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'
Rating: 
Summary: Big Russ and Me
Review: Tim Russert has written a book to pay his father back for raising him the way he thinks he should have been raised. He prises his dad for taking care of him and his family working two jobs and on very little money. Big Russ gave his time to protect our country and at the same time protecting his family. It's a story that many of us can relate to with our own dads. Its a great read - Author- The Day Of The Rose
Rating:
Summary: Big Russ and Me
Review: Tim Russert in this book has put together his memories of life growing up and how he looked up to his father. You can tell there is a deep love and respect for his dad. A son that made it to the big time with help from his dad showing how life really is. A dad that worked many jobs to feed his family while Tim grew up and took what he learned from his dad to make it where he is today. My hat goes off to Tim for writing what he feels and the deep love for his dad. A must read for a heart warming and great feeling that you will gain from reading the book. Author- The Day Of The Rose- Larry Hobson
Rating: 
Summary: Today's so-called journalism
Review: Tim Russert is a television personality who interviews politicians, lobbyists, political consultants, and pundits. Because he neither investigates nor researches, Russert is unable to contrast responses with independent information, so guests are free to make unsupported claims and groundless assertions. Many programs, including those hosted by O'Reilly, Matthews, Scarborough, and Hannity, follow the same format, but Meet the Press has the largest audience, probably because Russert's behavior is less antic than that of his competitors. The question that Russert's show and the others raise is why do their hosts call themselves journalists. Actually, they are nothing more than uninformed television personalities giving their guests the chance to broadcast political propaganda.
The Bush Administration has always found Tim a congenial host and has expertly used Meet the Press these last three years to sell its tax and fiscal policies, its health and education programs as well as the war in Iraq. In any event, Russert is always behind the issues, with his nose in the air, waiting to sense which way the wind is blowing so as not to offend
The fact that Russert chose to write a story about his father is typical of his disingenousness. His father represents the old time values of sacrifice, hard work and respect for traditional virtues. There is nothing in Russert's work to suggest that he shares these values. Overall, the reader is left with the impression that Russert writes about his dad so he doesn't have to tell the truth about himself.
Rating:
Summary: A TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO A FATHER
Review: Tim Russert reads this touching tribute to his father with humor, understanding and love. "The older I get," Russert says, "the smarter my father seems to get. Hardly a day goes by when I don't remember something that Big Russ taught me." With those words and more Russert recalls a childhood in South Buffalo, New York, a predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood where families shared with and cared about one another. A veteran of World War II the elder Russert fathered four children and provided for them by his day job with the Sanitation Department and a night job with the local newspaper. Along the way he instilled in his offspring his basic beliefs in duty, responsibility, patriotism, and courage. Most of us know Tim Russert as a celebrated television newsman and moderator of Meet The Press. Now, we meet him as a devoted and appreciative son. Listen and be reminded of what really matters in life. Many sons might want to say to their fathers much of what Russert is saying to his but cannot find the words. Suggestion: give your father this CD and he'll understand. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO A FATHER
Review: Tim Russert reads this touching tribute to his father with humor, understanding and love. "The older I get," Russert says, "the smarter my father seems to get. Hardly a day goes by when I don't remember something that Big Russ taught me." With those words and more Russert recalls a childhood in South Buffalo, New York, a predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood where families shared with and cared about one another. A veteran of World War II the elder Russert fathered four children and provided for them by his day job with the Sanitation Department and a night job with the local newspaper. Along the way he instilled in his offspring his basic beliefs in duty, responsibility, patriotism, and courage. Most of us know Tim Russert as a celebrated television newsman and moderator of Meet The Press. Now, we meet him as a devoted and appreciative son. Listen and be reminded of what really matters in life. Many sons might want to say to their fathers much of what Russert is saying to his but cannot find the words. Suggestion: give your father this CD and he'll understand. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Tim Russert: TV Moderator
Review: Tim Russert tells the story of an admirable man, Big Russ, his father, who grew up poor, survived a bomber crash in world war two and went on to support his wife and four children by working at two jobs for thirty years. Russerts life, however, bears absolutely no resemblance to that of his father. He is a lawyer and millionaire Washington D.C. beltway insider, married to a glamorous celebrity journalist, Maureen Orth. If Russert had limited himself to a discussion of the impact of character and values on his father's own life, the book could have held up as the story of a good man, Big Russ. Unfortunately, Russert wants the reader to think that as a result of his father's example and teachings, he himself is both a good journalist and a good man.
Russert graduated from law school and before his political connections led him to NBC, he worked as a political aide. Those who watch "Meet the Press" know that although Russert asks
"tough questions" of all his guests, he is quite selective in his application of follow-up questions. For example during the run-up to the war in Iraq, Vice President Richard Cheney told a complacent Russert that oil revenues would finance the war, Iraqis would greet Americans as liberators, and Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. After the unchallenged forums Russert has provided Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz over these last couple of years, Russert can hardly be called a good journalist.
Rating:
Summary: "Whatever we achieve . . . we stand on their shoulders."
Review: Tim Russert's delightful memoir, "Big Russ and Me," is a heartwarming and deeply felt tribute to his father, who instilled in his four children the values that ultimately shaped their adult lives. It is also a book about other influential people who had an impact on Tim Russert, both the boy and the man.
Big Russ, as Tim calls his dad, fought in World War II, although he rarely talked about his days in the army. When he came home from the war, he raised his family in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in South Buffalo. Everyone knew one another and looked out for one another. Kids played on the street without fear, and front doors were left unlocked. Priests and teachers were figures of respect and reverence, and children were taught to look up to their elders.
Big Russ worked two jobs, one with the sanitation department and the other as a delivery truck driver for the Buffalo Evening News. He took pride in providing for his family and he taught his children the value of a dollar. The Russert children learned the importance of honesty, self-discipline, and faith.
With his humorous and anecdotal style, Tim Russert beautifully captures the wonderful memories of his youth, nostalgically looking back at the television programs he watched, the odd jobs he held, and the schools he attended. He gives special mention to a teacher named Sister Lucille, who taught Tim to love and appreciate English literature. She also gave Tim his first important job in journalism when he was in the seventh grade.
After college, Russert went to law school and he began a love affair with politics. He describes his association with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Mario Cuomo, two statesmen whom he both admired and respected, and he traces his rewarding career as a broadcast journalist.
"Big Russ and Me" is a book that will bring pleasure to readers of all ages. It is a touching and colorful journey into a more innocent past. It is also a beautiful and fascinating look at the threads that make up the fabric of a full and meaningful life.
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