Few phrases garner as much attention as “We Interrupt This Broadcast…” Wherever we may happen to be, our lives stop for a moment, and we experience those few seconds of anxiety between the interruption and the actual announcement of what has happened.
In words and images-and on two audio CDs-We Interrupt This Broadcast brings to life the famous and infamous moments that were announced to us with those four chilling words. From the dawn of electronic media to today, from the catastrophe of the Hindenburg to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, these are the forty-three events that stopped us in our tracks and changed our world.
We Interrupt This Broadcast recounts the details of the events and spotlights the photographs that tell the stories. Accompanying the book are two digitally mastered compact discs containing over two hours of audio from the events, narrated by award-winning journalist Bill Kurtis.
These heart-stopping moments include both the famous words you remember and rare audio footage that will take you back into the magnitude of the event. Share with your friends, family, children and grandchildren your memories of where you were when the world stopped and held its breath in anticipation.
"Altogether, the book and CDs are a keeper, offering both valuable history lessons and a dramatic record of the definitive moments for generations of Americans." -Publishers Weekly
"The two CDs deliver an exciting, engaging exercise…The events are all hugely memorable. The bits of historic sound are powerfully evocative." -Baltimore Sun
"News junkies can go in for the good stuff with this book and CD set…an impressive tome of rare photos and historical accounts.…" -Time Out New York
"…the ability of the electronic media to capture history couldn’t be more powerful-or chilling." -Biography magazine
Amazon.com Review: Beginning with the explosion of the dirigible Hindenburg in 1937, this book and double-CD collection of audio broadcasts recalls a series of dramatic events so urgent that they interrupted regularly scheduled broadcasting in America. The text of this package includes capsule explanations of such events as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the death of Elvis, accompanied by dramatic black-and-white stock photos. Introduced by the sonorous voice of TV journalist Bill Kurtis, the recordings of the news broadcasts revive the panic and thrill of some of the defining moments (mostly American) of the 20th century.
We Interrupt This Broadcast offers, in some ways, a strange view of the past. News that interrupts broadcasts is always sensational, and usually tragic. Of the 39 recordings, only five or so don't involve assassinations, explosions, death or defeat; furthermore, only the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana represent the female side of modern events. Nevertheless, these recordings will fascinate many listeners too young to have heard the original broadcasts, and those who were alive might enjoy hearing them again in all their crackling, nostalgic glory. --Maria Dolan
We Interrupt this Broadcast This book allows people to relive those news events that made history and truly were worthy of interrupting regular-scheduled programming. It seems that whenever we see the words "special report" or something similar on a television or hear it on the radio our heart skips a beat. Particularly since 9-11 this is true. But not everytime disaster or worse is being reported. Recently in Minnesota they interrupted programming with a "special report" only to inform us our professional hockey team had been sold. Big deal!
But those items included in this book are the real deal. Attacks, political happenings, murders, etc. all make their way into this book. For the real enthusiast, there are two CDs included so the events may be relived over again.
This book is a good summary of what happened, written by Bill Kurtis, who reported many of them first hand. While not the best book ever written, it will hit home to many, with an eerie sense of the fears and concerns first broadcast.
M.I.A. Missing from this book: Mt ST Helen's eruption on 5/18/80, Passing of Ronald Regan, Space Shuttle Columbia should be added in the next edition. Regular broadcasting was inerupted for these stories. Otherwise this book is worth it.
If you like history you will want to have this book Perhaps one of the most innovative ways to study and share history, We Interrupt This Broadcast contains not only information on 43 of the most important events of the 20th century but also actual audio tracks from the original radio broadcasts. The stories told and broadcasts heard range from the Hindenburg explosion to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan's Surrender, Lee Harvey Oswald's Assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination, Apollo 13, the Kent State Massacre, Nixon's resignation, the shooting of President Reagan, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the O. J. Simpson saga, Princess Diana's death, the 2000 election, and finally the September 11th attacks, as well as 29 other historically important events. Each event is described in detail including important facts leading up to the event and the effect it had on the U.S. We Interrupt This Broadcast is very highly recommended and should be in the library of everyone who loves or teaches history.
Please Keep True to the Title I have a previous edition of this book. It covered the Diana death, and I believe that is where it stopped. My complaint with the book is only that, as the topics progresses closer to current times, the interruptions became less "spontaneous." The book's premise was to provide the first live broadcast interruption that the public heard, to create the same chills that people felt, to relive the first realization of the shocking event just as it happened. By the time the book got to Dianna's death, the news clips became more general, more like an end of the year re-cap of what had happened, instead of the first terror-filled report that something had gone wrong. But a great book, other than that! Perhaps the problem has been fixed in this newer edition.
The narrator needs to shut up The narrator explains what is written in the book already. The book would be a lot better if there was no narrator.
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