A LONG WAY FROM HOME Growing Up in the American Heartland

Brokaw opens a window onto the prairie during the Depression years. With a newsman's eye for detail, he reveals vignettes of his family's hardscrabble existence and his own sometimes cocky push to the big time. Short in comparison to many famous reminiscences, this entrancing evocation might have had even greater potency were it read in Brokaw's own mellow tones. Talented as Cashman is as a reader, he lacks the fluidity of the well-known announcer. This becomes most apparent when quoting Brokaw's actual broadcasts. Nevertheless, there are ample reasons to be grateful for this recording. For charm and historic value alone, it should not be missed. S.B.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]