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Late Edition: A Love Story
by Bob Greene
St.Martin's Press
ISBN 978-0-312-37530-0
Published July 2009 - Hardcover - 306 pages - $25.99

I was eager to read Bob Greene's latest book as I had so enjoyed some of his earlier work.  It was a happy discovery finding out this book was about his passionate recollection of working at a newspaper in Columbus, Ohio back in the '60s.  And I thought it was going to be about Mr. Greene meeting and falling in love with his true love at a newspaper office.  Ya never know, and this was a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover."  Having worked for a magazine/newspaper company myself, in the eighties, I appreciated reading the wonderful descriptions of the old teletype machines and printing presses now sadly worlds away from the likes of the Internet and e-mail.  Still, you get the romance Mr. Greene talks about as he vividly brings this era back to life on his pages for all to read, much like watching an old movie about a pressroom back in the day.  Picture Spencer Tracy in the newsroom!  No disrespect, Mr. Greene!  He talks of his becoming a sports writer for the newspaper, of how he watched his typewritten words go from typing paper to newsprint and land on the stoop of his parents' home the very next morning.  He talks of the parochial reporting, how they got international stories, where the journalists ate lunch or supper, and so much more.  He also draws distinctions between then and now, with the instant access to news we have via the Internet, and what that has meant to newspapers everywhere.  He clearly loved what he was doing and was exactly where he should have been, lucky young man.
See my reviews of two of Mr. Greene's other books, Once Upon a Town - The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen and And You Know You Should Be Glad - A True Story of Lifelong Friendship.
Conclusion - My wish is for Internet "writers" everywhere to read this book and to appreciate just how fortunate they are these days.  A look back is often all you need to know how great things are nowadays.

"Thank you, Adrienne, for such a lovely and thoughtful review.  You understood that Late Edition really is a love story--and I hope that anyone who ever was lucky enough to fall in love with their first job will identify with it, and will see themselves in the story.  I appreciate your kind words very much, and I hope that my writing will continue to please you."  Bob Greene