Co-Author, My Life in Nevada Politics, The Memoirs of Senator Richard H. Bryan
This week, Ira spoke with John L. Smith, co-author of My Life in Nevada Politics, The Memoirs of Senator Richard H. Bryan. In this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” John talks about getting involved in this book project about a major Nevada figure;; what he learned from working with Senator Bryan (“a master class in retail politics”); why it was a real team effort between memory and research; Senator Bryan’s amazing memory for people and stories; hearing the senator’s voice in the book; how Las Vegas and Nevada changed over the decades; themes that run through the book; why he decided now to write the memoir (a sense of legacy?); the fight against Yucca Mountain; his great sense of humor; how the senator could carry every county in Nevada, despite the political divide; his approach as friend and neighbor; bringing ethics to the forefront; the contributions of Bonnie Bryan with her “own kind of magic”; and why small crowds were important.
John L. Smith is a native Nevadan, freelance journalist, and author of more than a dozen books, including Saints, Sinners, and Sovereign Citizens: The Endless War over the West's Public Lands. He writes an award-winning column for The Nevada Independent and contributes to many other publications. In 2016, he was inducted into the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame.
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