Bryant, Nick 1968-

PERSONAL:

Born 1968, in Bristol, England. Education: Churchill College, Cambridge, B.A.; Balliol College, Oxford, Ph.D.

CAREER:

During early career, worked as a reporter for the London, England, Independent, Daily Mail, and Times newspapers; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), began as news trainee, 1994, became Washington correspondent, 1998-2003, and South Asia correspondent, 2004—.

WRITINGS:

The Primacy of Politics: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality, 1946-63, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1993, published as The Bystander: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality, Basic Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

A longtime journalist in England and a foreign correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) News, Nick Bryant is also author the author of The Bystander: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality. Here he draws from the president's personal papers, manuscripts, letters, and recordings to delve into what he sees as the ambiguities in Kennedy's political life concerning race relations and racial equality in America. On the one hand, the author points out how Kennedy was a deft politician who gained support for civil rights issues from a broad spectrum of people. Nevertheless, according to the author, Kennedy's decision not to come out and publicly speak about civil rights also retarded the progress of civil rights in the south. Referring to the book as "meticulously researched," in Booklist, Elliot Mandel observed that the author "illuminates the play-by-play between politicians and activists." Writing in Publishers Weekly, a critic referred to it as a "narrowly focused" and "well-written book." Karl Helicher commented on the work in Library Journal, asserting that the author "provides a harsh but fair assessment" and appreciating Bryant's "outstanding scholarship."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2006, Elliot Mandel, review of The Bystander: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality, p. 24.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2006, review of The Bystander, p. 445.

Library Journal, May 1, 2006, Karl Helicher, review of The Bystander, p. 98.

Publishers Weekly, April 10, 2006, review of The Bystander, p. 61.

Washington Post Book World, July 2, 2006, Jonathan Yardley, review of The Bystander, p. 2.

ONLINE

BBC News Web site,http://news.bbc.co.uk/ (December 17, 2006), brief profile of Nick Bryant.