This superbly well-written book is a memoir of the old school - part autobiography and part commentary. Gordon has some fascinating to tell about his life as a journalist and writer and about newspapers in the old days. He also writes about his family and, in particular, his father, also a journalist. The highlights of the book are his incisive reflections on the deterioration of language and culture, on the effect mass media has on literature, and on politics and race relations. The media, says McLauchlan, are destroying language in front of our eyes and dumbing down our understanding of the world around us. A well-regarded writer and commentator for many years, McLauchlan is always intelligent and articulate, humorous and acerbic. This is a challenging and controversial book.