Inbox

History 2.0

Tom Hanks deserves our admiration, but is he really our "chronicler in chief" [March 15]? I've been reading World War II history for more than 50 years, and when I read that Hanks thinks the writing of academic historians is "often too dull to grab regular people by the lapel," I flashed on the works of Rick Atkinson, Richard Bessel, Martin Gilbert, Richard Overy and a hundred other academic historians who have made the war real, capturing both its grand scale and its smallest details.

David Jacobs, LOS ANGELES

The premise of Hanks as history maker seemed reasonable until...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!