Fighting Words, a new book by Nancy F. Cott,  Jonathan Trumbull Research Professor of American History at Harvard, traces the lives of four noted American journalists---Dorothy Thompson, Rayna Raphaelson, John Gunther  and Vincent Sheean.  Each one sought adventure and work outside the United States starting in the 1920s and thereafter through World War II.  Their prescient observations and popular reporting provided valuable information and warnings to readers at home about what was happening in Europe and China, and served as part of an education process and wake-up call for a United States population prone toward isolation.  Their individual stories make for lively reading, and their overall impact is a reminder of the importance of a free and vigorous press.

Janet Aserkoff