Jack Smith (1)

Former LA Times Reporter who reprints old columns in this anthology. Nothing much here except for samples of the old print newspaper style. He does say he was the first to write in print the title for Elizabeth Short "The Black Dahlia". Smith says that he remembers her from seeing her growing up in Long Beach. He also says that another reporter, who arrived at the discovery of her posed body, tampered with the evidence by closing her eyelids which were open, before the police arrived. Short show more was married to the last US Pilot shot down in WWII and she was killed soon after. Smith says the when he had a heart attack, he went into a coma, but saw nothing before he regained consciousness. He was not in an induced coma so it's rare to come out of that condition on average. It happens, but it's considered a medical miracle when it does. Smith's comments are confirmed by by own talking to people with near death experiences. They also say they saw nothing before regaining consciousness. Some people say that that is proof that there is no heaven or hell. Only sleepy forgetfulness like oblivion. Actually it means that they were not actually dead because people in a comatose state still have heartbeats, although no conscious awareness or ability to communicate. Smith said he was a Marine combat reporter on Iwo Jima who escaped being blown to bits. A lot of this book is ruminations on aging and how American values have changed, especially about war. He says that WWI was the last "good war." After WWII, the revelation of the Holocaust and dawn of the nuclear age when people distained involvement as a norm. They wanted to move on. The book's articles are LA-centric but he does mention other cities impressions (mostly negative) about LA. B&W Photos, No Index show less

This is a story of the Smiths' peaceable and not-so-peaceable kingdom over a period of thirty years. In this warm, witty, highly entertaining account, Jack Smith tells how these strangers appeared at their door, disrupted their household -- and ultimately stole their hearts.

Doubleday; First Edition