[Previous entry: "Steinbeck Country"] [Archive Index] [Next entry: "Upcoming author events and interviews include:"]

08/20/2006

McMansions in the Last Little Beach Town — For the last few weeks here in Seal Beach, you couldn't go to the supermarket for a carton of milk without being body-tackled by gaggles of angry citizens intent on defending their inalienable right to construct towering Tuscan villas on beach-shack-sized lots... Read more from my op-ed on mansionization in the LA Times.

Seed Corn — YaGottaLoveIt at South Texas Chisme draws an eloquent farm analogy about the G.I. Bill, and how far we have fallen in terms of investing in America's future since it passed in 1944: Farmers understand that part of each crop, usually the highest quality part, must be set aside to plant the next crop. If you eat your seed corn you won't have a crop next year and will suffer for it. America's leadership, he warns, is eating our seed corn.

Nine Words — When Ronald Reagan convinced the nation that the nine most dangerous words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help, the Gipper knew better. He was a member of the WW II generation, and half his colleagues in Hollywood, from Newman to McQueen to Matthau, were there because they got their educations, training and first homes through the biggest of big government programs, the G.I. Bill. My new column at HuffingtonPost examines how we once generously honored veterans and lifted up the whole nation in the process — and how we're cheating our veterans, and our future, today.

Radio Over Here — Larry Mantle, host of KPCC's AirTalk and Ed Humes discuss Over Here and the G.I. Bill's unprecedented impact on our lives and our nation. Listen to the broadcast (RealAudio player required).

Where's the G.I. Bill Today? Every politician, conservative and liberal, praises the miracle of the original G.I. Bill and promises to support the troops today. But the opportunities offered today to our brave service men and women are nothing like those given The Greatest Generation, and now the nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has produced a stunning study of who in Congress does and does not support the troops. The results are shocking, and show that the most gung-ho proponents of sending our troops into battle are the least likely to support them when they come home.

The Reviews of Over Here are in!

• The Los Angeles Times: Vivid… Humes’ rich tapestry captures the complexity and contradictions of American society in the midst of dramatic change (which) Humes retells with such warmth and enthusiasm in his inspiring book. Deeply moving, alive with the thrill of people from modest backgrounds discovering that the opportunities available to them were far greater than anything they had dreamed of.
• Denver Post: Poignant... The human dramas scattered throughout the narrative are irresistible. The book will provide nostalgia for the World War II generation, and a well-rounded education for readers born later.
• Long Beach Press-Telegram: A profound book… brilliant at explaining world–changing events in simple terms that any reader can understand. Humes… tells stories of global consequence through the eyes of individual people.
• Washington Times: What Mr. Humes has done especially well is to capture... the “accidental greatness” of the G.I. Bill.
• Cleveland Plain Dealer: Fascinating... The book's statistics are eye-opening, but it's the numerous personal vignettes that bring this account to life. OVER HERE shows how the G.I. Bill opened doors for millions. At its best, these passages are reminiscent of Studs Terkel's Depression-era and World War II oral histories.
• Carolyn See: An immensely readable account of one of the smartest, most workable projects our government ever thought up.
• George McGovern:A superb description of one of the marvels of American history.
• Bob Kerrey: A wonderful, personal, and important reminder of how a single law enabled millions of highly motivated and grateful Americans to transform our country.>
• D.J. Waldie: Humes has a wonderful knack for finding a big story in the little stories of everyday life.
• Arthur Penn: The G.I. Bill changed the course of millions of American lives and gave America the chance for “the pursuit of happiness” long promised and long delayed.
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Over Here — the great untold story that needs to be told all the younger generations.
• Kirkus Reviews: The author is at his best explaining the bill's unanticipated, transformative effect on American society…. Careful and colorful reporting renders this seldom-told part of the Greatest Generation's story every bit as inspiring as those recounting its survival of the Depression and triumph in war.