Ross and Tom- Two American Tragedies

Raintree County Throughout a single day in 1892, John Shawnessy recalls the great moments of his life—from the love affairs of his youth in Indiana, to the battles of the Civil War, to the politics of the Gilded Age, to his homecoming as schoolteacher, husband, and father. Shawnessy is the...

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of ...

Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 01/16/2007 Rating: Nr

Two Literary Tragedies
Before "narrative nonfiction" became a buzzword in publishing, John Leggett wrote this superb dual biography of Ross Lockridge and Tom Heggen, both of whom experienced fantastic early success which they couldn't follow, leading to depression and suicide. Although Lockridge's son Larry has recently published his biography of his father with an understandable mission to correct what he sees as failings in Leggett's book, I think Lockridge gives us far too much detail and insufficient drama.Leggett's book is tremendously readable, like a great novel, yet grounded in fact all the way. I only have one caveat, which is Leggett's attempt to interpret both writers' lives and deaths within some Freudian framework, but this is only done briefly and doesn't damage the book greatly. I've read Ross and Tom several times in the twenty odd years since I first bought a used hardcover edition, and it is a great book.

DISTORTED - SEE THE ALTERNATE VERSION
Readers of ROSS AND TOM should read Ross Lockridge, Jr.'s son Larry Lockridge's version of his father's mental illness that led to his suicide. That's called SHADE OF THE RAINTREE and is both a compelling biography as well as an insightful review of what we knew about depression in the 1940s and what we know about it today. I've read both of these books, as well as RAINTREE COUNTY, which for me is a great American novel whose day will return. I find Legget's version of this wondrous author as distorted as a funhouse mirror.

A biography that has stayed with me for 20 years
I have treasured the hardcover of this book since it came out. If you are interested in the lives of writers, or the price of early success, or just in a brilliant biography, you should read this book.