Latest 6 Reviews Here is what people are saying about the A Reporter's Life
"Walter Cronkite"
2009-10-02
- Reviewed By User: A2OERIMUEC5BQK
A Reporter's Life is a very well written story of Walter Cronkite's life and adventures as a reporter for various organizations, usually CBS. He uses words well and tells a very interesting history of his time as a reporter. He seems to have been a very adventurous man and never passed up a chance to attempt something new, though dangerous. He is humorous, accurate and, seemingly, modest. If you lived your life during the period he tells about you will feel a great amount of nostalgia. Mr. Cronkite met and interviewed, or just talked with, many people whose names you will recognize: LBJ, JFK, Harry Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, FDR, Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter and more. A good book!!
"A Reporter's Life"
2009-08-19
- Reviewed By User: ADY7WVROHO9Q2
The book was apparently stored incorrectly because the back cover jutted out more than the front cover (had an underbite). And a section of several pages in the middle of the book came loose from the binding. But the price was more than low enough to make up for these.
This book was full of historical stuff + interesting stories about Mr. Cronkite's life. My only complaint is the book jumps around too much. It should have started out with Mr. Cronkite's birth and gone on chronologically from there.
All the jumping around made me confused.
In this self-effacing odyssey through the life and memories of the legendary CBS news anchorman, Walter Cronkite takes his readers back in time with him as he recalls with remarkably nuanced detail most of the major historical events of the 20th century.
Starting with his humble Mid-western roots and Texas upbringing it is clear that Cronkite developed a love for news reporting at an early age along with a passion for representing the facts in the most accurate fashion possible. Yellow journalism and tabloid hysterics were not his modus operandi.
When he got a break at UP and covered WWII as a European correspondent Cronkite had several brushes with death but as a thrill seeker Cronkite showed little fear while in the midst of battle. I also relished his recollections of each president starting with Eisenhower on. His memory of Jimmy Carter being so well informed on issues was a big surprise as well. Although he disagreed with Ronald Reagan on policy issues, he, like so many others couldn't help but describe him as "affable."
Mr. Cronkite also gives the readers a first hand glimpse in to the beginning stages of NASA spaceflights, the 1976 American bi-centennial, surreptious interviews with Daniel Ellsberg and some amusing moments with the Boston police.
Cronkite begins to editorialize towards the end and that by far is the best part of the book. His opinions of the current state of affairs in the news business sheds light on the fact that the viewer's appetite for infotainment supercedes that of acquiring a detailed and cogent news report. Cronkite is from the "old school" of newspaper reporters and as such makes subtle references to his readers that picking up a newspaper as an adjunct to an exclusive diet of TV or internet news reports is not such a bad idea.
Just a recommendation; keep a dictionary nearby while reading this book. While it is a light and enjoyable read and obviously written for a layman, Cronkite's stellar vocabulary comes shining through as he throws in some ten dollar words to make sure that we're still awake. No soporific moments in this book though. It will keep you on your toes.
Walter Cronkite who at one time was among the most famous and celebrated Americans tells his life- story . He does this with the dry and clean prose of the good reporter. He tells of his childhood and early years in Kansas City and in Houston, of his work with UP and later on with CBS, his adventures as a war- correspondent. He traces his career in television including the dramatic coverage of what would be the most politically well- covered in his judgment convention of all, that of 1952. He also writes about his wife Betsy their three - children and his family. He in the end provides an analysis of TV journalism and where it has gone wrong, been replaced by considerations of entertainment. This is a decent book by a very decent and modest man. In his final chapter he says that he asked himself whether he could say he had really made a difference. Surprisingly and modestly his answer was 'no'. But for many Americans for many years he was the embodiment of the honest and reliable journalist.
"Modern American History Through the Eyes of Walter Cronkite"
To live the life of Walter Cronkite is to live a thousand years. For nearly half a decade Walter Cronkite served as the voice of reason to millions of Americans who looked to his print, radio, and television reports for information and reassurance. This autobiography covers the life of Walter Cronkite from his early life as a lowly radio announcer to his ultimate stand at the pinnacle of journalism.
As usual, Cronkite's wit is second-to-none and comes through clearly in his prose. Still, he never pulls punches and minces no words regarding the multitude of famous and powerful men and women he met along the way. His engrained honesty and objectivity is a refreshing look to when journalism was an honest art, plagued not by corporate sponsorship.
Cronkite's work not only serves as an interesting look at "Cronkite, the man," but is a work of modern American history, written by the man who lived and reported it all. For a readable, enjoyable look at Cronkite's America, "A Reporter's Life" is one of the best.
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"Interesting, but not edited well"
"Modern American History Through the Eyes of Walter Cronkite"