|
During the fast -paced and fascinating years that Bill
McIlwain spent as editor of some of North  America's
most prestigious newspapers, he met and worked with
the great, the petty, the famous, the eccentric. He
also confronted his problem with alcoholism.
In Dancing Naked with the Rolling Stones, McIlwain
tells both sides of the story-and how he learned to
cope, finding peace and happiness in radical ways. His
humble, humorous, thought-provoking account gives readers
an intimate glimpse into American newspapering and,
at the same time, into his own soul.
From the heyday of Harry Guggenheim and Alicia Patterson's
groundbreaking Newsday to Boston and Washington insider
politics, from the world-changing events of the 1960s
and '70s to the Sun Belt suburbs of the 1980s and '90s,
Bill McIlwain's tales entertain and inspire.
Bill McIlwain's newspaper career has spanned more than
six decades, beginning at age 17 as sports editor for
the Morning Star in Wilmington, N.C., where he is now
active as a consultant and advisor today. He retired
as senior editor of the New York Times Regional Newspaper
Group in 1992 and launched a consulting business, working
as a writing coach with reporters and editors.
What journalists are saying about DANCING NAKED
WITH THE ROLLING STONES
"One of the outstanding books about newspapers"
- Stan Isaacs, thecolumnists.com
"A newspaperman's life in full, told with a
mixture of page-one punch and lasting grace . . .
" -Evan Thomas, assistant managing editor,
Newsweek
Bill McIlwain is one of those rare newspaper editors
whose ink-stained wretches were prepared to die for
even as he was killing himself with booze. Hard-working
and hard-drinking, he fought heroically to save himself
from Demon Rum and one newspaper after another from
extinction. His tenacious courage won out, and this
graceful memoir will make you sit up and salute a
noble soul even as you lament the passing of an era
when newspapers were led by unforgettable editors
like him. - Bill Moyers
"An uplifting tale of newspaper ink and destructive
drink by the first editor to inspire me in the journalism
game. Bill McIlwain is a survivor with a sharp sense
of humor and a reckless knack for bucking his bosses,
as this brutally candid memoir makes clear."
- Howard Kurtz, writer, Washington Post,
and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources"
"Bill McIlwain looks back on a troubled life
with total candor and honesty . . . set within a roller-coaster
career in journalism that has taken him to the top
echelons. . . . As I read the final pages I wanted
to stand up and applaud." - Tony Insolia
" . . . a memoir of remarkable honesty and grace
. . . a journey through American newsrooms, into his
own dark places and finally to a place of peace."
- Charlotte Hall, editor, Orlando Sentinel
"Charm and wit course through Bill McIlwain's
bloodstream and the pages of this book . . . hard-earned
life lessons, almost offhandedly dispensed, and always
with equanimity." - Allen Parsons, publisher,
Ocala Star-Banner
"A great story about getting the most out of
life as it rolls along. . . . it could be anyone who
cares about news and about people." - Dave
Laventhol
"Bill McIlwain . . . chronicles a life of newspapering
that was both gritty and glorious." - Diane
McFarlin, publisher, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
|
