Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing - surprising lack of insight
Review: Let me just state that I have no axe to grind -- I like Tim Russert as a journalist, I generally agree with his politics, and I live in upstate New York -- so I was really looking forward to this book. I read it from cover to cover and was very disappointed at the pedestrian writing and lack of insight about world events and personal events. When Russert writes about earth-shaking world events, such as the assassinations of King and Kennedy, his pedestrian observations and inability to provide intelligent commentary leave one almost angry. And when he writes about personal events, he renders even potentially moving moments completely mundane. One isolated example: when his son tells Russert that, despite Russert's love for baseball, his son is more interested in NASCAR and golf, Russert expounds that our children are individuals and we can't expect them to be carbon copies of ourselves. The anecdote was so mundane that, rather than tears running down my cheeks as Russert possibly intended, I could barely bring myself to keep reading. Spare yourself and read something else instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Rings so True...
Review: my mom gave me this book for my 43rd birthday, and i've enjoyed every minute reading it.
in large part this it could be the story of my life growing up on the south side of milwaukee in the 60's: Family, Neighbors, Church, Fish Fries, VFW Posts, and of course the Nuns and Jesuits who taught us life's lessons so well.
very refreshing. boy do we need more of this stuff in America today!
Rating:
Summary: Old-Fashioned Virtues, New Age Emotions
Review: Russert combines the lessons of his hard-knock Irish-Catholic environment with more modern emotional impressions of his family life. His relationship with his father is enviable, and if the book seems a bit soft or too good to be true, it's a sign of Russert's genuine regular-guy persona. It's always great to read a memoir more concerned with the story than the literary leaps of the writing or the ego of the author. My other favorite family memoir is "I Sleep At Red Lights: A True Story of Life After Triplets," by Bruce Stockler, a hilarious, heartwarming and surprisingly honest account of marriage, fertility, being a Dad, work, career and making new priorities.
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Summary: Big Russ and Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life
Review: Russert offers in this boook, i.e. , Big Russ and Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life by Tim Russert (Author) a nostalgic look at the childhood and formative years of himself and his nation. He merges characteristics of the NBC Going Home0 series, which features news anchors revisiting their roots, and Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation0 . Russert celebrates his father's generation, young men who went off to Europe for World War II and returned to create the largest middle class the U.S. had ever known, a generation known for their stoicism and sense of duty. Taciturn about his war experience, Russert's father only slowly recalled his experiences: a friend who saved his life, facing life and death so far from home, smuggling a mascot red chow overseas. Russert recalls his tight-knit neighborhood in working-class Buffalo, dominated by the Catholic Church and the American Legion. His father worked for the sanitation department, with a second job driving a newspaper delivery truck, to provide for the family. Neighbors looked out for each other as children played hide-and-seek and capture the flag, listened to radio shows, and watched television favorites, including Davy Crockett0 . Russert recalls his early interest in television news shows, watching Meet the Press0 interviews with Nixon,ennedy, and Castro. At the center of it all was Russert's father, a man the news anchor has unabashedly declared as his hero.
Rating:
Summary: Two Interwoven Stories - Pure Magic
Review: Struck me as a cross between "Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom and "My Fractured Life" by Rikki Lee Travolta - and just as wonderful as both. "Big Russ and Me" is both a story about Tim Russert and a story about his father - two interwoven life stories. The way they are interwoven is what creates the magic.
Rating:
Summary: Cats in the cradle...Harry Chapin's song comes to life!!!
Review: The background story behind this book is learning from your elders. In this particular one, we are talking about Tim Russert and how he explains the way that his father's knowledge (something that most children never appreciate until after the fact) and experience shaped his life. We learn of Big Russ, as he refers to his father, and how he was raise in poverty, was a WWII vet with an admirable record and his ability to raise his four children and support his household while holding down two jobs for a good part of his life. That, in itself, shows the character of Big Russ.As is the dream of every parent, Russert's life is anything but representative of the suffering his father witnessed. A wealthy lawyer, Capital Hill insider and married to a celebrity journalist, Russert is the success story his father could brag about to any and everyone. The book provides a nostalgic walk through time as the author reflects on his own life as well as that of his country. By the time you finish the book, you can understand why Big Russ earns the biggest title that any father can ever dream of. That of being seen as a hero in his own son's eyes. No amount of money or honors can ever top such a title as that.
Rating:
Summary: A Millionaire Washington Insider Discusses His Life
Review: The problem I have with this book is that Tim Russert appears to avoid substance. Specifically, he strays from really getting into a honest analysis of his own deficiencies as a reporter. For example, he clearly had little to do with providing insight into the ongoing problems of Iraq. In fact, in weeks before the prison scandal Russert was grilling Kerry on why he threw his ribbons away while at the same time the huge scandal was about to go public. The book fails on several levels and comes across as empty in depth. To me, if you want to really understand the media read Bob Woodward or Sy Hersh but avoid the Russert drivel. Tim Russert is a millionaire Washington insider who has little connection to the real world despite his thin efforts to say otherwise. His reporting is out of sinc with other better journalists and, as a result, his book is not worth reading. There are far better journalists to read about. Pursue their life stories.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful memoir! I loved it!
Review: This book is one of the most delightful memoirs I've ever read! Tim Russert, host of "Meet the Press," writes with a great deal of affection and humor about growing up in South Buffalo, New York, the only son of a homemaker and a sanitation worker. "Big Russ," as Tim referred to his father, taught his son many important and valuable lessons about life, some by word but most through example.
Big Russ was a dedicated and hardworking parent who held down two jobs all the years Tim and his sisters were growing up. Yet, along with Tim's mother, he still managed to find time to instill in his children the importance of respect, hard work, faith, and to his son especially, even a great love and appreciation for the sport of baseball. Mr. Russert writes about his happy home life in such a refreshing manner and recounts numerous funny episodes from his years as a student in Catholic elementary and high schools, even including priceless anecdotes about some of his favorite teachers. I couldn't help but laugh out loud when reading about the formidable Fr. John Sturm, prefect of discipline at Canisius High School, who once said to young Tim, "Russert, mercy is for God. I dispense justice." Fr. Sturm's detention class assignments were an absolute riot and if you have ever been a student at a Catholic institution of learning you will be especially delighted with these reminisces.
Mr. Russert goes on to write about his college and law school years, his career as an assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (another very influential male figure in his life), his marriage and the birth of his own beloved son, Luke, and finally, his arrival to the position of host of "Meet the Press." Always, at every crossroad of his life and every important step along the way, Big Russ has been there for him with words of advice and guidance. Mr. Russert states that even today, his most valued critic and reviewer of his television program is his Dad.
If you enjoy memoirs you definitely will not want to miss this one. It is truly a gem! Both Tim and his father come across as such likeable, decent individuals that it is just a joy to read their story and I was very sorry when I had reached the end of this book. A very enthusiastic thumbs up!!
Rating:
Summary: Conversational and Easy to Relate to.
Review: This is a fantastic story told in down to earth conversational tone. I was equally wrapped up in the worlds' of news man Tim Russert and that of his fathers. It is a ballancing act that compares with Rikki Lee Travolta's My Fractured Life and Tony Hendra's Father Joe. It is a book you can truly feel at home with.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended Reading
Review: This is an enjoyable book that I found hard to put down once I started reading it. Tim Russert has a breezy writing style that drew me in. If you're familiar with Meet the Press or not, I recommend it for fun summer reading. Debbie Farmer, parenting author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat'
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