The Good Times

By Russell Baker

"Choice...superb...even more riveting than the author last, which won a Pulitzer...hilarious as well as heartbreaking...When you put this book down you will feel privileged to have gotten to know, intimately, a man so totally honest and sure of himself that he is able to lay himself bare." —Ann Landers

Picking up where his award winning and bestselling memoir GROWING UP left off, Baker tells how he made it from covering the Baltimore police beat to the streets of London where he reported on the Queen of England, becoming a White House correspondent and ascending to columnist at the New York Times at the age of 36.  It a riveting portrayal of the newspaper world in the mid 20th century before the days of journalism degrees, and the story of how a boy raised on his determined mother’s work ethic achieves much of what he wanted, but is “always slightly guilty for not amounting to something a little bit more.”

“A wonderful book.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The Good Times is a superb autobiography, wonderfully told, often hilarious, always intelligent and unsparing.” —The New York Times Book Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diversion Books
• Release date: Aug 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781626813250

Reviews for The Good Times

[dandiercks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Good Times is a sequel of sorts to Baker’s classic memoir Growing Up. This part of his life covers mainly his newpaper career at the Baltimore Sun and the New York Times. Baker’s writing is familar, friendly, but shows the craft he perfected over the years working deadlines. His introspection about his own failings encourages the rest of us. “Oh, Russell, make something of yourself” his mother would tell him. Even the two Pulitzer Prizes he won probably wouldn’t have been very impressive to her. The end of the book is a discussion of Baker’s nose to the grindstone work ethic and how it contrasts with his own children’s more laid back attitude toward life. At first it bothered him. Then he realized, his was a generational attitude, one that came with the sorrow of the Depression, one that he wouldn’t have wished on his children. This book, like all of Russell Baker’s books, is a gem and a pleasure to read.

[ericcostello-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Memoir that covers, roughly, the years from 1947 to 1962, when Baker was a reporter (at various levels) for the Baltimore Sun, later transitioning to the New York Times; the volume concludes when Baker was given the "Observer" column he later held for many years. There is a wealth of funny stories in the book, and Baker doesn't spare himself from being the butt of humour, though I did find his naif routine in the politics of the Times, when one of his colleagues was forced out, to be a little bit assumed. He also wears his poverty a bit like a hair-shirt at times, which means to me that he might have been rather difficult to deal with, in the chip-on-shoulder department. Still, I think this was better than the first volume (Growing Up), in that to a certain extent, Baker *did* grow up. Recommended.

[corajoanburgett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pulitzer Prize winning reporter talks about growing up in Baltimore MD in the 50'd; his first jobs as a reporter, and the famous people that he has covered.

[glade1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a nice, readable, enjoyable account of Baker's early adulthood, with fun glimpses into the world of newspapers in the mid-twentieth century. Baker frames the story with discussion of his mother's ambition for him. She was always telling him he should make something of himself, and even when he achieved success he was urged to try for greater things. His drive led him to a successful newspaper career. He served in London and did a lot of Senate, White House, and campaign reporting before finally settling into life as a columnist, where he ends this portion of his story.Baker provides wonderful descriptions of life in London, his interactions with famous people, and the workings of the print media. He also provides a bit of commentary on the differences between his generation's ambition and his children's less ambitious, more freewheeling attitudes. Although he initially bemoans his mother's constant pressure to succeed, he eventually comes to the conclusion that this work ethic is a better approach.I liked this one and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in journalism, history, or just a good memoir.