It was sheer chance that I encountered David Bohms writing in 1958 ... I knew nothing about him. What struck me about his work and prompted my initial letter was his underlying effort to seek for some larger sense of reality; which seemed a very humanized search. - Charles Biederman; from the foreword of the bookThis book marks the beginning of a four thousand page correspondence between Charles Biederman; founder of Constructivism in the 1930s; and David Bohm the prestigious physicist known for his interpretation of quantum theory. Available for the first time; we are given a rare opportunity to read through and engage in a remarkable transatlantic; intellectual discussion on art and science; creativity and theory.
#2544112 in eBooks 2002-03-11 2002-03-11File Name: B000FBF8WO
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Better than fiction; an engaging drama of business history.By DiverseConnie Bruck is a masterful biographer; one of the best.Her books read like political thrillers. She has multiple threadskeeping the plot moving; and each thread reveals importantinformation about the character. She outwrites most fiction thrillerwriters."When Hollywood had a king" kept me rivited to my audiobook the entire time.Basically; Lew Wasserman is a constantly scheming; completely self-centered;with no interests except business dealings and enlarging his fortune.Bruck portrays him as a crass; nouveau rich executive. He and his wifehold parties; and only include those with the right social status.Yet they themselves come from lower-middle class backgrounds.Wasserman is ruthless in his dealings with everyone; both other businessexecutives and his employees. This man is the epitome of the ugly businessman.Bruck does a spectacular job of showing how the origins of the Talent Agentbusiness that Wasserman started in had mafia ties. wassermann continuedto use the Mafia practices of intimidation; fear and punishment in allhis business dealings; a true shark suit. If you worked at MCA and quit;it was viewed as an act of betrayal; and Wassermann would do his bestto impede your career. Bruck shows how Wassermann kept you in yourplace; giving you small rewards for doing as he said; and bigpunishments for doing what was best for you.The book shows how JFK Bobby Kennedy were influenced to make the anti-trustchanges light the year they spun off the MCA talent agency business.Wassermann chose this division to spin off; then just fired all theemployees who were loyal to him for 20+ years; no pension; no nothing.That was the kind of guy he was. Do what he wants and youre part of the family. But he doesnthelp you when it doesnt benefit him.I cant imagine a work of fiction being more engaging than this book.Plus; when youre done; you have a good understanding of the wholehollywood business scene; and how project (movies) get done in Hollywood.Wassermann was a talented business guy; no doubt. But in his brand ofbusiness; other humans have no meaning except how they benefit you.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Bruck at her bestBy ct readerI had high expectations for this work after reading `Predators Ball and `Master of the Game. I was not disappointed. Its a stunning portrait of a legendary Hollywood mogul and his genius for cultivating unparalleled power and influence. Though nonfiction; its a narrative worthy of the best fiction.The saga begins in 1922 with future MCA founder Julius Caesar Stein and union heavyweight James Caesar Petrillo in mob-ruled Chicago. It ends 80 years later with Wassermans death (slightly past his prime) in Hollywood.Its a story of timely innovation - in performance bookings; agency representation; studio production; television content agreements; union exclusives; tax loophole exploits; political lobbying; fundraising; influence; and leverage. Ultimately; its the story of the `entertainment industry; complete with celebrities; politicians (from JFK; Nixons history alone is worth the price of the book); and even Japanese suitors.Highly recommended.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. So SoBy J. SmallridgeConnie Bruck does a great job in this work of showing exactly what type of man Lew Wasserman was. Through anecdotes; stories; and interviews; the author makes a rather mysterious man seem more real. Moreover; she shows how Wasserman came to be so powerful and how he expanded Hollywoods reach into Washington.Despite this; the book felt uneven and there were numerous instances when the story wandered. Although I was glad to learn more about Jules Stein and the rise of MCA; I really didnt need the endless discussions about labor relations; mergers and business deals; and various individuals hardly central to the main story. At times; there discussions felt like distractions. At 450 or pages; she could have chopped roughly 200 pages and this would have been a fascinating read. As written; it was merely an "OK" one.