Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public (Paperback)

by Ted Koppel (Author) "Hope and foreboding. Not necessarily in equal measure..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Grace Anne, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The title of Ted Koppel's memoir, Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public, promises opinions that its author wouldn't deliver on camera, where he's been the anchor of ABC's popular Nightline program since 1980. And, indeed, he's blistering at times in this book, which is essentially a daily journal from 1999. That year began between President Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives and his trial in the Senate. Here's Koppel delivering his prognosis of the situation: "Whichever way it goes, it will leave a nasty aftertaste. The President and First Lady will speak piously of national reconciliation, while their loyalists ram the rockets' red glare up the tailpipes of the right-wing fanatics, who have confused low morals with high crimes." Koppel's comments are not always so interesting, but he's reliably candid. He mentions that Jordan's late King Hussein "had his share of adulterous relationships," that Dan Quayle "is not stupid. He is also likable. But you would feel uncomfortable serving under him in a platoon," and that Henry Hyde once informed him privately that "he was incontinent following his prostate surgery."

There's no particular theme to the book; these pages simply collect the thoughts of an important newsman during the course of a year (whose noteworthy events included not just the Clinton trial but also NATO's war with Serbia). Sometimes they're pompous: "I'm off for a meeting with Bill Bradley. It's at his request, which is a clear signal that he's running for the presidency." Sometimes they're funny: "Let's combine all the awards ceremonies for the communications and entertainment industries and name that one event after the single piece of equipment used by all of us--the microphone. I suggest calling the occasion 'the Phonies.'" Koppel is occasionally offbeat, as when he compares George W. Bush to Vanna White, and often informative, as when he's recommending books like Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden or Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (which he once gave as a gift to Clinton). Off Camera is an eclectic package of thoughts and diversions that will by turns intrigue, frustrate, and entertain readers. --John J. Miller --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
This is the spoken version of the daily journalDcentered around major news events (Clinton's impeachment trial, the war in Kosovo) and his personal reflections on themDthat newscaster Koppel began on January 1, 1999. Woven between the news and his opinions are personal tidbits such as reminiscences of his childhood in Germany and England, his fear of growing old, his love for his wife, his bouts with depression, his constant travels and the double-edged sword of celebrity. Listeners will readily recognize Koppel's Nightline-style delivery, although they may be surprised to find that the way Koppel reads from his memoir is no different than the way he reads from a TelePrompTer. The consummate journalist, he remains objective in delivering everything from the death of a friend and colleague to his plans for building a house. Koppel is an observer, a watcher, and although he does harbor opinionsDmany of which are clearly stated hereDthey run second to his hard-nosed reporting, even when he himself is the story. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Forecasts, Sept. 11). (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Stated First Vintage Books Edition, 2001 edition (October 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375727086
• ISBN-13: 978-0375727085
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 2.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,246,335 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Koppel Comments, October 27, 2000

By	Clint Hunter (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public (Hardcover)

Ted Koppel, host of ABC's "Nightline" television show, presents a personal journal in which he muses on the daily events which took place during 1999. His comments range from the insightful and controversial to the personal and mundane. Among other topics, the reader will learn Koppel's thoughts on such things as the state of American journalism -"a sort of competitive screeching;" on the United States Army - more of a buraucracy than an effective fighting force; on a survey of college student's sexual attitudes - shocked that 60% don't consider oral sex as sexual relations; on the weather - irritated that forecasters have to exaggerate by including heat and wind chill indexes.

The book is a quick read. It is an intimate, if somewhat tedious, look at the man millions of Americans think they know through his television persona. Those looking for a well reasoned analysis of the major events of the closing year of the century will be disappointed. Those who can take the book for what it is may find it mildly entertaining.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, not perfect, but still excellent, November 6, 2000

By	taking a rest - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public (Hardcover)

Mr. Ted Koppel is easily one of the most respected journalists we have the pleasure of listening to and watching almost daily. He has honed his craft for 36 years, and has anchored "Nightline" for nearly 20 years. If peer recognition is used as a measure of his contribution and talent, 32 Emmy Awards, 6 Peabody Awards, 9 Overseas Press Awards, and several others clearly demonstrate he is held in high regard.

As the book takes place in a daily entry format, it is not as fluid as more traditional prose, and Mr. Koppel clearly enjoyed having some fun while documenting the remarkable events that a successful career, that is his, entails. I refer specifically to his asides about his food shopping at Giant Supermarkets. These light diversions are at times extremely funny and serve to demonstrate a wit that I was not familiar with. Even though they reside on competing networks, he clearly could step in for Andy Rooney if the occasion arose.

The thoughts recorded over the year of 1999 are in the main serious by themselves, and in the specifics of the topics he describes. He is brutally candid about an enormous range of issues, and this is the only reason I can think of that would cause some readers to not like this book. I still believe his insights are valuable even if one or more may not be in line with your own.

If you are a supporter of President Clinton, you will not like this book. Mr. Koppel has strong feelings about what a President should be, what a leader is, and Mr. Clinton does not meet any of them. The Clintons evidently feel the same, as when Elie Wiesel asked that Mr. Koppel be one of his 5 friends at a dinner for him at The Whitehouse, the invitation was never sent. Though Mr. Koppel never expected the invitation to be honored, it clearly offended Mr. Wiesel, and demonstrated the pettiness that The White House can enjoy.

I enjoyed the format of the book as he spoke briefly in his entries as measured by length, by expressed more understanding of his chosen topics than many books on the same subjects convey. In 3 paragraphs he flays foreign policy for the contradiction in terms it often is, and in slightly more space he demonstrates how strange the attitudes toward Mr. Clinton have been. There were a series of questions asked by pollsters, and not one was ambiguous in expressing the thoughts of those asked; "the majority (73-79%) of the American people are perfectly content to have a President whom they regard as having low moral and ethical standards, who is not a positive role model for young people and who is neither honest nor trustworthy, but who appears, figuratively speaking, to be bringing home the bacon." Former Democratic Governor of New York Mr. Mario Cuomo said, "Yeah, I wouldn't trust this guy in Church, and I wouldn't let him date my Sister, but he's a terrific President." One has to wonder which of Mr. Clinton's frailties Mr. Cuomo lacked that kept him from seeking the Presidency.

We learn who he believes constitutes a leader, Winston Churchill, George Washington, and why even leaders who may have had faults, like King Hussein, were still leaders as they routinely did that which Clinton has never done, put the people they represent, their Country, ahead of themselves, their own interests.

He speaks eloquently on issues of race, commenting on our taking in 20,000 refugees from the former Yugoslavia, and wondering will the same ever be the case with a similar exodus from the Continent of Africa.

He says more than once that we may someday refer to the present years as the "prewar years". He also shares the little known secret that the rest of the world does not necessarily think America is quite as great as we find ourselves. Kosovo and its surroundings, and inhabitants illustrate beautifully, how our actions are perceived by those we believe we are helping. It's the old adage that perception is all that matters.

The book is opinionated but not arrogant. Mr. Koppel has strong views, but he also has the first hand experience and knowledge to back his statements. You may not like some of what he has to say, but you will be hard pressed to debate and defeat him. I do find it very upsetting that so many quotes in the book have been paraded about so far from the context they were in, as to make them not only meaningless and irrelevant to how they actually appear in the book, but also are denigrating to those people who are mentioned. Mr. Koppel has strong negative feelings about the actions of some, he never wrote in the humiliating manner some of the selective outtakes of the book suggest.

As I said earlier, excellent, but not perfect, however, books like this are so frustratingly rare, it is even more valuable that he took the time to write it. He did not write for the money, or for the attention. He has the former from nearly 4 decades of hard work, and the latter he has every evening.

A very well informed, articulate man, who has delivered a work that is at times sobering, is thoroughly engaging, and thought provoking.

Unconditionally recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Look into a Reporters Mind, November 22, 2000

By	shirley lieb (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book of Ted Koppel's private thoughts. One never thinks about the tearful goodbye's to a reporter's loved ones before leaving on a dangerous assignment. Nor considers the unpleasant conditions which much be endured while reporting such a story. I found that the book put a much more human face on neat and tidy reports we see on the evening news. It was also interesting to hear Ted's take on the major news stories of the year. Opinions that could not be shared on national TV.

It gave a certain level of comfort to know that a person who has such control over what we hear of the news, is really just a regular person who goes to the store, gets gas for his car and is excited about the birthday of his grandson.

A quick read. I skimmed some parts about the Chechen's. But then isn't what he said in the book after all. We, as a nation ,are not too interested in that news.