Deadlines and Datelines [Hardcover]

Dan Rather (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

Ranging from political campaigns to public school crises to turmoil in Russia, the bestselling author and CBS Evening News anchor examines the tragedies and triumphs that shape our nation. Complete with new essays on recent events, Rather explores America at the end of the twentieth century and looks ahead to its future as we enter the twenty-first. With his distinctive blend of frontline energy and a journalist's knack for a good story, Rather looks at the awesome struggles and everyday accomplishments he's witnessed at home and around the globe. With candor, compassion, and sometimes irreverence, Rather examines world leaders and local heroes.

Deadlines and Datelines is not without lighter moments. In one laugh-out-loud essay, Rather skewers the phenomenon of "dumb bass," or bass that are bred to go after any hook in sight. On the culture beat, Rather offers personal interviews and insightful appreciations as well as a compelling tribute to JFK, Jr. Throughout these essays, Rather offers readers a wide range of though-provoking observations, and shows yet again the skill and intelligence that have made him "part of our world" for more than four decades.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like his rival anchors, Rather has been busy writing, but this book doesn't aim to rival Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation or Peter Jennings's The Century, let alone Rather's own engaging memoirs. This collection is based on Rather's syndicated weekly column and daily CBS radio program. While he claims to have tried "to avoid mere commentary and to offer solid reporting," nearly all the pieces here are short, slight and predictable; often, they feel as dated as yesterday's headlines. The topics include many recent news events and personages: Ward Connerly, JonBenet Ramsay, the WNBA, Cuban baseball, Saddam Hussein. His columns on the Monica Lewinsky scandal, compiled before President Clinton was acquitted, are particularly stale. Better are his brief tributes to newsmen Charles Kuralt and Fred Friendly. In a few places, Rather offers longer and more thoughtful pieces: Malcolm X prompts the observation that "there has never been a symbol without a need"; Disney's Beauty and the Beast strikes Rather as a metaphor for AIDS. But his section of "Lighter Side" pieces, like the book as a whole, is better suited to the ephemeral status of a newspaper column than to preservation between hard covers. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

From the personal to the political, television news reporter and anchor Rather favors a multimedia approach to sharing his thoughts and opinions with the public. This collection of essays includes materials from Rather's weekly newspaper column, his daily radio program, and articles written for magazines and newspapers. Like many collections of contemporary commentary, this one includes stories, such as the Clinton investigation and impeachment, that have been eclipsed by later events. Short essays, most written in 1997 and 1998, are grouped in sections on news from across America, foreign policy, national politics, personalities, and lighter topics. Rather's previous book, The Camera Never Blinks Twice (LJ 10/15/94), continued his memoirs begun in The Camera Never Blinks (LJ 6/1/77) and I Remember (LJ 10/1/91). Recommended for public libraries where the collected works of journalists circulate well and for comprehensive academic journalism collections.
-AJudy Solberg, George Washington Univ., Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688165664
• ISBN-13: 978-0688165666
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,524,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading when you have some spare time, October 8, 1999

By 

Eric Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadlines and Datelines (Hardcover)

I recently completed the reading of Dan Rather's collection of essays entitled Deadlines and Datelines. I found this book to be quite interesting for several reasons. One of the main reasons that I enjoyed reading it was because of the way it was organized. The book is compilation of a number of Mr. Rather's writings for his daily newspaper column "Dan Rather Reporting" and other short writings. Since they have been compiled over many years, none of them are current. It may seem like that would be a downside to this book, but I find it interesting to look back on what was being reported while the events were taking place, now that we have seen what actually happened. It can be compared to looking back over newspaper from several years ago to see what was happening in the world when you now have the ability to look back and put it in perspective. Another reason I found this book to be quite enjoyable was the wide variety of topics covered by the essays contained within the collection. Rather included writings on everything from such serious topics as the Oklahoma City bombing to topics as comical as the article on Texas "dumb bass" that are bread to be easier to catch. This is one of those books that you don't have to read cover to cover; you can pick any particular essay from any part of the book and read it without having to complete those that precede it. One of my favorite essays was one written just after Clinton took office. It featured advice for the then new president of the United States, which included 1.) Advising that Clinton give up cigar smoking, 2.) Suggesting that he give up golf, and 3.) Recommending that he get a dog. I particularly liked this one because it was hilarious to look back on what Clinton actually did during his term in office, and relating it to the "advise" offered by the author. The only downside to this book was that it wasn't really a book in the sense of being a novel or a story. Despite that, this assortment of short compositions did make for entertaining reading when I found a spare moment.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A side of Dan Rather that one doesn't see on CBS News, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deadlines and Datelines (Hardcover)

This is the first book I've read by Dan Rather, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I never had the chance to read his essays in the newspaper or hear them on radio, so this book was a big surprise to me. I thought his collection of essays were serious,touching, and thought provoking. Sometimes they were downright funny. My favorites were his his essays on teachers, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the last grandmother, and his homage Princess Diana. I also enjoyed his humorous essays. I never knew that Dan Rather had such a good sense of humor. It's definitly a side of him that you don't see when he does the news. If you're a fan of Dan, then this is a book that you should check out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true intellectual, July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deadlines and Datelines (Hardcover)

Dan Rather is truly an intellectual, one of a kind and scarce in America's "demoralized" media. Whether he is a conservative or a liberal, is regardless. What matters is that he approaches every subject with sincerity and broadened perspective. It is a shame that Americans don't recognize this "gem of journalism" (at its best). Considering their preferences of other newsmakers, we see a great need for morals in the socially underachieved America.

As for Datelines and Deadlines, great work Mr.Rather. Please continue with your invaluable work.