On December 20th, Janet Maslin of The New York Times listed her Ten Favorite Books of 2013. Among them:
“JOHNNY CARSON by Henry Bushkin (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). That rare celebrity tell-all by an author who knows whom and what he’s talking about. Perhaps Mr. Bushkin, a young lawyer in 1970, should have wondered why a huge star like Carson would recruit him and make him a confidant, tennis partner, drinking buddy and more, but he didn’t understand Hollywood’s pecking order — or what yes-men and enablers are for. Undoubtedly self-serving, this book is still a close look at how show business power corrupts, and it is thoroughly credible. You may be shocked by Mr. Bushkin’s treachery or by Carson’s capricious cruelty. Still, this is the dishiest read of the year.”
Meanwhile, in its December 30 issue, People magazine named Johnny Carson its sixth best book of the year. “The fascinating, philandering, fiercely private star comes alive in Bushkin’s bio.”