Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN by Scott Collins is the scandal-ridden, behind-the-scenes history of the cable news networks. You’ll love the gossip about Lou Dobbs, Greta Van Susteren, Bill O’Reilly and others, but the best concerns Roger Ailes, former media advisor to Nixon and the elder Bush. Ailes got CNBC off the ground and turned it into a major success, then moved to Murdoch’s camp after NBC and Microsoft joined forces to start MSNBC. Despite the book’s title, there’s not enough detail about the Fox network operations here; Collins dishes more on CNN’s scandals and boring anchors and MSNBC’s inability to become a contender. Bias in television news is still a hot topic, and Crazy Like a Fox gives smart insight into the personalities behind the cable wars.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
