Big Russ & Me, Father and Son: Lessons of Life, by Tim Russert (2004)

USA: Hyperion, Miramax Books, 2004. Paperback. used-Good condition. In “Big Russ & Me, Father and Son: Lessons of Life,” by Tim Russert (2004), the well-known America TV journalist talks about his relationship with his father, Big Russ. "The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get. Hardly a day goes by when I don't remember something that Big Russ taught me." In this warm, engaging memoir, Russert casts a fond look back to the 1950s Buffalo neighborhood of his youth. In the close-knit Irish-Catholic community where he grew up, doors were left unlocked at night; backyard ponds became makeshift ice hockey rinks in winter; and streets were commandeered as touch football fields in the fall. And he recalls the extraordinary example of his father, a WWII veteran who worked two jobs without complaint for thirty years and taught his children to appreciate the values of self-discipline, of respect, of loyalty to friends. “Big Russ and Me,” written in Russert's easygoing, straight-talking style, offers an irresistible collection of personal memories. Russert recalls the dedicated teachers who stimulated his imagination and intellect, sparking a lifelong passion for politics and journalism, and inspired a career that took him from editor of his elementary school newspaper to moderator of Meet the Press.