The April 12, 2014 post was all about women. Here, finally, is a 'companion' post, which is all about men. ;-)

All these many years later I still miss Walter Cronkite! (but then, I still miss Guy Lombardo at New Year's, too). I thoroughly enjoyed A Reporter's Life, by Walter Cronkhite, as I learned of his life, education, family ... and the things that most influenced him. He started out working on newspapers, and moved to the 'new' format of television. He was at the Nuremberg Trials, reported the assassination of John Kennedy, and the landing of man on the moon. Through war, peace, good times and bad, he was the voice of reason. And it may all be because of shin splints.

As regular readers know, I love a good musical, and especially those of Rodgers and Hammerstein, so it will come as no surprise that I have a book on half of that team on my bookshelf: Musical Stages: an Autobiography by Richard Rodgers. I like to play the music as I read this so it takes me a while to get all the way to the end. Having only written for stage and film he was reluctant to take on a project requiring background music. Luckily he did because it was for something called "Victory at Sea" about the war in the Pacific. He called on his old friend Robert Russell Bennet for the orchestrations. The final product is amazing. If you can find the dvds, watch them, if not, just listen to the music.

Fiddler to the World: the Inspiring Life of Itzhak Perlman, by Carol H. Behrman. This came from California reader. I had long admired Itzhak Perlman and was pleased when she found me this nice little biography. It's a tween or teen read, yes, but most enjoyable. In addition to sharing his love of all kinds of music with audiences around the world, Itzhak Perlman has become a spokesperson for the disabled. He has performed in the great concert halls world wide, with John Denver, and on Sesame Street. Published in 1992, I went on-line for an update to learn that he is now conducting as well as performing.

Jim Henson: the Biography, by Brian Jay Jones is a rich, detailed look at the life and works of one of my favorite people. The author tells about all Henson's projects, those that succeeded as well as those that failed. From the very first puppet (before he came up with 'muppet'), to his final days and the legacy he left, this is a great read.

Dr. Mutter's Marvels: a True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine, by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. Dr. Mutter was a man ahead of his times. He promoted (or tried to do so), pre- and post operative care. (Patients were sent home immediately after a surgery of any kind). He was sure that it was important for things to be clean ... the operating area, the tools they used, the patient, the doctor (both hands and clothing). He was sure anesthesia would prove useful. He met with great resistance. He was popular with the students he taught (as well as his patients) and influenced many of them. A technique, named for him, is still used in plastic surgery. A bit of a warning here, there are vivid descriptions of wounds and so forth.

Reading Hermit with Dog