Rating: 
Summary: Is this the best you can do, Ted?
Review: ...The dust cover should be a clue that this book is trivial. Here is Koppel, wearing a leather jacket and holding a stick. If that photo interests you, you will love this book. It is filled with self-indulgent information about Koppel and his grandchildren. It would have been a better book, perhaps, had Koppel chosen to write about the leather jacket and the stick.
Readers who are able to overlook Koppel's arrogance will find little insight into international events. First, these events are quite dated. Kosovo, Monica and Viagra are not fresh, riveting subjects. Secondly, Koppel doesn't have the time to give us thoughtful insight. He appears to be jotting down a few bedtime thoughts about his day. And so often his predictions and views of current events prove wrong.
What I came away with is the realization that much of our daily news stories are fleeting, insignificant events. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Ordinary thoughts from an extraordinary life
Review: For those who would read this book for piercing insights into the political and social milieu of 1999...fuhgeddaboutit! Instead, read "Off Camera" for what it is...a man committed to recording every day's activities and thoughts. If that means he talks about digging a Land Rover out of mud in Pristina, or if it's a personal war he has going with the local supermarket over their incomprehensible pricing policies, then that's what Ted's going to write about. I found it refreshing and damned funny at times. Pompous...well, maybe. But his insights into the changing face of news/entertainment through the decades is on target and scalding. And his disappointments over the rampant apathy of the TV-viewing American public is heartfelt and geniune. All in all, I would say if you're at all involved in journalistic pursuits or just a news junkie, by all means get this book. If you're looking for a quick beach read...it works on that level, too.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing--I expected more
Review: I bought this book with high expectations because I am a fan of Ted Koppel's Nightline, and have always thought he had more depth and professionalism than most other network journalists. Koppel is a well-informed man and has met or interviewed just about every major player in national and world affairs, and yet is not particularly beholden to any. So I assumed his observations on issues and recent history would be incisive and weighty. But to my surprise and disappointment, I had to stop reading after the first half of the book. There was so little of substance or interest that I could not justify spending my time reading the second half. Koppel must have sharp opinions, but you will not find them here. Whom does he really admire? Who is over-rated? What little-known behind-the-scenes anecdotes can he offer about recent world events? What does he think about important national issues, like Social Security, gun control, the death penalty, abortion, or the environment? What about international issues, like the drug war, terrorism, the Arab-Isaeli conflict, human rights, or globalization of commerce? You won't find insight on any of these issues beyond conventional suggestions that they are difficult or that we as a nation are not handling them well enough. He does venture controlled and ambiguous criticism of Clinton for his character flaws and for the whole Monica fiasco, and of the administration for its militarily risk-averse Balkans policy. But these are easy and are stated in such a measured way that they are uncontroversial. He pulls most of his punches, avoiding categorical, risky opinions on anything or anyone, and certainly none that strike me as really original, thoughtful, or incisive, and befitting a person of his immense background and global journalistic stature. I hope this failure to be forceful in the book is because he is still an active journalist, and any controversial opinions he might commit himself to now would taint the appearance of professional objectivity that he must continue to maintain. If so, it is an understandable and even laudable decision; but it makes for an uninteresting book. He should have waited until he retires and is free to write candidly. The alternative--that he might actually have no strong opinions--would be hard for me to believe of someone so cosmopolitan and articulate.
Rating:
Summary: not bad at all - in the right format.
Review: I come to the defense of Mr. Koppel. Some of the problems cited beloware very real e.g, the rambling, disjointed nature of 'Off Camera'. Isee why 'reading' such a work might be frustraing. But for this'reader' of books in the old fashioned sense, I have not yet seen abook that is more suited for the audio format than this one. Keep itin your car, don't be in any hurry to finish and just enjoy it a fewjournal entries at a time. Think of it this way : Koppel's familarvoice on the topics herein are - even at their worst - infinetlybetter than anything you're going to get on talk radio. And at theirbest, you'll remember why you were so eager to [get it] inthe first place. Therefore, recommended, as long as you get the rightformat.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Look into a Reporters Mind
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: I Expected More
Review: I latched onto Mr. Koppel's book after catching him on NBC's "Today" program in an interview by Katie Couric. It seemed worthwhile to hear a noteworthy journalist's perspective on the world's goings-on. What I discovered was little more than Mr. Koppel's personal journal for 1999, though obviously written for publication. It did indeed intrigue me to find a network newsperson with such utter disdain and dislike for the selfishness and self-serving behavior of Bill Clinton. On occasion, Mr. Koppel's reflections spawned some of my own. Unlike other reviewers whose viewpoints Amazon has posted, I was less disenchanted with the book's content than its format. I wish Mr. Koppel would have established a point in time for the publication and moved topic-to-topic, rather than day-to-day.
Rating: 
Summary: only for those who are in love with Ted
Review: I loved O'Reilly's book (the O'Reilly factor) which succeeds at every point where this book fails. Does anyone really care about Ted's every waking thought spread over 365 entries? Sound contrived and tedious? It is! If I hadn't been delayed on a runway for 6 hours, I would never have gotten through the book, but I was stuck for reading material. I really started to hate Ted by the end of the book for making me this disinterested in some very interesting world events. The problem is, even his interesting thoughts get buried in the mundane details of his family life which, unless you really want to hear about all the visits with his grandchildren, are not that interesting. I guess the best way to classify the book is self-indulgent, as if we all should jump up and down for joy that a famous newsman took the time to give us his daily thoughts for a whole year. The trouble is, I doubt anyone alive today could produce an interesting book from this premise (a daily diary), and certainly not Mr. Koppel. Not even Madonna or any Hollywood star could hold our interest through a year's worth of daily events. If you care about Ted deeply, you may enjoy this book, but for everyone else, I wouldn't recommend it despite many interesting points of view buried within.
Rating:
Summary: only for those who are in love with Ted
Review: I loved O'Reilly's book (the O'Reilly factor) which succeeds at every point where this book fails. Does anyone really care about Ted's every waking thought spread over 365 entries? Sound contrived and tedious? It is! If I hadn't been delayed on a runway for 6 hours, I would never have gotten through the book, but I was stuck for reading material. I really started to hate Ted by the end of the book for making me this disinterested in some very interesting world events. The problem is, even his interesting thoughts get buried in the mundane details of his family life which, unless you really want to hear about all the visits with his grandchildren, are not that interesting. I guess the best way to classify the book is self-indulgent, as if we all should jump up and down for joy that a famous newsman took the time to give us his daily thoughts for a whole year. The trouble is, I doubt anyone alive today could produce an interesting book from this premise (a daily diary), and certainly not Mr. Koppel. Not even Madonna or any Hollywood star could hold our interest through a year's worth of daily events. If you care about Ted deeply, you may enjoy this book, but for everyone else, I wouldn't recommend it despite many interesting points of view buried within.
Rating:
Summary: See me, hear me, me me me...Egotistical romp thru the mind.
Review: I read this book a few months ago . . . actually I quit about halfway through. There were sufficient bad reviews that I was comfortable not warning others to avoid it. But it continues to draw some flies. Please, between Ted sharing his love of the high life and big bucks that being a sassy talking head has given him on his Florida Island retreat with his expensive yacht, you are given snippets of the great man's thought processes. At least he admitted he was wrong about many, many of his predictions, not that we wouldn't have known it anyway. But this 'world according to Ted' isn't just egotistical and greasy, it is written like he wants to be remembered. Just awful.
Rating:
Summary: In Love With Thyself
Review: Mr. Koppell is great on Nightline . . . unforntunately that does not translate to a great book. He concentrates on personal ruminations ranging from walking the dog to taking his father in law to the doctor with an occasional tidbit about Monica thrown in. Not worth the time to read or the $$ to buy.
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