That is what this column and the book I call
attention to are all about.
Unless a reader scours the newspaper for every
story that hits the press, the review of Vick Knight Jr.'s book
by the Los Angeles Times is an article that could easily have
been overlooked; that is, in one word, ``missed.''
Sure, Knight's book is a little gimmicky, but
it follows in a long tradition of writings that seek to summarize
great ideas and events succinctly. A good one-word goal for writers:
``succinctness.''
As a student, I heard of a Harvard professor
who approached every scholar and writer he met on the Cambridge
campus with the same request: ``What are the three basic things
you'd say to summarize your work and ideas?''
The professor who told this story suggested
this Harvard man got a lot of scholarly mileage out of his quick
three-item interviews. I could probably summarize my professor's
feelings in one word: ``envy.''
Who among us hasn't
at some time in life tried to win one of those contests where
we're asked to reduce the essence of something to ``25 words or
less.''
In this journalism business, headline writers
are confronted with a similar challenge.
Come to think of it, trying to find the proper
and apt word to make a headline ``sing'' is an almost daily occurrence
in the news room.
An elderly copy chief once challenged me to
summarize ``The Lord's Prayer'' in two one-syllable words. His
offering: ``Our Dad.''
For a while I thought his jest was a tad sacrilegious
until I learned the Bible speaks of God as ``Abba,'' and later
I heard a Ghanian woman fervently pray out loud to ``Pappy.''
Well, Knight carried this task to the extreme in his decades-long interviews with famous people.
His method was economy at its best; he simply asked well-known people to sum up their feelings about life in one word. That's right, reduce all of one's thoughts and ideas to a single favorite word.
Here are some of his collection, as cited in the Times' review:
TV weatherman Willard Scott chose the word
``God.'' Evangelist Billy Graham chose the word ``decision.''
Comedienne Lucille Ball chose ``beauty.''
Columnist Erma Bombeck selected ``Yes.'' Advice
columnist Abigail Van Buren chose ``No.'' Humor columnist Dave
Barry picked ``weasel.''
Ex-president Ronald Reagan's favorite word
is ``home.'' Novelist Stephen King's favorite word is ``tenebrous.''
The 68-year-old Knight has been collecting
these words for more than 20 years. He wanted to put them into
a book, but back in 1976 the little publishing house that agreed
to put his book in print went out of business so Knight tucked
his manuscript away, adding to it little by little as the ``favorite
word'' inquiry moved him.
Over the years, he told
L.A. Times writer Dennis McLellan, he figures he's sent out 600
letters to celebrities asking for their favorite word and the
reason they chose the word they chose. He claims he got back about
half of his letters with usable responses.
Some of his recipients simply declined to answer
but gave Knight memorable explanations of why they couldn't pick
a favorite word.
Ira Levin, the playwright, sent back a postcard
telling Knight he was in the middle of writing a play and ``need
every word I've got.'' In January, Knight got his book into print.
It's called ``My Word!'' and it sells for $10.95 from Aristan
Press.
Knight has published 21 books -- many of them
juvenile literature works -- in his career as a writer, teacher,
and public speaker; in 1996, he spoke before 97 organizations.
He once published a book with 36 blank pages
entitled, ``Snakes of Hawaii.'' The book is empty because there
are no snakes in Hawaii. One reviewer called it, ``the perfect
book, completely devoid of typographical, factual or zoological
error.''
One word could easily sum up Knight's approach
in this book: ``Fun.''
When I read the review
of ``My Word!,'' one word came to mind: ``Buy.'' So I immediately
ordered the book. I'm still waiting to devour its utterances.
(When one is overseas it's very easy to develop
a love affair with the word ``mail.'')
I once wrote a review of a book about the famous
country singer Hank Williams that I suggested could be summarized
in one word: ``Moan.''
I also once heard a priest suggest and defend
the notion that the most important word in the English language
is ``grace.''
Even John Lennon and the Beatles said all there
is is ``love.''
Extending Knight's ``research,'' I asked three of my colleagues who had a part in editing the newspaper in which the review of Knight's book ran to supply me with their favorite words.
``Fun,'' said the first; ``challenging,'' said the second; ``wow,''
said the third. Ah, well, that seems to summarize daily journalism
in a fine trinity of words.
Reflecting on this simple exercise, it dawned
on me that we often summarize our experience of people, places
and things in one word.
I read of Donald Trump
and think ``hotel.'' I read of Cal Ripkin Jr. and think ``endurance.''
I read of Mother Teresa and think ``saint.'' I read of Michael
Jordan and think ``swish.''
My summary of Hawaii would be ``beach.'' My
summary of Tokyo would be ``hectic.'' My favorite word for Vermont
would be ``maple''; for Philadelphia it would be ``history.''
I suppose I'm getting away from Knight's original
intent, which was to reduce one's favorites to one.
I've spent a good deal of my waking, working
time arriving at this answer. My favorite word is ``peace.''
May it be also with you.
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Allan R. Andrews can be contacted at andrews852@verizon.net