Jim McGrath was chief editorial writer at the Albany Times Union. He was named the Hearst Editorial Writer of the Year several times, and also received numerous first- and second-place awards by the New York State Associated Press Association, and two first-place awards by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. His widow,Darryl McGrath , is an Albany journalist and the author of Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles with New York's Bird People, also published by SUNY Press. Howard Healy is a copyeditor and proofreader for the New York State Bar Association; he retired as editorial page editor of the Times Union in 2008.

"McGrath's body of work reveals thematic threads, consistent styling, and a fixed set of principles that his faithful daily readers likely would not have focused on or even discerned. That makes his book an instructive text for beginners trying to figure out the tricks of persuasive editorial writing. How McGrath did it comes clear here." — Literary Journalism Studies"…I found his new book both inspiring and daunting. Read it and it's clear Jim set an impossibly high standard for those of us who continue in the profession he so loved. I hope our work, and my work, honors his." — Chris Churchill, Albany Times Union"Jim McGrath's voice is one, at heart, of place—of the Albany he adopted as his own, of the Boston neighborhood where he grew up—but it is also much more than that. It is a great American voice, lyrical, penetrating, and unfailingly original, and it was silenced too soon. But it is so good to hear it again in this beautiful book." — Michael Larabee, Op-ed Editor, The Washington Post"Jim McGrath was a great American voice, a no-nonsense journalist who wrote eloquently about intolerance, injustice, poverty, and corruption. He wasn't afraid to tell the truth, and he did so masterfully. His work is inspiring, witty, profound, and kindhearted. No wonder so many held him in high esteem—even those he skewered." — Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune"For me, Albany has always been home, and it was the great honor and privilege of my life to have been its mayor for twenty years. For Jim, Albany, became his adopted home, a place he loved and cared for as passionately as I did and that mutual love for this place was the bond we shared. Even when we disagreed, we respected each other's commitment to our community and to its residents who relied on us in different, but equally important ways. And whether it was across the table at an editorial board meeting, or sharing a beverage at McGeary's, Jim was never hesitant to speak truth to power. His writings, many of which I took issue with, always reflected his commitment to honesty, accuracy, and fairness. That commitment made Albany a better city and without question it made me a better mayor. This book bears witness to Jim's legacy and to the impact he had on our community and on so many lives. It also serves as a testament to the vital role a great journalist plays in the vibrancy of our democratic process. The lessons to be learned here could not come at a better time. For all that we are in his debt." — Jerry Jennings, Mayor of Albany, 1994–2013"Jim's arguments were thoughtful and his writing was elegant. But what stands out most in this collection are his passion and his humanity. His passion for journalism. His passion for fairness. His passion for truth. He railed against injustice. He scoffed at heavy-handed politics. He spoke out on behalf of those who couldn't speak for themselves. Even in print, you could see his arms waving in outrage as he called upon society to rectify another of its shortcomings." — Benjamin Weller, Newsday

• Foreword: When the Newspaper Needed to Speak from Its SoulRex SmithIntroductionHoward HealyALBANY Introduction: The City That Jim EmbracedHoward HealyThe Race Is On in Albany, January 16, 1997A Sad Note on Lark Street, February 19, 1997Slayings Tarnish Soil of Albany’s Great Park, December 26, 1997Drop This Case, April 27, 1998Come Clean, Mr. Jennings, July 10, 1998... A Defeat for the Machine, September 17, 1998Albany’s Hot-Dog Politics, April 5, 1999Justice for Ms. McEneny, May 7, 1999Time to Right a Wrong: President Bush Should Award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Henry Johnson, April 24, 2001Renewing Democracy Is Humbling, September 28, 2001Jennings, Who Else? November 4, 2001Outsiders Defy Odds in Albany, November 10, 2001Whose City Is It? May 10, 2002Albany’s Anguish, January 3, 2004It’s All about the Guns, June 18, 2008Audit the Ghosts, January 20, 2009Jerry Jennings’s Fifth Term, Fall 2009Memories of Larks at a Tavern, May 6, 2011POLITICS Introduction: Jim McGrath Loved PoliticsHoward HealyLOCAL Preaching to the Faithful, March 17, 1995All Eyes on Albany, December 22, 1999Uneasy Justice, December 29, 2003 NEW YORKA Voting Outrage, May 19, 2001Voter Beware, November 8, 2005Transcript of As It Happens Interview on Eliot Spitzer’s Resignation, March 12, 2008It’s Senator Clinton, November 8, 2000 NATIONALFarewell, Mister Speaker, January 9, 1994Some Names Worth Hearing Once Again, November 16, 2002INTERNATIONALA Chance for Peace in Ulster, May 22, 1997Mr. Adams and Mr. Blair, December 20, 1997Ireland’s Peace Must Prevail, August 20, 1998George Mitchell, Peacemaker, October 22, 1998Day of Terror, September 12, 2001The Day After, September 13, 2001Rising from the Ruins One Year Later, A Pause to Ponder How We Have Changed, September 11, 2002SOCIAL JUSTICE Introduction: A Certain Faith in HumanityBill FedermanMore Unabomber Injustice, May 18, 1997Cold Weather, Cold Truths, September 28, 1997A Lesson Taught Too Late, July 20, 2001Homeless in Albany, November 25, 2002"No Room for Mercy," September 5, 2003Injustice, February 15, 2006A Proud Day for New York, June 26, 2011The World Owes So Much to Mandela, December 7, 2013JOURNALISM Introduction: McGrath Thought That Newspapers Ought to Tell the TruthDan LynchRoyko Was the Real People’s Court, May 1, 1997J. Anthony Lukas, June 10, 1997Finding Fame in Telling Fibs, July 10, 1998Mike Barnicle’s Sad Fall from Grace to Disgrace, August 8, 1998Editorial and Op-Ed Page Critique of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram, August 1999Reality Check at Skidmore, November 16, 1999SPORTS Introduction: A Red Sox Fan Above AllPhillip BlanchardIntroduction: "Hey, Jim, How Does Yaz Spell His Name?"Howard HealyA Spectator’s View from the Seats, July 23, 1995Stanford’s Band of Cruel Fools, October 15, 1997Sox Appeal, June 20, 2004Thanks for the Memories, February 20, 1999How ’Bout Those Sawx? October 22, 2004Why Didn’t He Do More? November 10, 2011I’ll BE HOME Introduction: A Man at Last at Peace with HimselfDarryl McGrath Somebody’s Thinking of Charlie McGrath, June 20, 1993A Road to New Hampshire, December 25, 1994Soldiering On: Another Generation, Another War, Another Cause to Honor and Remember, May 26, 2002"Journeys Like Mine Should Never Really End," 2006"I’ll Be Home": Statement about My Work and My Goals, 2011A Vanishing Call of the Wild, August 10, 2009Boston, the Bulgers and Me, August 19, 2013Small Town’s Appeal Crosses Generations: Cooperstown Sparks Musings of the Past and the Future, August 30, 2013APPRECIATIONS Jim McGrath’s AlbanyFred LeBrunJim McGrath: A NewspapermanRobert WhitcombAPPENDIX Meet My Not-So-Silent Partner, June 11, 1996Dan Lynch Times Union Editorial Writer Appointed, November 7, 1996Guild Mourns the Loss of Jim McGrath, September 5, 2013McGrath’s Keen Eye, Passion Recalled: Times Union’s Chief Editorial Writer, 56, Died While Vacationing, September 6, 2013Steve BarnesJames M. McGrath, 1957–2013, September 8, 2013Times Union Editorial BoardObituary, September 12, 2013Darryl McGrathEulogy, September 14, 2013Darryl McGrathRemembering Albany’s Voice of Reason, October 4, 2013Lauren MineauEmpowered to Do the Right Thing, December 7, 2013Darryl McGrathAcknowledgmentsIndex

Jim McGrath was chief editorial writer at the Albany Times Union. He was named the Hearst Editorial Writer of the Year several times, and also received numerous first- and second-place awards by the New York State Associated Press Association, and two first-place awards by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. His widow,Darryl McGrath , is an Albany journalist and the author of Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles with New York's Bird People, also published by SUNY Press. Howard Healy is a copyeditor and proofreader for the New York State Bar Association; he retired as editorial page editor of the Times Union in 2008.

"McGrath's body of work reveals thematic threads, consistent styling, and a fixed set of principles that his faithful daily readers likely would not have focused on or even discerned. That makes his book an instructive text for beginners trying to figure out the tricks of persuasive editorial writing. How McGrath did it comes clear here." — Literary Journalism Studies"…I found his new book both inspiring and daunting. Read it and it's clear Jim set an impossibly high standard for those of us who continue in the profession he so loved. I hope our work, and my work, honors his." — Chris Churchill, Albany Times Union"Jim McGrath's voice is one, at heart, of place—of the Albany he adopted as his own, of the Boston neighborhood where he grew up—but it is also much more than that. It is a great American voice, lyrical, penetrating, and unfailingly original, and it was silenced too soon. But it is so good to hear it again in this beautiful book." — Michael Larabee, Op-ed Editor, The Washington Post"Jim McGrath was a great American voice, a no-nonsense journalist who wrote eloquently about intolerance, injustice, poverty, and corruption. He wasn't afraid to tell the truth, and he did so masterfully. His work is inspiring, witty, profound, and kindhearted. No wonder so many held him in high esteem—even those he skewered." — Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune"For me, Albany has always been home, and it was the great honor and privilege of my life to have been its mayor for twenty years. For Jim, Albany, became his adopted home, a place he loved and cared for as passionately as I did and that mutual love for this place was the bond we shared. Even when we disagreed, we respected each other's commitment to our community and to its residents who relied on us in different, but equally important ways. And whether it was across the table at an editorial board meeting, or sharing a beverage at McGeary's, Jim was never hesitant to speak truth to power. His writings, many of which I took issue with, always reflected his commitment to honesty, accuracy, and fairness. That commitment made Albany a better city and without question it made me a better mayor. This book bears witness to Jim's legacy and to the impact he had on our community and on so many lives. It also serves as a testament to the vital role a great journalist plays in the vibrancy of our democratic process. The lessons to be learned here could not come at a better time. For all that we are in his debt." — Jerry Jennings, Mayor of Albany, 1994–2013"Jim's arguments were thoughtful and his writing was elegant. But what stands out most in this collection are his passion and his humanity. His passion for journalism. His passion for fairness. His passion for truth. He railed against injustice. He scoffed at heavy-handed politics. He spoke out on behalf of those who couldn't speak for themselves. Even in print, you could see his arms waving in outrage as he called upon society to rectify another of its shortcomings." — Benjamin Weller, Newsday

• Foreword: When the Newspaper Needed to Speak from Its SoulRex SmithIntroductionHoward HealyALBANY Introduction: The City That Jim EmbracedHoward HealyThe Race Is On in Albany, January 16, 1997A Sad Note on Lark Street, February 19, 1997Slayings Tarnish Soil of Albany’s Great Park, December 26, 1997Drop This Case, April 27, 1998Come Clean, Mr. Jennings, July 10, 1998... A Defeat for the Machine, September 17, 1998Albany’s Hot-Dog Politics, April 5, 1999Justice for Ms. McEneny, May 7, 1999Time to Right a Wrong: President Bush Should Award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Henry Johnson, April 24, 2001Renewing Democracy Is Humbling, September 28, 2001Jennings, Who Else? November 4, 2001Outsiders Defy Odds in Albany, November 10, 2001Whose City Is It? May 10, 2002Albany’s Anguish, January 3, 2004It’s All about the Guns, June 18, 2008Audit the Ghosts, January 20, 2009Jerry Jennings’s Fifth Term, Fall 2009Memories of Larks at a Tavern, May 6, 2011POLITICS Introduction: Jim McGrath Loved PoliticsHoward HealyLOCAL Preaching to the Faithful, March 17, 1995All Eyes on Albany, December 22, 1999Uneasy Justice, December 29, 2003 NEW YORKA Voting Outrage, May 19, 2001Voter Beware, November 8, 2005Transcript of As It Happens Interview on Eliot Spitzer’s Resignation, March 12, 2008It’s Senator Clinton, November 8, 2000 NATIONALFarewell, Mister Speaker, January 9, 1994Some Names Worth Hearing Once Again, November 16, 2002INTERNATIONALA Chance for Peace in Ulster, May 22, 1997Mr. Adams and Mr. Blair, December 20, 1997Ireland’s Peace Must Prevail, August 20, 1998George Mitchell, Peacemaker, October 22, 1998Day of Terror, September 12, 2001The Day After, September 13, 2001Rising from the Ruins One Year Later, A Pause to Ponder How We Have Changed, September 11, 2002SOCIAL JUSTICE Introduction: A Certain Faith in HumanityBill FedermanMore Unabomber Injustice, May 18, 1997Cold Weather, Cold Truths, September 28, 1997A Lesson Taught Too Late, July 20, 2001Homeless in Albany, November 25, 2002"No Room for Mercy," September 5, 2003Injustice, February 15, 2006A Proud Day for New York, June 26, 2011The World Owes So Much to Mandela, December 7, 2013JOURNALISM Introduction: McGrath Thought That Newspapers Ought to Tell the TruthDan LynchRoyko Was the Real People’s Court, May 1, 1997J. Anthony Lukas, June 10, 1997Finding Fame in Telling Fibs, July 10, 1998Mike Barnicle’s Sad Fall from Grace to Disgrace, August 8, 1998Editorial and Op-Ed Page Critique of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram, August 1999Reality Check at Skidmore, November 16, 1999SPORTS Introduction: A Red Sox Fan Above AllPhillip BlanchardIntroduction: "Hey, Jim, How Does Yaz Spell His Name?"Howard HealyA Spectator’s View from the Seats, July 23, 1995Stanford’s Band of Cruel Fools, October 15, 1997Sox Appeal, June 20, 2004Thanks for the Memories, February 20, 1999How ’Bout Those Sawx? October 22, 2004Why Didn’t He Do More? November 10, 2011I’ll BE HOME Introduction: A Man at Last at Peace with HimselfDarryl McGrath Somebody’s Thinking of Charlie McGrath, June 20, 1993A Road to New Hampshire, December 25, 1994Soldiering On: Another Generation, Another War, Another Cause to Honor and Remember, May 26, 2002"Journeys Like Mine Should Never Really End," 2006"I’ll Be Home": Statement about My Work and My Goals, 2011A Vanishing Call of the Wild, August 10, 2009Boston, the Bulgers and Me, August 19, 2013Small Town’s Appeal Crosses Generations: Cooperstown Sparks Musings of the Past and the Future, August 30, 2013APPRECIATIONS Jim McGrath’s AlbanyFred LeBrunJim McGrath: A NewspapermanRobert WhitcombAPPENDIX Meet My Not-So-Silent Partner, June 11, 1996Dan Lynch Times Union Editorial Writer Appointed, November 7, 1996Guild Mourns the Loss of Jim McGrath, September 5, 2013McGrath’s Keen Eye, Passion Recalled: Times Union’s Chief Editorial Writer, 56, Died While Vacationing, September 6, 2013Steve BarnesJames M. McGrath, 1957–2013, September 8, 2013Times Union Editorial BoardObituary, September 12, 2013Darryl McGrathEulogy, September 14, 2013Darryl McGrathRemembering Albany’s Voice of Reason, October 4, 2013Lauren MineauEmpowered to Do the Right Thing, December 7, 2013Darryl McGrathAcknowledgmentsIndex

Jim McGrath was chief editorial writer at the Albany Times Union. He was named the Hearst Editorial Writer of the Year several times, and also received numerous first- and second-place awards by the New York State Associated Press Association, and two first-place awards by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. His widow,Darryl McGrath , is an Albany journalist and the author of Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles with New York's Bird People, also published by SUNY Press. Howard Healy is a copyeditor and proofreader for the New York State Bar Association; he retired as editorial page editor of the Times Union in 2008.

"McGrath's body of work reveals thematic threads, consistent styling, and a fixed set of principles that his faithful daily readers likely would not have focused on or even discerned. That makes his book an instructive text for beginners trying to figure out the tricks of persuasive editorial writing. How McGrath did it comes clear here." — Literary Journalism Studies"…I found his new book both inspiring and daunting. Read it and it's clear Jim set an impossibly high standard for those of us who continue in the profession he so loved. I hope our work, and my work, honors his." — Chris Churchill, Albany Times Union"Jim McGrath's voice is one, at heart, of place—of the Albany he adopted as his own, of the Boston neighborhood where he grew up—but it is also much more than that. It is a great American voice, lyrical, penetrating, and unfailingly original, and it was silenced too soon. But it is so good to hear it again in this beautiful book." — Michael Larabee, Op-ed Editor, The Washington Post"Jim McGrath was a great American voice, a no-nonsense journalist who wrote eloquently about intolerance, injustice, poverty, and corruption. He wasn't afraid to tell the truth, and he did so masterfully. His work is inspiring, witty, profound, and kindhearted. No wonder so many held him in high esteem—even those he skewered." — Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune"For me, Albany has always been home, and it was the great honor and privilege of my life to have been its mayor for twenty years. For Jim, Albany, became his adopted home, a place he loved and cared for as passionately as I did and that mutual love for this place was the bond we shared. Even when we disagreed, we respected each other's commitment to our community and to its residents who relied on us in different, but equally important ways. And whether it was across the table at an editorial board meeting, or sharing a beverage at McGeary's, Jim was never hesitant to speak truth to power. His writings, many of which I took issue with, always reflected his commitment to honesty, accuracy, and fairness. That commitment made Albany a better city and without question it made me a better mayor. This book bears witness to Jim's legacy and to the impact he had on our community and on so many lives. It also serves as a testament to the vital role a great journalist plays in the vibrancy of our democratic process. The lessons to be learned here could not come at a better time. For all that we are in his debt." — Jerry Jennings, Mayor of Albany, 1994–2013"Jim's arguments were thoughtful and his writing was elegant. But what stands out most in this collection are his passion and his humanity. His passion for journalism. His passion for fairness. His passion for truth. He railed against injustice. He scoffed at heavy-handed politics. He spoke out on behalf of those who couldn't speak for themselves. Even in print, you could see his arms waving in outrage as he called upon society to rectify another of its shortcomings." — Benjamin Weller, Newsday

• Foreword: When the Newspaper Needed to Speak from Its SoulRex SmithIntroductionHoward HealyALBANY Introduction: The City That Jim EmbracedHoward HealyThe Race Is On in Albany, January 16, 1997A Sad Note on Lark Street, February 19, 1997Slayings Tarnish Soil of Albany’s Great Park, December 26, 1997Drop This Case, April 27, 1998Come Clean, Mr. Jennings, July 10, 1998... A Defeat for the Machine, September 17, 1998Albany’s Hot-Dog Politics, April 5, 1999Justice for Ms. McEneny, May 7, 1999Time to Right a Wrong: President Bush Should Award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Henry Johnson, April 24, 2001Renewing Democracy Is Humbling, September 28, 2001Jennings, Who Else? November 4, 2001Outsiders Defy Odds in Albany, November 10, 2001Whose City Is It? May 10, 2002Albany’s Anguish, January 3, 2004It’s All about the Guns, June 18, 2008Audit the Ghosts, January 20, 2009Jerry Jennings’s Fifth Term, Fall 2009Memories of Larks at a Tavern, May 6, 2011POLITICS Introduction: Jim McGrath Loved PoliticsHoward HealyLOCAL Preaching to the Faithful, March 17, 1995All Eyes on Albany, December 22, 1999Uneasy Justice, December 29, 2003 NEW YORKA Voting Outrage, May 19, 2001Voter Beware, November 8, 2005Transcript of As It Happens Interview on Eliot Spitzer’s Resignation, March 12, 2008It’s Senator Clinton, November 8, 2000 NATIONALFarewell, Mister Speaker, January 9, 1994Some Names Worth Hearing Once Again, November 16, 2002INTERNATIONALA Chance for Peace in Ulster, May 22, 1997Mr. Adams and Mr. Blair, December 20, 1997Ireland’s Peace Must Prevail, August 20, 1998George Mitchell, Peacemaker, October 22, 1998Day of Terror, September 12, 2001The Day After, September 13, 2001Rising from the Ruins One Year Later, A Pause to Ponder How We Have Changed, September 11, 2002SOCIAL JUSTICE Introduction: A Certain Faith in HumanityBill FedermanMore Unabomber Injustice, May 18, 1997Cold Weather, Cold Truths, September 28, 1997A Lesson Taught Too Late, July 20, 2001Homeless in Albany, November 25, 2002"No Room for Mercy," September 5, 2003Injustice, February 15, 2006A Proud Day for New York, June 26, 2011The World Owes So Much to Mandela, December 7, 2013JOURNALISM Introduction: McGrath Thought That Newspapers Ought to Tell the TruthDan LynchRoyko Was the Real People’s Court, May 1, 1997J. Anthony Lukas, June 10, 1997Finding Fame in Telling Fibs, July 10, 1998Mike Barnicle’s Sad Fall from Grace to Disgrace, August 8, 1998Editorial and Op-Ed Page Critique of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram, August 1999Reality Check at Skidmore, November 16, 1999SPORTS Introduction: A Red Sox Fan Above AllPhillip BlanchardIntroduction: "Hey, Jim, How Does Yaz Spell His Name?"Howard HealyA Spectator’s View from the Seats, July 23, 1995Stanford’s Band of Cruel Fools, October 15, 1997Sox Appeal, June 20, 2004Thanks for the Memories, February 20, 1999How ’Bout Those Sawx? October 22, 2004Why Didn’t He Do More? November 10, 2011I’ll BE HOME Introduction: A Man at Last at Peace with HimselfDarryl McGrath Somebody’s Thinking of Charlie McGrath, June 20, 1993A Road to New Hampshire, December 25, 1994Soldiering On: Another Generation, Another War, Another Cause to Honor and Remember, May 26, 2002"Journeys Like Mine Should Never Really End," 2006"I’ll Be Home": Statement about My Work and My Goals, 2011A Vanishing Call of the Wild, August 10, 2009Boston, the Bulgers and Me, August 19, 2013Small Town’s Appeal Crosses Generations: Cooperstown Sparks Musings of the Past and the Future, August 30, 2013APPRECIATIONS Jim McGrath’s AlbanyFred LeBrunJim McGrath: A NewspapermanRobert WhitcombAPPENDIX Meet My Not-So-Silent Partner, June 11, 1996Dan Lynch Times Union Editorial Writer Appointed, November 7, 1996Guild Mourns the Loss of Jim McGrath, September 5, 2013McGrath’s Keen Eye, Passion Recalled: Times Union’s Chief Editorial Writer, 56, Died While Vacationing, September 6, 2013Steve BarnesJames M. McGrath, 1957–2013, September 8, 2013Times Union Editorial BoardObituary, September 12, 2013Darryl McGrathEulogy, September 14, 2013Darryl McGrathRemembering Albany’s Voice of Reason, October 4, 2013Lauren MineauEmpowered to Do the Right Thing, December 7, 2013Darryl McGrathAcknowledgmentsIndex