The year is 1942. Charles Osgood is a nine-year-old living in Baltimore. His idols are Franklin Roosevelt and Babe Ruth, a hometown hero. Charlie spends his days delivering newspapers on his daily route, riding the trolley to the local amusement park, going to Orioles' baseball games, and playing with his younger sister, Mary Ann.

With great attention to detail, Osgood captures the texture of life in a very different era, before anyone had heard of penicillin or the atomic bomb. In his neighborhood of Liberty Heights, gas lights glowed on every corner, milkmen delivered bottles of milk, and a loaf of bread cost nine cents.

Although Osgood had many interests as a child, what captivated him more than anything else was the radio. He would listen huddled under the covers, after his parents had turned off the lights, to Spiderman, Superman, The Lone Ranger, the Shadow - and of course baseball.

CBS's Charles Osgood takes readers on a journey back to 1942, when he was 9-year-old Charlie Wood of Liberty Heights. Although a tumultuous year in the world, it was one of baseball, radio serials, movies, and first love for Charlie. He recalls his youth with wry, self-effacing humor. The pleasure of this memoir isn't so much in the events as in the joy in Osgood's voice as he shares them. When he describes his favorite radio shows, he can still do all the voices from memory, adding a full range of sound effects. His vocal work brings the people of his childhood to life as well. This memoir is tailor-made for listening. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

 

Charles Osgood, who has been dubbed CBS News' "poet in residence," writes and anchors The Osgood File four times daily over the CBS Radio Network, and anchors CBS News Sunday Morning. He is the winner of three Emmys and three Peabody Awards. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Jean. They have five children.

Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack by Charles Osgood
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