One Man's America : A Journalist's Search for the Heart of His Country

A wise, witty, and humane autobiography filled with a passionate curiosity about the people—and meaning—of America. One Man's America is at once a stirring account of a young immigrant becoming an American, a personal history of the major milestones of the late twentieth century, a fascinating insider's view of the most widely read news magazine in the world, and a warm and loving family saga. Here also is the remarkable success story of a boy driven from his native Vienna by the Nazis and returning years later as an ambassador; of a copy boy who rose to become editor of Time magazine. During his long and distinguished career in journalism, Grunwald knew, befriended, and feuded with some of the greatest figures on the world stage, from Whitaker Chambers and Marilyn Monroe to John F. Kennedy and Henry Kissinger to Ronald Reagan and Fidel Castro. But the immense power his position allowed him was tempered by a fierce desire to know everything he could about the mores and folkways of the whole United States, Main Street bankers and student radicals alike, through whom he sought to understand the heart of his adopted country. One Man's America is, above all, a hymn to the ever-turbulent, ever-changing land of America. Time Inc. If Time was the voice of America, for many years Henry Grunwald was the voice of Time. He started at the magazine running errands and wound up running all the publications of Time Inc., at the summit of American journalism. Yet this lucid charming autobiography reveals a man not overawed by the momentous events he witnessed and influenced, or by the personalities he encountered. During his long and distinguished career at Time, Grunwald interviewed, befriended One Man's America is at once a stirring account of a young immigrant becoming an American, a personal history of the major milestones of the late twentieth century, a fascinating insider's view of the most widely read news magazine in the world, and a warm and loving family saga. Here also is the remarkable success story of a boy driven from his native Vienna by the Nazis and returning years later as American ambassador; a copy boy who rose to become editor in chief of And feuded with some of the most intriguing figures on the world stage, from Whittaker Chambers and Marilyn Monroe to John F. Kennedy and Henry Kissinger to Ronald Reagan and Fidel Castro. But just as intriguing to him were the mores and folkways of all the people of the United States, Main Street bankers and radical students alike, through whom he sought to understand the heart of his adopted country