A Life on the Road [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Charles Kuralt (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1990

For more than 30 years, Charles Kuralt, the host of CBS News' Sunday Morning, has traveled the world's byways. In this warm, deeply affecting memoir, Kuralt retraces the steps of a journey that began when he was a young CBS news reporter frantically trying to cover international events, a journey that took him to South America, Vietnam, and the Okefenokee Swamp. From an Arizona cowboy who confessed to wearing pantyhose under his chaps and a Moscow dentist who tearfully thanked former American POW's for saving his life in a German prison camp, to memorable meetings with Marlon Brando and Nikita Khrushchev-- here is a story of triumphs and tragedies, swimming pigs and cattle roundups, and one man's lifelong love of the road and the people he's met along the way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Kuralt's work on the CBS series Sunday Morning will find this autobiography a charmer as Kuralt reviews his career in print journalism and as a reporter for the electronic media. He recalls his most unusual and memorable programs and interviewees, from the family awaiting a soldier's return from Vietnam to a 92-year-old brickmaker who had been working since his early teens. Kuralt's vivid reminiscences include the anarchic horror of Zaire after independence, the dull sterility of Castro's Cuba, the cooperation of blacks and whites in building a park in Reno, Nev., and a Soviet dentist's message to the Americans who helped him survive a Nazi POW camp. The book is comic and poignant by turns. Photos not seen by PW. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Kuralt describes this engaging autobiography as an incomplete remembrance of roads taken, breakdowns, misdirections, potholes, and detours. A love of travel, developed through trips along North Carolina country roads with his father, brought Kuralt to accept a job with CBS News in 1954. He began as a correspondent in the Congo, Cuba, and California, then was reassigned to presenting documentaries, including a North Pole attempt. He finally found his slot as a feature story reporter covering the "pulse of the country" by roaming the nation in his recreational vehicle. An entertaining book that is recommended for general readers who enjoyed Kuralt's best-selling collection of his news stories, On the Road ( LJ 9/15/85). Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/1/90.
- Fern Sikkema, Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (October 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671726269
• ISBN-13: 978-0671726263
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Myth & Folklore
  • #27 in Books > Books on Cassette > Travel
  • #31 in Books > Books on Cassette > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-warming look at 20 years "on the road", February 17, 2000

By 

John Grabowski (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life on the Road (Mass Market Paperback)

The genius of Charles Kuralt--and what makes this book great--is his ability to find insights from the smallest of things, which the rest of us would pass over on the way to more "important" matters. In some ways his life was extraordinary. But in other ways he led a rather conventional life, going from one greased pig competition to the next hoe-down on his rickety bus. He never walked on the moon, or cured a disease, or broke a batting record, or played at Carnegie Hall. But his insights into the simple experiences in life, from a field of wildflowers to the beauty of an autumn day, make A Life On The Road a book to cherish, and return to again and again. I can't recommend this book enough. America lost a true artist when Mr. Kuralt died. He probably never would have been so presumptuous to claim the title for himself, but that's what he was.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy taking the road with Charles Kuralt, June 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Life on the Road (Mass Market Paperback)

If you ever liked Charles Kuralt's "On The Road" segments, you'll love this book. It's at times humorous, at times serious but always interesting and written with a measure of charm, wit and humility. I've gone back and re-read many chapters several times just for the joy of it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful summer read, April 18, 2002

By 

windriver12 (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Life on the Road (Mass Market Paperback)

Kuralt has a wonderful sense of humor. His wit shines through in every page of this book as he tells stories of Americana and his experiences while covering the news in Cuba, South America, Russia... His simple and descriptive style of writing flows by fast and I could vividly imagine his experiences. What were these experiences? Pick up the book. Suffice to say it spans from the story of a simple brick layer he met in rural america to a proud, grumpy soviet ex-pow who had been waiting 40 years to send a message to an old friend in America.

I put this book down with a great faith in humanity and a deep admiration for Charles Kuralt. He leaves you feeling that this world is filled with thousands and thousands of remarkable stories that are waiting to be discovered and that life is full of opportunities around every corner.