Rating: 
Summary: Condescendingly written, several errors
Review: The author doesn't seem to love radio at all, for every page seems rife with condescension. He follows the current fad of seeing everything from a gay subtextual standpoint, which annoyed me. (Characters such as Batman and the Lone Ranger needed a Robin and a Tonto to talk to, both so that they could be 'telling the audience' what they are telling their sidekicks, and in Robin's case, to appeal to the youngsters (since Batman actually was an adult type comic book, much as comics are today). Anyway, Nachman gets in his little snide comments (for example - The Lone Ranger, sole survivor of an ambush, probably shot up pretty bad, is rescued by the Indian Tonto. As the two characters are talking, introducing themselves to each other, Nachman writes that the Lone Ranger is 'nestled' in the arms of Tonto. There are other comments like this. Gay subtext is fine, but I don't think it works for the radio programs of the 30s-50s. More a comment on the fact that women and girls weren't allowed to have any fun! In any event, Nachman's comments in this subtextual vein are more snidely than objectively written. So, I didn't like the author's style of writing, and then of course there are the errors. Quite a few. Don't know nuthin' bout Adlai Stevenson, but I do know about The Shadow and The Saint, The Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes, etc. etc. For a full list of errors, or to contribute some that you found, see the Cave Canem which is located at The Dagger of the Mind ezine site.
Rating:
Summary: Episodic and discontinuous
Review: There's disappointingly little narrative or historical continuity to tie together the anecdotes that make up "Raised on Radio". If you have a room in your house where you read for only five minutes a day, this is the book for you. If you are looking for a real history (or even a continuous memoire) of an important cultural phenomenon, look elsewhere. On a story-by-story basis, it's often a delight, but it's flawed by those errors cited by others and by an amazing editing gaff in which Adlai Stevenson is cited as a 1960 presidential candidate.
Rating:
Summary: Episodic and discontinuous
Review: There's disappointingly little narrative or historical continuity to tie together the anecdotes that make up "Raised on Radio". If you have a room in your house where you read for only five minutes a day, this is the book for you. If you are looking for a real history (or even a continuous memoire) of an important cultural phenomenon, look elsewhere. On a story-by-story basis, it's often a delight, but it's flawed by those errors cited by others and by an amazing editing gaff in which Adlai Stevenson is cited as a 1960 presidential candidate.
Rating: 
Summary: There's something wrong here.
Review: There's something wrong here. This is not a well written book. The writing lacks music, it does not flow, and I have the feeling that the author was uncomfortable writing. He cannot seem to convert his love of radio into words. BUT...He loves the medium. He loves the people, and He loves the memory. That comes through.So, ultimately, this is a great book, because in the end, the small errors, the lack of poetry, don't matter. What does is the sound of the broken topped radio that brought the world into his home and into his head.For that, the sound of a world fading into silence, we should thank him.
Rating:
Summary: Great Radio Book
Review: This book is an excellent overview of the world of radio. Unlike other books which tend to concentrate on only one genre (comedy, superheroes) or one type of show (Jack Benny, Fibber McGee, etc) this book covers them all. It also isn't written for the octogenarian that happens to remember when Ma Perkins was on the air. It is written as to compare it with contemporary times and people. It dares to compare Fred Allen with David Letterman and to say that the Lone Ranger was the first politically correct superhero. People who've never heard of Allen now understand his wit and talent because they know Letterman. Nachman is right on the mark with his observations and lines such as the one describing the Lone Ranger's silver bullet as the "bullet from Cartier's" are priceless.The book doesn't quite get five stars in my opinion because of some of the (hopefully) unintentional slurs that are offered. The word "uppity" should be banished from the language, let alone be used to describe a Rochester or Beulah character. Some anti-Semitic slights can also be inferred when some negative comments about Groucho, Benny, and Burns are made, but guys like Bob Hope are OK because they are "good old americans." Again, I assume that these are unintentional, but if a WASP like me can pick up on them... All in all, well worth the money and despite the slights, one that is difficult to put down. Hopefully one more in depth is on the way. Regards,
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Overview of The World of Old Time Radio
Review: This book is an excellent overview of the world of radio. Unlike other books which tend to concentrate on only one genre (comedy, superheroes) or one type of show (Jack Benny, Fibber McGee, etc) this book covers them all. It also isn't written for the octogenarian that happens to remember when Ma Perkins was on the air. It is written as to compare it with contemporary times and people. It dares to compare Fred Allen with David Letterman and to say that the Lone Ranger was the first politically correct superhero. People who've never heard of Allen now understand his wit and talent because they know Letterman. Nachman is right on the mark with his observations and lines such as the one describing the Lone Ranger's silver bullet as the "bullet from Cartier's" are priceless. The book doesn't quite get five stars in my opinion because of some of the (hopefully) unintentional slurs that are offered. The word "uppity" should be banished from the language, let alone be used to describe a Rochester or Beulah character. Some anti-Semitic slights can also be inferred when some negative comments about Groucho, Benny, and Burns are made, but guys like Bob Hope are OK because they are "good old americans." Again, I assume that these are unintentional, but if a WASP like me can pick up on them... All in all, well worth the money and despite the slights, one that is difficult to put down. Hopefully one more in depth is on the way. Regards,
Rating:
Summary: Great Radio Book
Review: This highly entertaining book differs from others in the genre in that it is not a fawning fan book. It is lots of fun and very well written. Some OTR fans have slammed it for its numerous errors (and it's true; it could have used a fact checker), but Nachman is after more important game than radio trivia, and he succeeds, But I do have to register one strong objection. It's his assesment of Eddie Cantor. Now, Cantor may indeed have been a lousy rat in his personal life, as Nachman's informants report --that I don't know about -- but the book is one hundred per cent wrong about Cantor's show (at least his show from the mid-forties on). Nachman dismisses Cantor as an essentially talentless hack, and his show as depressingly unfunny. A few years ago, back when I first read this book, I accepted Nachman's criticism as probably factual (though I did remember enjoying Cantor's movies on the late, late show many years ago). The fact is that at the time I had never heard any of Cantor's radio shows so I had nothing to compare his comments with. Then about a year ago I ran across a partial episode of one Cantor's shows. It was hilarious and made me hungry for more. A few months ago I was able to obtain six or seven dozen shows dating from WW II and later. Now, it's possible that Nachman was going by Cantor's shows from the thirtes, when radio was much different than the situation comedy oriented 1940s. Whatever the case all I can say is that going by the fifty or so shows I've heard so far, Nachman is wrong, wrong, wrong. Cantor's show is hilarious and every bit as good as Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Phil Harris, or any other top shows of the period. The writing is first rate. Second bananas Harry von Zell and Bert Gordon as the Mad Russian are standouts, and as good as any supporting players on the other shows. Better, really. Cantor's show has quickly become one of my very favorites. My 11 year old son loves it. Even my 15 year old daughter -- the one with the metal stud in her nose -- loves the show. So read Nachman. He's good. More important, listen to the shows yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Good starting point for casual readers on "Old Time Radio"
Review: This review is based on the hardcover version. This is neither a formal history of American radio's "Golden Age" (c.1928-1950), nor is it a book likely to please every "Old Time Radio" fanatic who wants elaborately detailed accounts of his favorite programs and performers. Gerald Nachman came of age in the waning days of bigtime network radio; he fondly remembers the medium; and he tries to convey some of his warm regard (dare one call it "nostalgia?") for the people and broadcasts that have most impressed him. For those who were not "raised on radio" (or, more likely, grew up in the later decades of disc jockeys and "talk"), the book provides an introduction to the basics of Old Time Radio. Nachman affectionately hits the high points with chapters on Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and Bob Hope, a paean to the ultimate radio soap opera, "One Man's Family," and insightful analyses of such cultural icons as Walter Winchell, the Quiz Kids, Burns and Allen, Arthur Godfrey, and others who made a medium that (along with the movies) dominated American popular culture in the 1930s and 1940s. His assessment of the "Amos 'n' Andy" controversy - should African-Americans be offended or flattered by two well-meaning white comedians in aural blackface? - is on the mark. On the other hand, Nachman doesn't put enough emphasis on Orson Welle's 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast, which demonstrated the power of radio to scare the hell out of casual listeners; but there are numerous other books on that phenomenon. One also can quibble that there's not a chapter about commercial radio's efforts to popularize "high culture" - e.g., Arturo Toscanini, Sigmund Spaeth, the Metropolitan Opera - although Nachman does mention them in passing. Most of the chapters are devoted to specific entertainment genres - soap operas, kids' shows, dramatic series and serials, quiz programs, musical/variety shows, westerns, etc. - and cover major performers and programs in each. As one might expect, Nachman bemoans the demise of "live" network radio in the 1950s and 1960s, as Americans turned from prime-time listening to prime-time viewing. If the book has a major failing, it's a lack of information about and understanding of American radio audiences and why they largely abandoned network radio for television. A chapter on audiences and the radio ratings systems might have been appropriate - but, again, this is not a history so much as an "appreciation." Nachman cites several interviews and includes a long list of books he apparently consulted for his own work; but since there are no footnotes, it's difficult for a non-specialist to judge if there are as many factual errors here as other reviewers claim. (By the way, Adlai Stevenson WAS a presidential contender in 1960, at least until John F. Kennedy locked up the Democratic nomination; but there was no primary "election night" prior to Winchell's departure from network radio that year, so he couldn't have made his on-air comment comparing Stevenson with Christine Jorgenson quite as Nachman relates it.) Still, Nachman writes in a lively, easy-flowing style; his chapters are well-organized and self-contained, short enough for casual reading. All in all, "Raised on Radio" is a good introduction for younger readers (born after 1960, shall we say) to the basics of Old Time Radio, a good place to get one's bearings before tackling more specialized books and, of course, listening to the programs themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: I was transported back to those thrilling days of yesteryear
Review: While reading this book, I was once again 9 years old, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of our old Philco, slurping Cheerioats all over my school clothes, but determined not to miss Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders or the Lone Ranger. With just the quote of a jingle or a telling announcer's phrase, Gerald Nachman evokes a whole era and and important segment of our social history. It's a complete history, from crystal sets to Don Imus, with tremendous good stuff in between, especially juicy tidbits about Red Skelton and Arthur Godfrey. To the other reviewer who quibbled with Nachman's accuracy regarding Adlai Stevenson in 1960--he WAS a presidential candidate during the convention, just not on the national ticket. Picky-picky! I heartily recommend this wonderful book to everyone, but especially to those aging nostalgiacs like me who love getting back to their childhood if just for a few hours. Don't touch that dial!
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