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Rather Outspoken

My Life in the News

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
An in-depth memoir from famed newsman Dan Rather, who looks back over his storied and sometimes controversial career and reveals his personal thoughts and reflections.

This memoir by Dan Rather is told in a straightforward and conversational voice, and covers all the important moments of his journalistic career, including a frank accounting of his dismissal from CBS, the Abu Ghraib story, the George W. Bush Air National Guard controversy, new insights on the JFK assassination, the origin of "Hurricane Dan" as well as inside stories about all the U.S. Presidents he covered and all the top personalities Dan has either interviewed or worked with over his distinguished career.
The book will also include Dan's thoughts on the state of journalism today and what he sees for its future, as well as never-before-revealed personal observations and commentary.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 16, 2012
      Anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, much-honored newsman Rather has been a working reporter for 64 years. He began his series of memoirs with The Camera Never Blinks (1977), a bestseller spanning his life from journalism study at Sam Houston State Teachers College to Watergate. He followed with I Remember (1991), recalling his Texas childhood, and The Camera Never Blinks Twice (1994) about TV journalism on location from Afghanistan to Vietnam. In this latest update to the series, his straight-arrow honesty is punctuated with occasional humor: “It was long said of me that I had the CBS Eye tattooed somewhere on my ass.” For a blistering opening chapter, he details the “absence of executive backbone” during CBS News’ investigation of Abu Ghraib: “The possibility that the financial and political interests of CBS corporate almost buried a story as compelling as Abu Ghraib was most unsettling.” He’s equally outspoken on the “journalistic meltdown” when CBS News was ordered to drop its investigation into Bush’s experience with the Texas Air National Guard. Throughout the book, he delivers strong punches at those who stood in his way, but he also has much praise for the co-workers who joined him in his quest for the truth. With his usual conversational writing style, he maintains a personal connection with his readers in this riveting and revelatory autobiography that can also serve as a valuable textbook for anyone studying journalism.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Reflecting decades of reporting, Dan Rather shares his perspective and points of view on matters of public focus from yesterday and today. He addresses issues that range from the intense Abu Ghraib prison story to the remarkable milk barn history of the CBS Broadcast Center, complete with its flies and occasional rats. The author's narration is well paced, consistently appropriate in tone and inflection, and commanding of listener attention in a personal yet highly relaxed way. Rather's slight Texas twang has never sounded more charming. The years may have slightly mellowed his assertive personality, but a strong ego is front and center in this well-written and well-voiced memoir. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 1, 2011

      Rather hits all the high points of his career--including 44 years at CBS, 24 as anchor of CBS News--while also touching on his dismissal from CBS and profiling the people he has worked with or interviewed. Even more interesting (to me), he considers the crucial issue of where the news industry stands today and where it will be heading. With a five-city tour.

      Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      April 1, 2012
      A renowned journalist settles scores in this investigation of how the news media has become dangerously intertwined with politics and corporate interests. With the assistance of Diehl, Rather (The American Dream: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation, 2002 etc.) comes out swinging as he delves into the circumstances behind his firing from CBS News, where he had worked as a reporter since 1962, covering everything from Vietnam to Watergate to the conditions at Abu Ghraib. Unfortunately for Rather, his determination to air a potentially damning story about then-president George W. Bush's spotty military record irked the higher-ups at CBS's parent company, Viacom, leaving the feisty anchor unemployed at 75. Never one to shirk controversy, he sued CBS for breach of contract; although the suit was dismissed before it could come to trial, he has no regrets and no qualms about naming names. Indeed, this memoir reads as a muckraker's delight, with Rather lambasting CBS management as "spineless" and "risk-averse." He painstakingly details the cloak-and-dagger operations that Bush proponents resorted to in an attempt to hide the truth and discredit Rather's source materials. Invoking Edward R. Murrow, Rather rails against those who would distort the news for their own gain and intentionally mislead the public. In between, he provides fair-minded portraits of the presidents he has interviewed, traces his passion for the news to his upbringing in a news-savvy family and expresses concern for the future of independent media in an industry that is increasingly kowtowing to the almighty bottom line. While Rather occasionally lapses into platitudes--a chapter on 9/11 offers little beyond well-worn observations about courage and patriotism--he always gives credit where credit is due, and his sincerity is never in doubt. An engaging grab-bag: part folksy homage to roots, part expose of institutional wrongdoing and part manifesto for a truly free press.

      COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 25, 2012
      This memoir from legendary newsman Dan Rather charts the course of his career—highlighting the highs, the lows, and the controversy—his dismissal from CBS, and the biggest stories he covered (from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the atrocities of Abu Ghraib) during his many decades in the news business. Much as he did during his years behind the news desk, Rather turns in a professional and compelling performance. His narration is sonorous, clear, and smooth, his voice trustworthy and tinged with the soft remnants of his Texas accent. In this audio edition, he offers up a reading that is straightforward and personal. Listeners who grew up getting their nightly news from Rather will likely find this a familiar and even comforting listen. A Grand Central hardcover.

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