Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear is a work of non-fiction in the journalism, celebrity history, and memoir subgenres. Penned by author Jack L Hawn, this charming work is a collection of over 50 articles featuring famous celebrities from the past, transposed from newspaper clippings during the author’s tenure covering sports and entertainment at the Los Angeles Times until his retirement in 1991. From big-band leaders like Les Brown to significant events such as Muhammad Ali’s title loss, the articles range in depth and length, offering readers a glimpse into various facets of American history and pop culture, from World War II to the Rat Pack era. Hawn has curated a narrative of his own life taken through snapshots of celebrity news, and readers will be delightfully guided by the author’s firsthand accounts and interviews with iconic figures from decades past.
The book’s unique format, comprising articles originally published in newspapers, added an authentic touch to the narrative firmly rooted in the original period, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the total nostalgia of yesteryear. I was fascinated to learn more about the big names we all know and love, but there were also profiles of people I’d never heard of before that expanded my knowledge of the entertainment landscape of the era even further. Jack L Hawn’s personal reflections and anecdotes enriched the narrative with more context around the articles and their purpose, but also because we see so much of his personality in the work as a result. As someone who appreciates both history and storytelling, delving into the lives and legacies of these stars from the past was both enlightening and enjoyable. Overall, I would certainly recommend Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear as a work of history and memoir that delivers everything it promises.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn
Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear by Jack L Hawn is a retrospective of some of the many interviews of entertainers, actors, sports stars, and media personalities conducted by the author in a career of covering sports and entertainment at the Los Angeles Times. Many of the interviewees were household names in the first three-quarters of the twentieth century and had, for many people, disappeared from view over the years. What the author discovered is that for most of these aging superstars, their craft, talent, and passion for their field were still very much in their blood and they were frequently still performing into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s, albeit for more intimate audiences and at smaller venues than they would have in their heydays. From Big Band leaders such as Les Brown to famous football heroes such as Joe Namath; from famous multi-award-winning singers such as the Andrews Sisters to television celebrities such as Dinah Shore, and many, many more, Jack Hawn has interviewed them all and captured some of the dynamism and passion of their youth, still displayed in their now golden years. He concludes with a history of his eternal desire to write for television and the difficulties, rejections, and limited results of his efforts.
Nostalgia is a wonderful story of those entertainers who many of us only heard of through our parents’ nostalgic reminiscing. Author Jack L Hawn has had an amazing career that many of us would have envied, given his opportunity to sit down and chat with many of these most influential entertainers (in the broadest sense of the word). To have sat down in the same room as the great Muhammad Ali and the unfancied young upstart to his crown Leon Spinks would be every boxing enthusiast’s dream. What I particularly enjoyed about most of these stories was that they were with celebrities who had known great fame, great wealth, and indeed great power in their heyday but, almost without exception, their humility as well as their love of performing shone through every interview. It was fascinating how so many of the female performers were on the comeback after having sacrificed their former stellar careers for their families. Now, many of them facing an empty nest realized that their passion and desire to perform was still as strong as ever and their name still commanded some respect amongst the general public. I also enjoyed the section on the author’s less-than-glittering career as a screenwriter for television. As an author, I know rejection well and can empathize with Jack when, after sending to his agent or a producer what he thought was an incredible script that must be made into an episode, he received the script back with the standard rejection note attached – devastating! For nostalgia buffs of the Big Band era and the early days of film, radio, and television, this book will make an enthralling read. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Stars come and go, and I’m not referring to the stars in the sky, though they probably come and go, too. Stars, as in the big names that made history: the politicians, the musicians and artists, and the athletes. Some “big” names made a brief appearance and then faded into oblivion; others lasted on the big-name list for years or faded only to be resurrected at a later date. They all have stories to share and that’s what Jack L Hawn has done in his collection of articles, Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear. His writing career spanned decades in the newspaper industry and the articles he wrote are part of the history these “big” names nurtured. From John F. Kennedy to the Andrews Sisters, and many more between and beyond, the stories celebrate a life that once was.
Jack L Hawn’s Nostalgia: Stars of Yesteryear is a fascinating look at the famous celebrities of years gone by. The book consists of fifty articles: stories, interviews, and features that the author wrote mostly covering sports and entertainment, but also including historical features. All these articles were published in the Los Angeles Times where the author worked until 1991. The articles paint a picture of life across the decades of the last half of the twentieth century. Varying in length, they are all written in newspaper, reporting style. At the end are some author’s notes, including a summary of one story he wrote in collaboration, a story that would have suited the TV show, The Twilight Zone. Overall, a fascinating read.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford
Jack Hawn looks back over his life and shares his memories with readers in his “Blind Journey”. “Blind Journey” is an apt title for this book. Maybe it was fate or destiny, but Hawn did not plan to be a journalist. The doors opened for him and he entered through them, which led him to a spectacular career spanning 43 years. He was in the service when Colonel Fleming asked him if he would like to be in PIO, Public Information Office. The PIO writes articles about new recruits and sends them to their hometown papers. The Colonel said they would teach him to write. With little hesitation, Hawn agreed to a transfer, but days later left word he had reconsidered and decided to remain where he he had been assigned–checking GI’s baggage. Surpringly, weeks later he was ordered to PIO, where his career unknowingly was launched. When Hawn left the Army he had a family to support and no job. He started as a newspaper copy boy in Hollywood, Calif., and 16 years later when the paper went bankrupt was hired by the Los Angeles Times, where he worked for 10 years in sports and 11 years in entertainment. I found it refreshing to “meet” Jack Hawn and to watch him learn the industry of journalism while on the job.
One of the most important elements in a memoir is for the author to make himself visible to his or her readers. Author Jack Hawn successfully allows readers to get to know the real Jack Hawn. He uses photographs to draw readers closer to him. As Hawn looks back over his career he examines how he ended up in the business of journalism. Jack Hawn offers readers encouragement to think out of the box and to reach for the stars.
Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite
Top Reviews from the United States
Born just after the Great Depression, Jack Hawn found that life ‘just happened’ for him in a series of serendipitous events, leading him into a writing career spanning 43 years. Although he never studied journalism, journalism found him after 4 years in the Army Public Information Offices.
With a new wife and growing family, Jack took on whatever could pay the bills, from being a copyboy at a Hollywood newspaper to writing reviews of plays and nightclub acts (an outing including a meal when lucky!), to filling a sports desk vacancy.
He has done it all: from being a television dramatist, to writing TV and radio scripts for sportscasters, to finally making his mark in the sporting and entertainment news world.
Jack’s lifetime has included newsworthy landmark events such the Black Dahlia murder, the Rosenberg treason trial, the Jonestown massacre, two unsolved murders of well-known boxing managers, and a Muhammed Ali defeat and the rematch that regained his title.
After leaving sports, Jack worked for 11 years as a Los Angeles Times copy editor and features writer, covering major entertainers, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Big-Band leaders, top vocalists and film stars of that era. He has rubbed shoulders with movie, musical, and sporting greats, as the black and white photos in the book confirm.
From the old newspaper days of cut-and-paste (with scissors and glue) and composing room hot type to Lucky Strike and Camel, and now-classic cars, Hawn’s book evokes memories of bygone eras, and a sense of nostalgia for times past, both good and bad.
Through a life punctuated by joys and despairs, ups and downs, Hawn retained an unshakeable optimism and faith in life, and what destiny had mapped out for him. His memoir covers a wide-ranging career, and leaves the author with a veritable wealth of remembrances as his reward.
This is a charming book, written in a laid-back style, as if the author is inviting the reader to walk down Memory Lane with him. Amusing and entertaining anecdotes pepper the text, bringing well-known names and personalities to life. Hawn has enjoyed a life filled with memorable experiences that many people will appreciate reading.
Truly enjoyable.
Reviewed by Fiona I. for Readers Favorite
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Blind Journey” by Jack L Hawn.]
Born on January 25, 1930, and welcomed by the collapse of the stock market, Jack Hawn would find himself drifting through life until a shock breakup that saw his girlfriend dump him just as she introduced her fiancé. Just 18 years old at that time, Jack would find himself at an army recruiting office where he would eventually enlist to join the army. It was not particularly clear whether the breakup led to that decision, but it would throw him into the world of journalism, in which he had no prior experience, thus commencing his blind journey. Around the same time, he met the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, Charlene. However, there was the small matter of a boyfriend who wasn’t around.
Blind Journey: A Journalist’s Memoirs by Jack Hawn explores numerous stories that focus on the author’s experiences in which he not only details his career as a writer but also takes us through his family life, his time in the army, good and bad times, accomplishments, and disappointments, among other things.
The first aspect of this book that I enjoyed and must applaud was the author’s honesty in taking us through many personal experiences. He described not just high points but also several of his screw-ups, from his mistakes as a writer to his issues with gambling that cost him when he and his wife were struggling for funds. I appreciated his honesty and learned a thing or two from his struggles.
In this book, what I saw was a flawed man who always wanted to provide for his family and persevered through numerous disappointments in his industry, even when it may have been easier to give up or switch careers. I found this very relatable. I also saw his deep love for writing and sports, especially boxing, shine through on the pages of the book. There is always a positive difference when someone narrates something they love doing, and this showed when Jack narrated his experiences with covering several sports occasions while meeting and interviewing numerous stars along the way, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Ken Norton, Frank Sinatra, who had dreams of becoming a professional boxer, and the Andrews sisters who sold over 75 million records. Narrating his experiences with meeting these greats and seeing them in the ring is also an aspect of the book that fans of the boxing sport, like myself, will enjoy.
Another of the author’s admirable qualities is how he often puts himself out there when the opportunity comes, regardless of whether he is qualified or unqualified. This was emphasized by his decision to join the public information office (PIO) in the army, even though there was a push from a superior, as well as his growth from selling ads and then working as a copy boy to becoming an editor and a TV show writer. He was always willing to explore and develop his abilities.
Blind Journey: A Journalist’s Memoirs seems like a prequel to another of the author’s books I have previously read, titled Insomnia, and I would advise readers to read this one first since it goes more in-depth about certain situations that are just breezed over in the other book. In fact, reading this book has improved my opinion of Insomnia as well, and I fully understand the intriguing character that is Jack Hawn.
The book is also exceptionally edited, as I did not find any errors while reading. This is even more impressive when you consider that it is a lengthy read. I cannot think of any aspect of the book I did not like. Therefore, I rate Blind Journey: A Journalist’s Memoirs five out of five stars. I would recommend this captivating book to readers who enjoy memoirs as well as sports-themed books.
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Blind Journey
Great book I critiqued this book and enjoyed every page I read. If you like to read about the early days of televised sports, journalists' lives, people like the Andrew Sisters and boxers, you will enjoy this book. Well written by a professional journalist. Lots of great pictures, too. It was a "blind journey" because he didn't start out to be a journalist, just stumbled into it, but it turned out to be a wonderful lifelong career.
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