Got to admit, I'm pretty sad about this one. David Halberstam, to me, is just an icon in journalism and long-form storytelling. Although every reporter says they want to be like Hunter S. Thompson, most secretly would be happy beind David Halberstam. He wrote well but used simple language. He wrote interestingly about interesting and important subjects. And he was brave enough to write honestly and impartially about a fateful war well before it was the popular thing to do. "Making of a Quagmire" should be required reading for any journalism or modern history student.
As much as I enjoy the new breed of modern essayists like Chuck Klosterman, I can't help but miss people like George Plimpton, Hunter Thompson, and Halberstam.
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