Elly Peterson: “Mother of the Moderates” and a former editor and new media developer for the Washington Post. Like so many other journalists, former journalists and Washington policy wonks, I was shocked and saddened by the sudden death on May 24 of my friend and former Washington Post colleague Haynes Johnson. Haynes had played a special role in my life because he had generously agreed to write the forward to my 2011 biography Elly Peterson: “Mother” of the Moderates. I was thrilled that he was willing to do this because I knew he [...]

Mrs. Shipley’s Ghost Reviewed in “The Chronicle”

by Phillip Witteveen May 24, 2013

“She looks harmless enough.” So begins the Chronicle of Higher Education’s review of Jeffrey Kahn’s Mrs. Shipley’s Ghost: The Right to Travel and Terrorist Watchlists. But Ruth Bielaski Shipley was in fact one of the most influential civil servants of the early 20th century, a woman whom Franklin D. Roosevelt described as ”a wonderful ogre” for her role as head of the State Department’s Passport’s Office from 1928 to 1955,. In this capacity, she “single-handedly delayed, thwarted, or otherwise constrained the travel plans of thousands of Americans,” writes the Chronicle’s Nina C. Ayoub in her review of Kahn’s book. The Chronicle recounts the [...]

Gerald R. Ford: An Honorable Life – As Seen in Publisher’s Weekly

by Phillip Witteveen May 20, 2013

Last week’s Publisher’s Weekly included a review of James Cannon’s Gerald R. Ford: An Honorable Life, calling it ”a first-rate political history and a compassionate biography.” The book, written by Ford’s domestic policy adviser James Cannon, follows his unlikely career from Michigan linebacker to President of the United States. “His portrait benefits greatly from intimate contact with Ford, as well as from numerous interviews conducted post-presidency, when Ford candidly assessed his time in office,” the reviewer said of Cannon.” The biographer’s unique perspective is not wholly uncritical either, but draws from Cannon’s honest impression of the man who made up for what [...]

Rolf Peterson on the Environment Report

by Phillip Witteveen May 3, 2013

Rolf Peterson, author of The Wolves of Isle Royale, was a guest contributor on Michigan Radio earlier this month. The Environment Report turned its attention to Isle Royale National Park, which experienced its first year without any new wolf cubs in the 55 years researchers have been studying this ecosystem. There are, in fact, only 8 wolves left on the island. “If it keeps going,” says Peterson, “that’ll be the end of them. It may just be a temporary thing, but the writing is on the wall in terms of genetic viability.” The halt in reproduction is due to the fact [...]

Tamara Piety launches Oversold law blog

by Shaun Manning April 22, 2013

Tamara Piety, author of Brandishing the First Amendment: Commercial Expression in America, has launched a new blog devoted to issues of law, commerce, and the First Amendment–themes which should be familiar to readers of her book. Titled Oversold, Piety has focused especially on the deeper truths behind commercial expression in her early posts–notably, examining the popular and controversial Dove marketing campaign “Real Beauty Sketches” from several angles. Follow Oversold for continuing insight from Tamara Piety, and be sure to pick up Brandishing the First Amendment for an analysis of the court decisions and practices that continue to shape American media and public [...]

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