Taking on the World: Joseph and Stewart Alsop, Guardians of the American Century

Those who remember being rankled or reassured by the political columns of the Alsop brothers during the 1950's will appreciate this thorough study of two of the most prominent journalists of their time, Joseph and Stewart Alsop.This well written, well researched book is more than just a dual biography. It is a fascinating walk-though of the times which the Alsops reported with intelligent insights drawn from their unparalleled contacts.Sons of a privileged Northeastern WASP family, the Alsops had the best of everything: education at Groton and then at Harvard; they had money; their cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, reigned supreme in the White House; their a great-uncle, Teddy Roosevelt, had become an historical monument. With these resources behind them, they applied their great talents as writers and their high intellects to make the most of it.As partners in the syndicated newspaper columns, their contacts and influences put what they reported at the top of the list of "must reads". When they separated to go their separate ways, the flamboyant Joe remained a highly influential daily columnist while the more reflective Stewart won even greater praise for his Saturday Evening Post features in the days when the Post was the preeminent weekly family magazine.The lives of the Alsop brothers paralleled the history of the United States during the mid-part of the 20th Century -- from the Depression to Reagan's election and finally the fall of the Soviet Union. It was because they participated in and reported history in the making that their biographies resonate with so much interest. We see Stewart parachuting behind enemy lines during World War II while Joe -- with General Chenault -- was chased by enemy troops over the rough terrain of China. We read of their many dinners and parties with their cousins the Roosevelts at the White House; their mutual abhorrence of Senator McCarthy; the benign acceptance but not idolatry of President Eisenhower; their love of Jack and Jackie Kennedy; their awful sorrow at President Kennedy's assassination; their encouragement and then their discouragement of the Vietnam war; the Watergate fiasco -- American history of that time in the raw -- from their perspective.Through it all, Mr. Merry is able to paint good, memorable pictures of the flamboyant, often outrageous Joe and the down-to-earth Stewart and how they became important to the Washington of their times. This is a fine book, worth reading and owning.