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A Nervous Man Shouldn't Be Here in the First Place: The Life of Bill Baggs
"This is not a simple life, my friend, and there are no simple answers."
The late editor of the late Miami News , Bill Baggs, stamped these words on plain white postcards and sent them to readers who sent him hate mail―a frequent occurrence, as Baggs, a white editor of a prominent southern newspaper, championed unpopular ideas in his front-page columns, such as protecting the environment, desegregating public schools, and peace in Vietnam.
Under his leadership, the Miami News earned three Pulitzer Prizes. For his stances, Baggs earned a bullet hole through his office window, police officers stationed outside his home, and a used Mercedes outfitted with a remote starter so that if it had been rigged with a bomb, it would blow up before he opened the door. Despite his causes and accomplishments, when Baggs died of pneumonia in 1969 at the age of forty-five, his story nearly died with him, and that would have been a travesty because Baggs still has so much to teach us about how to find the answers to those not-so-simple questions, like how to live in peace with one another?
In this first biography of this influential editor, Amy Paige Condon retraces how an orphaned boy from rural Colquitt, Georgia, bore witness and impacted some of the twentieth century’s most earth-shifting World War II, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. With keen intellect and sparkling wit, Baggs seemed to be in the right place at the right time. From bombardier to reporter then accidental diplomat, Baggs used his daily column as a bully pulpit for social justice and wielded his pen like a scalpel to reveal the truth.
The late editor of the late Miami News , Bill Baggs, stamped these words on plain white postcards and sent them to readers who sent him hate mail―a frequent occurrence, as Baggs, a white editor of a prominent southern newspaper, championed unpopular ideas in his front-page columns, such as protecting the environment, desegregating public schools, and peace in Vietnam.
Under his leadership, the Miami News earned three Pulitzer Prizes. For his stances, Baggs earned a bullet hole through his office window, police officers stationed outside his home, and a used Mercedes outfitted with a remote starter so that if it had been rigged with a bomb, it would blow up before he opened the door. Despite his causes and accomplishments, when Baggs died of pneumonia in 1969 at the age of forty-five, his story nearly died with him, and that would have been a travesty because Baggs still has so much to teach us about how to find the answers to those not-so-simple questions, like how to live in peace with one another?
In this first biography of this influential editor, Amy Paige Condon retraces how an orphaned boy from rural Colquitt, Georgia, bore witness and impacted some of the twentieth century’s most earth-shifting World War II, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. With keen intellect and sparkling wit, Baggs seemed to be in the right place at the right time. From bombardier to reporter then accidental diplomat, Baggs used his daily column as a bully pulpit for social justice and wielded his pen like a scalpel to reveal the truth.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 20, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 17, 2022
Excellent read for a non fiction, covering a man's life and his accomplishments. Good read for anyone who loves journalism and people who practice that trade, thank you for the good read and my gdaughter for pointing it out to me.
August 24, 2022
Bill Baggs is a fascinating individual, and I learned so much not only about him and the times in which he lived. However, I found it challenging to read.
June 23, 2023
A well written biography of a little known hero, who was never afraid to do the right thing. The author weaves interesting insights into the life story of this journalist, whose life was short but impactful.
August 13, 2024
Hard to get into in the beginning but then it gets really interesting. Bill Baggs was in the right place at the right time to meet and be a part of major important events and the people in power handling and making the decisions that affected the United States. What a life he had.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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