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On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star Hardcover – October 17, 2006

by John Dickerson (Author)

48 customer reviews

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Before Barbara Walters, before Katie Couric, there was Nancy Dickerson. The first female member of the Washington TV news corps, Nancy was the only woman covering many of the most iconic events of the sixties. She was the first reporter to speak to President Kennedy after his inauguration and she was on the Mall with Martin Luther King Jr. during the march on Washington; she had dinner with LBJ the night after Kennedy was assassinated and got late-night calls from President Nixon. Ambitious, beautiful and smart, she dated senators and congressmen and got advice and accolades from Edward R. Murrow. She was one of President Johnson's favorite reporters, and he often greeted her on-camera with a familiar "Hello, Nancy." In the '60s Nancy and her husband Wyatt Dickerson were Washington's golden couple, and the capital's power brokers coveted invitations to swank dinners at their estate on the Potomac.

Growing up in the shadow of Nancy's fame, John Dickerson rarely saw his mother. This frank memoir -- part remembrance, part discovery -- describes a freewheeling childhood in which Nancy Dickerson was rarely around unless John was in trouble or she was throwing a party for the president and John was instructed to check the coats. By the time John was old enough to know what the news was, his mother was no longer in the national spotlight and he didn't see why she should be. He thought she was a liar and a phony. When he was fourteen, his parents divorced, and he moved in with his father.

As an adult, John found himself in Washington, a reporter covering her old beat. A long-delayed connection between mother and son began, only to be cut short by Nancy's death in 1997. In her journals, letters and yellowed newspaper clippings, John discovered the woman he never knew -- an icon in television history whose achievement was the result of her relentless determination to reinvent herself and excel. On Her Trail is a fascinating picture of the early days of television and of Washington society at its most high powered, and charts a son's honest and wry search for the mother he came to admire and love.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star

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Editorial Reviews

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"John Dickerson's biography of Nancy Dickerson is a raw and compelling portrait of his mother, who was, in a way, the Katie Couric of her time, the first woman to break into the all-male fortress of TV news, back in the dark ages of the 1960s. With On Her Trail Dickerson has written more than a biography: it is a history of the time, with rich new stories about John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and a social dissection of elite Washington. It is--and this may be the most captivating part of the book--a personal confession of life with a mother almost obsessively driven in her career. . . . The book is a mix of sold reportorial digging with a son's sometimes heartbreaking insights. It is bold, shocking at times, and brilliant."
--Lesley Stahl

"Beautifully observed and richly reported, a family tale with a twist--because it's written about the kind of family that normally wouldn't let secrets make their way outside the security fence. A tough and loving book by a gifted journalist."
--Peggy Noonan

"Anyone who was a big fan of Nancy Dickerson will hate John Dickerson by about page 40. But by the time you reach the end of this poignant, sometimes funny, but always wise and human memoir-biography, you will love them both. John for his insight and compassion, and Nancy for the price she paid to blaze the trail for Katie Couric and Greta van Susteren."
--Al Franken

“Riveting. . . . You cannot turn your eyes away.”
--Elsa Walsh, The Washington Post

“A memorable portrait of the woman and her career. . . . A unique and authentic view of Nancy Hanschman Dickerson . . . that will shape future studies of this phenomenal woman.”
--The Washington Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Dickerson is Slate.com's chief political correspondent and appears regularly on NPR, FOX and MSNBC. A former White House correspondent for Time magazine, he covered George W. Bush's administration and his presidential campaigns. He and his wife and two children live in Washington, DC. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (October 17, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743287835
ISBN-13: 978-0743287838
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1888 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists
- #3101 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers
- #12201 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

5 star		65%
4 star		25%
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Good Writing!

ByLoves a Good Mysteryon March 9, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I can't say I liked it, but it was highly informative, not only about Nancy Dickerson, but also about the times in which she covered the news. What I can say is that it touched me deeply and is staying with me. That's good writing!

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Appeals to the heart as well as the brain

ByDanny Lazaron August 26, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book was extremely satisfying to my brain as well as to my heart. It is a wonderfully human story with personal and historic insights into the Kennedy through Reagan regimes. This is the story of Nancy Dickerson, a woman breaking into television media in the 50’s, a place quite devoid of women up until that time. It is also the story of the author, John Dickerson, her son. In a sense, Mr. Dickerson has followed in her footsteps with his own impressive career in the political media world. Previous reviews have criticized the author for lashing out at Ms. Dickerson. I can’t help but wonder if they were reading a strangely edited Readers Digest version of this book. Yes, there were some critical, outright painful passages, but I read a nuanced and thoughtful account of a fascinating story. Mr. Dickerson manages to objectively analyze his mother’s career and her role in making a path for other women in media. Sure, he is less objective when discussing her parenting skills, and the impact that it had on him, but that is part of what makes this book so compelling. He expresses great regret in judging her so harshly as an adolescent. Overall this as a richly satisfying read.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

and he honestly shares the good and the bad of his mom's life and his ...

ByMark Clarkon January 27, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

John Dickerson, the political director of CBS News, grew up in DC, to the manner born, as it were. His mother was trailblazing TV reporter Nancy Dickerson. In this wonderfully-written memoir, he weaves her life story and his, in tales that any mother and any son can relate to, no matter their circumstances or occupation. Mr Dickerson is as engaging on paper as he is on the TV screen, and he honestly shares the good and the bad of his mom's life and his own. I recommend this to anyone who ever had a mother.

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A Lovely Read

ByTower Loweon September 17, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was an unexpectedly nice book. I enjoyed the way John Dickerson told us first about his perceptions of his mother as a child, before he knew anything about her success, and then went through her remarkable career. When he returns to the touching moments of their adult relationship and Nancy's final illness, I was moved by the humanity of it all. I never understood what motivated my mother, and it is clear to me that my own adult daughter is at a loss lost about what motivates me. This book was a fascinating look at the challenges for women in early television news and a personal look at the difficulties that face the children of busy and successful parents. Nice job.

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Beautifully written

Bykakeron April 16, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Curiosity about John Dickerson, whom I often watch on PBS, drove me to learn more about his career. That was when I discovered his mother is Nancy Dickerson. As I grew up watching Ms. Dickerson on television, I was further driven to learn more about this fascinating woman.

What I got was a remarkable account of a complex relationship between mother and son, and previously unknown (to me) historical accounts. It is an honest approach, exploring the depths of both love and animosity between the two. In attempting to ferret out his own ambiguous feelings toward his mother, John Dickerson has managed a most thorough examination and loving tribute to this remarkable woman.

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Enjoyed it.

ByS.G.on January 4, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Enjoyed it....We all have to "sort out" our family of origin memories, from our adult perspective, after they are gone....It's important, and usually brings some surprises.....

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"A Great Lady"

ByNoneofyourbizVINE VOICEon January 31, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

That's how George W. Bush described Nancy Dickerson. So at last we stumble upon something I can agree with The President about!

I am just a few years older than the author, and was a very little girl when I saw Nancy Dickerson on TV. I found her fascinating, because she was the only female newscaster I had ever seen. (This was before Nickolodeon, and I watched whatever came on, including the news.) She had a deep, mellow voice and a very calm way of speaking that conveyed to my young ears that was she was talking about was IMPORTANT.

Turns out she was as brave and as tough as I wanted her to be. Reading this book, I realized how hard it was for her to be the first girl in The Boys' Club. How hard she tried (if you've read the book, that will make you smile), both at work and at home. As if being a trailblazer on TV wasn't enough, Nancy married a widower and became instant mother to adolescent girls. Gulp! And she went on to have two kids of her own (including the author).

Her son does a masterful job of telling her story both as a frustrated, disillusioned child of divorce and as a fledgling journalist himself, learning to appreciate his mother's accomplishments. This is no mean feat. I did, however, subtract a star for some silly errors. (JFK and Jackie married at Merrywood, and were already wed when he wrote Profiles in Courage. Our author is not only a reporter, he lived in that house for 20 years, you'd think he could get those facts straight.)

33 comments 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Mr. Dickerson is a man it is easy to spend time with.

ByLaurence Goldsteinon September 14, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Well told tale of a famous family of Washington in the Kennedy Johnson years with family insights and historical footnotes. Mr. Dickerson is a man it is easy to spend time with.