As I have always been interested why our school was named after a man who died almost a decade prior to its being built, I delighted in finally satisfying my curiosity.

Norman H. Finkelstein’s With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow is an homage biography that recounts, though redundantly, all the little moments of Murrow’s life, in a way that tries to imitate Murrow’s own style. However, the repetitive nature of the book increasingly bored me, particularly towards the middle. I was especially fed up with lines such as “his voice of authority,” “Ed liked the small details,” “He brought action abroad into their homes,” and “He believed in simplicity know that Finkelstein’s tone shows respect for his subject, but his voice is annoying.

Finkelstein did, however, insert various intriguing quotes of Murrow himself (usually at least three times each page!) which lessened my annoyance of his repetition. The author also used very personal accounts of Murrow’s life, such as how Murrow felt during every broadcast—trembling in his boots while keeping the appearance of calm. Such anecdotes humanize the talented reporter and made the pages fly by. It made me sort of proud to attend a school that bears the name of such a dignified, down-to-earth dude.