Outside Looking In

Garry Wills, who subtitled this episodic memoir "Adventures of an Observer," has the qualities most needed in an effective observer: modesty, curiosity, and intellect. While not quite Zelig, Wills has been witness to a number of important scenes, including the one at a Memphis funeral parlor where Martin Luther King's body was prepared for public display. His ideological journey was marked by fearless honesty. There must be other people like Wills writing today; they are just so hard to find amid all the noise.