cover image John Hohenberg (C)

John Hohenberg (C)

John Hohenberg. University Press of Florida, $59.95 (295pp) ISBN 978-0-8130-1339-8

This genial memoir by a journalist and professor (born 1906) best known for administering and judging the Pulitzer Prizes from 1954 to 1976 skates lightly over a broad, varied career. Though Hohenberg writes lucidly, much of what he recounts--from his youthful experiences with New York journalism, to reporting trips to Israel, Asia and elsewhere, to tales of family life--is of only minor interest. He has written 15 books, including well-praised volumes such as Foreign Correspondence, but this is not in the same league. Most interesting here are some of the author's reflections on journalism: though at the Columbia School of Journalism he taught students numerous tricks of the trade, he now thinks that courses in cultural affairs better prepare journalists to understand society. Also, his memories of Pulitzer Prize winners, for example, Seymour Hersh for his My Lai scoop, remind us of how journalism intersects with history. Intriguingly, Hohenberg suggests that the prizes be broadened to offer awards for public service in such fields as education and civil liberties. Photos. (June)