Customer Reviews

Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life

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Because I knew Peter Jennings pretty well away from the office, I hesitated to read this book. Peter was such a funny, irreverent, and loving guy. I wondered if a book mainly by his professional cohorts--especially one done so quickly after his death--could convey that funny, irreverent and loving side.

Well, it can, and it does. This book makes Peter so human, and so fragile in the best sense of the word. If you were a watcher (and better yet, a real listener) of Peter's art, this book will really touch you, and make you wish you had known this side of Peter when he was around.

People like this don't come around very often, and neither do books.

Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life is for everyone who watched Peter Jennings on the air and wants to know more about him. What was he like to work with? What went on behind the scenes at ABC News? Did he ever let his hair down? Was he difficult to work with? What was he like as a husband and father and friend? What values and principals did he live by and impart to his family, colleagues, protégés? The book manages to weave a narrative from compelling first-person anecdotes that put the reader right into Jennings' incredible life and drive, and tells us that when he was dying he did not feel sorry for himself because he knew he had lived life well. I loved reading the frank accounts from a wide range of people, well-known and not, including excerpts from his children's moving eulogies.

"Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life" is not a typical biography. The contents of the book were taken from more than 80 interviews conducted shortly after Peter's death in August 2005. In their own words, Peter's colleagues, family, and friends share their perspectives on what the ABC News legend was like as a reporter and as a man.

This book chronicles Peter's career from the beginning to the end, including his childhood radio program, his first unsuccessful stint in the ABC News anchor chair, his experiences as a foreign correspondent, and his lengthy tenure with "World News Tonight." In addition to exploring Peter's professional life, the interviews in the book also shed light on what he was like as a person. Highlights include stories about Peter's Canadian upbringing, his commitment to help the homeless population in New York City, his sense of humor, his love of America, his devotion to his family and friends, and his battle with the lung cancer that ultimately took his life.

Much of the information in this book was included in the ABC News special "Peter Jennings: Reporter," which aired shortly after the anchor's death. However, there are many more interviews in the book that never made it to the air, and I learned a lot about Peter that I didn't know before. There are some really great stories included in the book: some are serious, some are poignant, and some are downright hysterical. I think my favorite bit is the tale about how Peter acquired most of the ties in his collection by taking them away from their original owners...he even took a tie off Michael Dukakis during an interview that was conducted in the heat of the presidential campaign. Too funny!

I think that everyone who reads this book will come away with a favorable opinion of Peter. The organization of the book is such that the reader gets a great overall picture of Peter's character based on the observations from many of the people who knew him best. He was an amazing reporter and also a wonderful person, and he was taken from this world much too soon. Still, he left an incredible legacy behind, and hopefully young journalists will read this book and come away with a better understanding of what it takes to be a truly excellent reporter. Peter was probably the best there ever was, and he will never be forgotten.

The book Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life is an incredible book to read. It was hard to put down and so full of interesting facts about Peter Jennings, none of which I would have known from watching him on TV all these years. Everyone from Barbara Walters, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Diane Sawyer, Charlie Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Alan Alda and his sister and children, among others, weigh in with humorous stories and insights. You will learn about his devotion to his job, his family, homeless people, jazz, canoeing, and just interacting with people every opportunity he had. You will make changes in your own life after reading this book because Peter Jennings will make you continually ask questions and always search for the truth forever and ever.

Peter Jennings is an awesome example of someone who lived his life with passion. Truly the gift he gave to the public had been given back to him ten-fold year after year. Because he decided to use his talent to report with journalistic integrity he was and is still revered!

I learned so much from this book about a person whose curiosity and talent gave him entry into a world seldom have the privledge of knowing firsthand. Peter's drive, leadership, mentorship and warm compassion serve as an inspiration for those that follow in the footsteps of journalist and correspondant. I wish I had had an opportunity to know him better. A well chronicled, chronological narrative that melds the voices of many into a concise, smooth-flowing story. I found myself sobbing in the middle of the night, needing to finish the book and stumbling over Peter's son, Christopher's, eulogy.

Peter Jennings was taken from us at the pinnacle of his
career. He shaped the news in many areas like the
ABC Nightly News. The book provides many specifics about
his life and career. There are memorable pictures
contained throughout the book. i.e.
o The Miss Canada Pageant of 1965
o various political conventions
o the Munich Olympics
o the Clinton Presidential Inaugural of 1997
o a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991

The acquisition would be perfect for persons interested
in journalism, politics and government.

There were reasons why, after watching all three major networks, I settled on Peter Jennings to learn about the day's events...he was the best in the business and this new book, "A Reporter's Life", allows those who knew him best to tell us what we didn't know so much about ....the personal and professional side of Peter's life. Many recollections amassed shortly after Peter's death from lung cancer in 2005 and his own thoughts and reflections about world events that he covered are nicely assembled here. He must have been quite a guy.

It was fascinating to know that Peter Jennings had a brief life as an anchor in the 1960s before going off to become a world-travelled correspondent. As Diane Sawyer assesses... [he had] "a Ph.D. in curiosity". What made him unique was his command and his coolness on the air....one felt he knew exactly what was going on and as a viewer, you felt better for it.

There is suprisingly little about the family side of his life, however. Married four times, he was nonetheless very close to his two children and I suspect the thrust of "A Reporter's Life" was to place the emphasis on "reporter". There are a couple of terrific offerings that really caught my attention.....his Millenium Eve special (which was brilliantly conceived and executed) and an intriguing chapter about the differences he felt about being a Canadian working in America. His becoming an American citizen in 2003 must certainly have been one of the highpoints of his life.

I highly recommend "A Reporter's Life" for being a tribute to a great individual and one whom millions came to know over the years. As told by his friends and colleagues (and Peter himself) it's a good way to remember him and the contributions he made to our better understanding of the world.

This book is a wonderful insight into the life and work of Peter Jennings! Oh, how he is missed! This should be on everyone's Christmas list!

The book was as described: In excellent condition and arrived in short order. An excellent book and transaction. Thanks a lot.