First was the back page essay from Kurt Andersen titled "The Avenging Amateur" about the amateur spirit of many Americans... and how that can help us come stronger out of the current financial crisis. The essay relates to Andersen's new book "Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America". Interestingly (well, to myself), the book came out of a Time cover story that I linked to in a March 2009 blog post.
Andersen is an excellent writer and also penned "Heyday"... a work of historical fiction set in the mid-19th century which I've seen rave reviews for.
Also from this issue of Time was "Taking Judd Apatow Seriously" about the producer / director / writer. As his wikipedia entry shows, everything Apatow is involved with seems to succeed at the box office. For good reason, though... they're funny movies.
Finally, this issue also contained in the "Short List" section film director Werner Herzog's picks of things he's found interesting. Three books mentioned within are listed below:
- "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy
- "The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway" (including Herzog's favorite "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber")
- "The Warren Commission Report: Report Of The President's Commission On The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy" (which Herzog describes as the "best and most convincing detective work he's read")
