William N. Thompson

Parables from (A Not Quite) Paradise, Nv 89154: V. 2 the History News Network Essays William N. Thompson

In Parables from (a not quite) Paradise v. 2 you will LEARN. . . How the Sloth is a Model for World Peace Howa 40 year old white man got his Job because of Affirmative Action Why 'W' choked on that Pretzel How 'Liberal' Senators like Teddy Kennedy almost made James East land President of the United States and much much more From the PREFACE by Richard Shenkman, author of Presidential Ambition, and Editor, History News Network Bill Thompson is a rara avis among political scientists. He knows how to tell a story . . . Like a novelist . . . he has the ability to tell a story which one wants to remember. How many political scientists can match him? Most of the erudite papers political scientists write are forgotten almost immediately, even when they shouldn't be. I often wonder if the authors are writing for their readers or simply for themselves. It would seem that it is for themselves . . . But when I read Bill Thompson, I am always conscious that he is conscious of his reader . . . He is always easy to read. This takes talent. It's hard to write an essay which is fresh and interesting. At Harvard Daniel Aaron would tell graduate students that easy writing makes hard reading. I always think of Aaron's comment when reading Bill's essays. You just know he worked hard on those essays . . . Dan Aaron had another aphorism. He said that we remember what is important. Thompson writes in a way that makes the reader remember. AsI sat down to write this preface I realized that I could easily recall points made in essay after essay, as if I had just read them the other day rather than years before. I particularly was taken with his defense of Warren Harding. Harding always ranks among the bottom of presidents and with good reason. But Bill managed to make a case for him. But enough of what I gleaned from Bill. (Open) the page(s). As they say in the old Victorian novels, Dear Reader, it's time for you to find out.