Rating: 
Summary: This Just In- But That Doesn't Mean You Should Read It
Review: The CBS icon and Face the Nation host reveals little that his viewers don't already know as he tries to cash in before he's shown the door at the Tiffany network. This book does reinforce his unwritten role as weekly spinmeister for the Democratic National Committee with its anecdotes of minor peccadilloes and behind-the-scene struggles of reporting. Don't look for huge revelations or belly laughs, just more homespun homilies delivered without the audible pontificating inflections.
Rating: 
Summary: Early Years Good - Later Years Bland
Review: The first half of this book is engaging and a great read. Bob's tales of his career in Fort Worth in the 1960s are worth the cost of the book. The problem is that the farther Bob gets away from Fort Worth the less critical his eye gets and the blander gets his writing. By the time you reach the Larry Tisch years at CBS it's pretty much like a day-old enchilada, once it was good and now it's just mushy and bland. So read the first part and then set it down. You'll feel better about Bob and the book if you do.
Rating: 
Summary: His story, not history, is what he couldn't tell you....
Review: The title alludes to all kinds of 'secrets' to be told, and at a time when the debate over journalism itself is as much the topic of controversy, you would expect views and opinions relating to this as well as events throughout history. He covers historical events, but only as they effect him and his career. I would say there is a fair balance of insights on the news, and insights on himself. I kept waiting for something new on events of the past, but for the most part it was the same old stuff rehashed. This is due mainly because a lot of the story is about how he had been somewhere else as big news was taking place. You can't be everywhere at once, but he was rarely 'in the thick of things', and most of the 'inside' stuff was about the history makers he knew on a 'personal' level, though you get the impression it wasn't as personal as he makes it out to be.I stopped looking for deep secrets when he referred to Al Gore's irrelevant statement about the Internet as 'a tall tale'. Anyone that doesn't take the media for granted and actually investigates this statement in context can see he doesn't think he 'invented' the Internet. The fact that Bob would make such a statement illustrates why his career took the course it did, and puts all the excuses throughout the book in their true light. Still, if you want to know about the man, the book is very informative.
Rating:
Summary: Deceptive advertising
Review: The title gives the impression that the reader will learn facts that could not be aired on TV at the time of the incident. But this is an auto-biography starting when Bob was in college.
Rating: 
Summary: Extra details
Review: This book by Bob Schieffer (on audio from Recorded Books) is an interesting account of details held back from many of the major news stories since the JFK murder of 1963. That event was the starting point for Schieffer's work and it started with a lucky break for a young man working at a Ft. Worth, Texas newspaper that Autumn day. From that moment til some heart felt memories of the 9/11 tragedy, Schieffer shares some of the high and low points of his 40 year journalist career. He observed the news and the news makers and collected stories and memories, many of which remained untold until today. As someone with a small career in broadcast journalism, I especially enjoyed this work. For someone unfamiliar with the ins and outs of journalism, this book will be a delight. He moves from the shooting of JFK, to the downing of Robert Kennedy, to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, to the campus civil unrest of the 60s, Vietnam and presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush...as well as the horrors of 9-11-01. Along the way he speaks candidly about many of the other newsmakers he met and befriended during his long career. These sniplets give the reader a little more appreciation for the quirks of many politicians and others in the news. The copy moves along swiftly as Schieffer ( pronounced She-fer) read his own book in this audio version. His voice was so familiar after many years with CBS it was as though I had the TV on. This is a book about news though he does take the time to be personal with a few comments about his wife, Pat and their two daughters and the struggles they faced as he moved about as a CBS reporter from Texas to Washington to New York and back to Washington. You will see the human side of a man we perhaps only recognize as that "guy on TV". It is a delightful book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This book deserves a very high rating, but it will be most appreciated by readers who have been interested in politics
for quite a few years. The author, Bob Schieffer, has been
reporting for what seems like a long time, and some of his funniest, revealing stories happened early in his career. One of
his oddest happened the day JFK was shot; he was then a reporter
on the big Ft.Worth daily paper, and he got a call from Oswald's
mother, asking for a ride to Dallas. Yes, he was surprised, and
he still has no explanation why such a call was made to the newspaper. But, being a young, gung-ho reporter, he immediately
got a car and took her to the Dallas jail where Lee Harvey was being held, all in the hope of course of getting a nice interview.
But he concluded the Oswald mother wasn't quite mentally
100%, so he worked his reporter magic and got into a room with
Oswald's wife, hoping for an interview with her. Then it turned out
Maria could only speak Russian! His big break wasn't going anywhere, then an FBI agent finally asked him who he was with,
and he was finally thrown out. All without any real story.
And his early days were filled with stories like that, and he relates
them with humor and warmth.
He is almost a throwback, when the men and woman on TV were
real reporters and journalists, so what we usually see on TV now
is a shallow image of what we used to get.
Schieffer also shows considerable honesty by admitting that
most political reporters do, in fact, have personal views and prejudices that sometimes creep into their reporting and commentaries. Most TV people refuse to admit such an obvious
fact, and Schieffer deserves credit for telling the truth.
He is from a Democrat family in Texas, and he married a woman
from a prominent Ft.Worth Democrat family, and those facts have
to color his thoughts at times. And, somewhat oddly in view of
his concern for honesty, he admits that the Presidents he personally liked most were LBJ and Clinton, the 2 most sleazy,
self-centered, dishonest men to ever hold that office. But he also
says he always liked Ford, and he has to admit that his admiration
for Clinton became more diminished as time went on.
But Schieffer has been among the most thoughtful, and most
traveled, reporters with CBS, and he relates stories from most hot
spots in the world, and some of his most interesting stories are
from his days of being the Congressional correspondent, as well
as his days as Pentagon correspondent. He worked with nearly
everyone in both places, and his observations are all but amazing
against today's backdrop of high concern for security. You need
to read about the time when he could just walk into the Pentagon
without question, and he relates he didn't even bother to get press
credentials for a long time, because they weren't needed in those
days.
You can gain some nice insights from reading of all the hours he
spent waiting in the White House press room, and his relationships with various staff members connected with several Administrations.
He also relates several stories about his family relationships and
how difficult they were to handle along with his very demanding
job. Read about his work schedule when he was constantly flying back and forth between Washington, DC and N.Y., and most of
us will wonder how in the world he managed to keep up. He has
put in tremendous hours and effort trying to get the best story
and supporting the others at CBS, and it shows here.
For "political junkies," this is an absolute must. And if you are interested in charting some of the changes in the concept of
journalism, here is a good source.
Schieffer's writing style reflects his training in old-fashioned reporting, where every word counted, and his stories just flow
on from one funny story to another, fascinating, story. His personal interest in getting the facts, and the best stories, show
here, and this is a fun and easy book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This book deserves a very high rating, but it will be most appreciated by readers who have been interested in politics
for quite a few years. The author, Bob Schieffer, has been
reporting for what seems like a long time, and some of his funniest, revealing stories happened early in his career. One of
his oddest happened the day JFK was shot; he was then a reporter
on the big Ft.Worth daily paper, and he got a call from Oswald's
mother, asking for a ride to Dallas. Yes, he was surprised, and
he still has no explanation why such a call was made to the newspaper. But, being a young, gung-ho reporter, he immediately
got a car and took her to the Dallas jail where Lee Harvey was being held, all in the hope of course of getting a nice interview.
But he concluded the Oswald mother wasn't quite mentally
100%, so he worked his reporter magic and got into a room with
Oswald's wife, hoping for an interview with her. Then it turned out
Maria could only speak Russian! His big break wasn't going anywhere, then an FBI agent finally asked him who he was with,
and he was finally thrown out. All without any real story.
And his early days were filled with stories like that, and he relates
them with humor and warmth.
He is almost a throwback, when the men and woman on TV were
real reporters and journalists, so what we usually see on TV now
is a shallow image of what we used to get.
Schieffer also shows considerable honesty by admitting that
most political reporters do, in fact, have personal views and prejudices that sometimes creep into their reporting and commentaries. Most TV people refuse to admit such an obvious
fact, and Schieffer deserves credit for telling the truth.
He is from a Democrat family in Texas, and he married a woman
from a prominent Ft.Worth Democrat family, and those facts have
to color his thoughts at times. And, somewhat oddly in view of
his concern for honesty, he admits that the Presidents he personally liked most were LBJ and Clinton, the 2 most sleazy,
self-centered, dishonest men to ever hold that office. But he also
says he always liked Ford, and he has to admit that his admiration
for Clinton became more diminished as time went on.
But Schieffer has been among the most thoughtful, and most
traveled, reporters with CBS, and he relates stories from most hot
spots in the world, and some of his most interesting stories are
from his days of being the Congressional correspondent, as well
as his days as Pentagon correspondent. He worked with nearly
everyone in both places, and his observations are all but amazing
against today's backdrop of high concern for security. You need
to read about the time when he could just walk into the Pentagon
without question, and he relates he didn't even bother to get press
credentials for a long time, because they weren't needed in those
days.
You can gain some nice insights from reading of all the hours he
spent waiting in the White House press room, and his relationships with various staff members connected with several Administrations.
He also relates several stories about his family relationships and
how difficult they were to handle along with his very demanding
job. Read about his work schedule when he was constantly flying back and forth between Washington, DC and N.Y., and most of
us will wonder how in the world he managed to keep up. He has
put in tremendous hours and effort trying to get the best story
and supporting the others at CBS, and it shows here.
For "political junkies," this is an absolute must. And if you are interested in charting some of the changes in the concept of
journalism, here is a good source.
Schieffer's writing style reflects his training in old-fashioned reporting, where every word counted, and his stories just flow
on from one funny story to another, fascinating, story. His personal interest in getting the facts, and the best stories, show
here, and this is a fun and easy book to read.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Memoir
Review: This book is a thoroughly enjoyable memoir written by a principled man and fair-minded reporter. It's a light read that includes interesting tales of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and the Vietnam war, to name just a few topics. I was intrigued by his insights into Senator George McGovern. Although some of his personal anecdotes are less interesting, on the whole it is worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Impartial, Good Reading
Review: This book proved to be impartial and informative good reading. I expected more political bias, especially considering the environment the past couple years, but it was refreshingly free of that. In a few areas where controversial things were discussed, it was handled in a level-headed manner. This is an easy way to get a bird's-eye view of political coverage over the past 40 years. Very refreshing.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best of the "oh yeah I remember that" books
Review: This is a terrific book. It is not an important book, but it is full of terrific "oh yeah's" for anyone over 40 years old. This is because Schieffer's memoirs will jog your memory. Oh yeah, I remember when President Ford dumped his VP, Rockefeller, and put Bob Dole on the ticket. Oh yeah, I remember when Ford pardoned Nixon. Oh yeah, I remember when Tower's nomination to the Cabinet got derailed, a young congressman... what was his name? Oh yeah, it was Dick Cheney who eventually became Secretary of Defense. Much of Schiffer's career is the result of good and bad timing. And his book deals with this in a direct and self effacing way. Dan Rather was ahead of him at the White House, on the weekend news. Walter Chronkite and Leslie Stahl preceeded him in the "Face the Nation" slot. He is candid about his first, incorrect reaction to the Watergate breakin reports. His stories about the competitiveness of tv reporters and anchors have a refreshing honesty to them. But this is no kiss and tell book. When he relates a story about another reporter with a drinking problem, he does not disclose the name, or circumstances. He has the grace and dignity to leave out details that would have us all guessing who it might be. Schiffer is not a gossip, and I applaud him for that. The timing of the publication of this book could have been better. It was published in hard cover just the the US and the UK were preparing for war with Iraq. But, I suspect that Schiffer will take it in stride. Perhaps, the soft cover will come out at a better time. Schiffer's book is easy and delightful reading for anyone who has followed the last 25 or 30 years of national news. It won't change your life or the way you see things. It won't give you great original insight into the issues of these days. It will however provide hours of pure enjoyment as you read it. I highly recommend This Just In.
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