Speaking freely : my life in publishing and human rights / Robert L. Bernstein with Doug Merlino.

Title :

Speaking freely : my life in publishing and human rights

Author:

Bernstein, Robert L., 1923-

Format:

Books

Summary:

"What do Dr. Seuss, William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Andrei Sakharov, and James Michener have in common? They were all published by Bob Bernstein during his twenty-five year run as president of Random House, before he brought the dissidents Liu Binyan, Jacobo Timerman, Natan Sharansky, and Vaclav Havel to worldwide attention in his role as the father of modern human rights, "--NoveList.

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

9781620971710

1620971712

Physical Description:

xvi, 341 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

Youth -- Office boy in waiting -- At Random -- On top, suddenly -- Politics and publishing -- The Russians -- The birth of Helsinki Watch -- From RCA to Newhouse -- Finding our footing: human rights, 1980-85 -- The Soviet Union implodes: human rights, 1985-90 -- Random House in the 1980s: the Newhouse years -- China -- A new organization, a new approach -- Some thoughts on the future of human rights in the Middle East.

Subject:

Publishers and publishing -- United States -- Biography.

Human rights workers -- United States -- Biography.

Autobiographies.

Bernstein, Robert L., 1923-

Random House (Firm) -- History.

Human Rights Watch (Organization) -- History.

First Title value, for Searching:

Speaking freely : my life in publishing and human rights / Robert L. Bernstein with Doug Merlino.

Holds: Copies:

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Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Central	Adult	Biography	Book	B B531	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Central	Adult	Biography	Book	B B531	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Looscan	Adult	Biography	Book	B B531	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

What do Dr. Seuss, William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Andrei Sakharov, and James Michener have in common? They were all published by Bob Bernstein during his twenty-five-year run as president of Random House, before he brought the dissidents Liu Binyan, Jacobo Timerman, Natan Sharansky, and Václav Havel to worldwide attention in his role as the father of modern human rights.

Starting as an office boy at Simon & Schuster in 1946, Bernstein moved to Random House in 1956 and succeeded Bennett Cerf as president ten years later. The rest is publishing and human rights history.

In a charming and self-effacing work, Bernstein reflects for the first time on his fairy tale publishing career, hobnobbing with Truman Capote and E.L. Doctorow; conspiring with Kay Thompson on the Eloise series; attending a rally for Random House author George McGovern with film star Claudette Colbert; and working with publishing luminaries including Dick Simon, Alfred Knopf, Robert Gottlieb, André Schiffrin, Peter Osnos, Susan Peterson, and Jason Epstein as Bernstein grew Random House from a $40 million to an $800 million-plus "money making juggernaut," as Thomas Maier called it in his biography of Random House owner Si Newhouse. In a book sure to be savored by anyone who has worked in the publishing industry, fought for human rights, or wondered how Theodor Geisel became Dr. Seuss, Speaking Freely beautifully captures a bygone era in the book industry and the first crucial years of a worldwide movement to protect free speech and challenge tyranny around the globe.

Author Notes

Robert L. Bernstein served as the president of Random House for twenty-five years. After being sent to Moscow as part of a delegation of American publishers in 1973, he established the organization that became Human Rights Watch. He was the author of Speaking Freely: My Life in Publishing and Human Rights (The New Press).

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Bernstein, former president of Random House and founder of the organization now known as Human Rights Watch, has written two memoirs in one-hardly surprising since he's led two extraordinary careers in one lifetime. In the first half of the book, Bernstein recounts his work in publishing, starting as an office assistant in 1947 at Simon & Schuster and eventually serving as president of Random House for 25 years. This section is a hodgepodge of amusing anecdotes about famous writers and publishers hobnobbing during the publishing industry's heyday. A trip to Moscow in 1973 with the Association of American Publishers (AAP) to meet with Soviet publishers is a turning point in Bernstein's career and encourages his foray into human rights advocacy, first publishing the books of dissidents from Russia and China, and then running Human Rights Watch. The second half benefits from a smoother narrative about the beginnings of the worldwide movement to protect freedom of speech. Bernstein's story demonstrates the vital role played by the publishing industry in the global fight for human rights. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Choice Review

In Speaking Freely, Bernstein recounts his personal experiences as a publisher and human rights activist, beginning with his early years at Simon and Schuster as a page boy and, later, as editor of the popular Little Golden Books and the Eloise stories. In 1956, he began working for Random House, where he rose through the ranks to ultimately become chief executive and oversaw the company grow from revenues of $40 million to $900 million at the time of his retirement in 1990. Bernstein includes a number of anecdotes about working with authors such as Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), Kay Thompson, and James Michener. His life in publishing allowed him to influence human rights work and assist dissident writers around the world through his key role in the nonprofit organizations Human Rights Watch and Human Rights in China. This work documents the movement toward free speech in parts of the world where authors lived in danger of imprisonment and other forms of punishment for pursuing their craft and voicing their opinions. Bernstein's autobiography is an engaging, well-written account of the publishing world during a fascinating time of great change in the world. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. --Theresa S. Hefner-Babb, Lamar University--Beaumont

Toni Morrison

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
1 Youth	p. 1
2 Office Boy in Waiting	p. 19
3 At Random	p. 47
4 On Top, Suddenly	p. 72
5 Politics and Publishing	p. 95
6 The Russians	p. 118
7 The Birth of Helsinki Watch	p. 140
8 From RCA to Newhouse	p. 159
9 Finding Our Footing: Human Rights, 1980-85	p. 174
10 The Soviet Union Implodes: Human Rights, 1985-90	p. 201
11 Random House in the 1980s: The Newhouse Years	p. 226
12 China	p. 250
13 A New Organization, a New Approach	p. 276
14 Some Thoughts on the Future of Human Rights in the Middle East	p. 292
Epilogue	p. 321
Acknowledgments	p. 327
Index	p. 333

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Choice Review

Table of Contents