Hey, readers! We know it can be hard to get back into the fall routine, so why not check out the books we have on sale right now to help avoid that post-summer reading slump? We have over 15 books that are less than $1.99—only from September 5th through November 5th!
Click each cover to learn more!
A great review from Kirkus Review is in for Anchored
Crim reflects on his successful career as a journalist and his perennial struggles with his religious faith.
Crim grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, dreaming of becoming a preacher and following in his father’s footsteps. By the age of 16, he was an evangelist holding crowds in rapt attention, and he was an ordained a minister before he turned 18. He was also plagued by doubts about his faith, reservations that waged within him like an “intellectual war.” He discovered early on that his experience performing, as well as the fact that he “blessed with a good set of pipes,” could translate into a career on the radio. He got his start as a DJ at KLCN in Blytheville, Missouri. Eventually, he branched out into television, landed a job at ABC, and shared an office with Ted Koppel. The author became a notable anchorman in Detroit, a post he would hold for nearly two decades, all while continuing to host popular syndicated radio shows. Notably, Crim was the inspiration for Will Ferrell’s now iconic character, Ron Burgundy. The author candidly discusses not only his impressive professional career, but also his personal life, including his marriage. He furnishes a thoughtful assessment of the ways American journalism has changed, undermined by a “drift toward sensationalism” that has resulted in a diminishment in the public’s trust. Crim’s perch is a rare one—he’s experienced the industry from top to bottom and has witnessed its transformations from the inside. Moreover, Crim’s discussion of his religious faith is admirably forthcoming as well as thoughtful: “The fast-paced, competitive life of television news kept me moving, but I couldn’t outrun my anxieties about God. Sometimes in church, and sometimes in the quiet dark of a restless night, the questions would surface and trouble me.” While the remembrance runs a touch long—it’s overloaded with granular detail—it nonetheless provides an astute peek into the world of American journalism.
A fascinating recollection, edifying and entertaining.
To learn more about Anchored, click here.
To learn more about Mort Crim, click here.
HONORED AS A NOTABLE 100 BOOK IN THE 2021 SHELF UNBOUND BEST INDIE BOOK COMPETITION
Mort Crim has reported on major conflicts around the world for more than four decades and was a major inspiration for Will Ferrell’s performance in the movie Anchorman. Crim’s memoir takes readers behind the camera to show what life was like when the local anchorman was as revered as the professional athlete, and just as overpaid. It was a glamorous life, working alongside some of journalism’s legends: Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Dan Rather, and Ted Koppel.
The son of an evangelical minister in a conservative church, Crim suffered his first crisis of faith at the age of 15. Despite nagging questions, Crim eventually followed his father’s path into ministry. But the more he delved into the Bible, the more his faith was shaken. Unable to defend from the pulpit things he wasn’t sure of, Crim left the ministry for a career in journalism, determined to pursue truth.
After a four-year stint in the Air Force, he earned his master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and by the age of 30, had made it to New York—the epicenter of his profession. As a national correspondent for ABC, Crim anchored the network’s top-rated morning radio show and covered America’s newly-developing manned space program. When Neil Armstrong took that first step on the moon, it was Crim’s voice that described the historic event for millions around the world.
At the urging of Walter Cronkite, Crim moved from network radio into the heady world of television news. At KYW in Philadelphia, Mort Crim was paired with the late Jessica Savitch, and their anchor team spawned the idea for Will Ferrell’s Anchorman movies. Crim’s journey for truth will resonate with anyone raised in a cocoon of certainty that they felt compelled to question.
About: Mort Crim
Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825309441)
E-book $15.95 (ISBN: 9780825308246)
Personal Memoir
352 pages
Order Here:
Mort Crim is a broadcast journalist and author who worked for more than forty years in both local and national radio and television news. He’s covered presidential summits, space flights, a Mideast war, and for five years was Paul Harvey’s regular vacation back-up. He was a correspondent with ABC, based in New York, a news anchor at WHAS-TV in Louisville, KWY-TV in Philadelphia, WBBM-TV, Chicago, and for twenty years was senior anchor at WDIV-TV, Detroit, where he also was a national correspondent for the parent company, Post-Newsweek Television. His nationally-syndicated radio series, Second Thoughts, was on the air for fifteen years, and at its peak was carried by more than 1,300 U.S. and Canadian radio stations, and overseas on the Armed Forces Radio Network. Among his more illustrious credits are the two Anchorman movie satires for which Will Ferrell credits Mort and co-anchor Jessica Savitch with providing the “inspiration.” Mort holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, four honorary doctorates, and scores of news awards including six Emmys. He was among the first honorees inducted into Northwestern University’s Hall of Achievement and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He has been inducted into Broadcast Halls of Fame in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois—his home state.
