{"product_id":"the-conscience-of-a-city-david-m-murray-9781606355152","title":"The Conscience of a City and a Nation: Paul Block Jr., the Toledo Blade, and the Shaping of Midcentury America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Conscience of a City and a Nation\u003c\/i\u003e is the first\u003cbr\u003ecomprehensive biography of Paul Block Jr., son of a publishing giant who owned\u003cbr\u003enewspapers across the United States. Block was passionate about studying\u003cbr\u003echemistry, which he studied at Columbia and Yale. However, following his\u003cbr\u003efather's death, he stepped in to help run papers the Blocks owned in Pittsburgh\u003cbr\u003eand Toledo. Eventually, Block and his family relocated to Toledo, one of Ohio's\u003cbr\u003eup-and-coming cities.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter working to gain respect from his colleagues at \u003ci\u003eThe Blade\u003c\/i\u003e, Block became\u003cbr\u003ewell known for his commitment to unbiased journalism. This book traces his long\u003cbr\u003ecareer--dispatches sent from a World War II battlefield, his work on the Toledo\u003cbr\u003eTomorrow project, and his advocacy for civil rights and social justice. During\u003cbr\u003ea turbulent time in American history, Block was unafraid to champion causes he\u003cbr\u003ebelieved in.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Block was successful in business, he struggled with his role as a father and\u003cbr\u003ehusband. David M. Murray masterfully highlights these complexities of Block's\u003cbr\u003epersonal and professional life. Married several times, Block was the father of\u003cbr\u003ethree sons, who were often left with nannies as he worked late at the paper and\u003cbr\u003ethen alone in his home laboratory. At times, his relationships with the boys\u003cbr\u003ewere strained. Making use of archival materials--including Block's letters, \u003cbr\u003erecords, reports, clippings, and photographs--Murray traces Block's unlikely\u003cbr\u003etrajectory and his philosophy about the role journalism should have in\u003cbr\u003einfluencing change at the local, national, and even global levels. Meticulously\u003cbr\u003eresearched and engagingly written, \u003ci\u003eThe Conscience of a City and a Nation\u003c\/i\u003e is\u003cbr\u003ean important biography about one of Ohio's most influential figures in the\u003cbr\u003etwentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David M. Murray\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1606355155\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781606355152\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kent State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/21\/2027\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"David M. Murray","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49001774678271,"sku":"9781606355152","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-conscience-of-a-city-david-m-murray-9781606355152","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}