Tim Russert and Father's Day

It was certainly not surprising that we received a number of requests yesterday at Accent on Books for books by Tim Russert. This was due not only to a natural rise in interest in an author's work following that author's death, but also, in this case, to the fact that Russert's two titles -- Big Russ and Me and Wisdom of the Fathers -- are especially appropriate for Father's Day. Indeed, it seems a particularly sad irony that Tim Russert's sudden death came two days before the holiday that he -- as an author, at least -- is most closely associated with.

Four years ago, Nicholas Lemann had an article in "The New Yorker" dealing with Tim Russert and his relation with his father. It's a fascinating -- if somewhat skeptical -- look at the relationships between fathers and sons, the ways our fathers do or do not influence our behavior as adults, and the role of imagination and nostalgia in all of this.

Lemann's article can be found here.