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A Reporter's Life
Peter Jennings' book details his unique perspective on news
 | | "Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life" Edited by Kate Darnton, Kayce Freed Jennings and Lynn Sherr PublicAffairs, $27.95) |
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For many Americans, Peter Jennings was the voice and face that gave shape to the news.
Born in Canada, Jennings hosted a radio broadcast when he was 9. And although he was a high-school dropout, he was determined to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist. In 1965, he was hired to anchor ABC's 15- minute evening news digest. He was 26 years old, making him the youngest anchor in the history of American journalism.
And that was the problem. His inexperience created a disaster on the air, and he was quickly replaced and eventually sent to the Middle East as a correspondent. Jennings returned to ABC's World News Tonight as one of three hosts. He became sole anchor in 1983, a post he handled with intellect and grace until his death in 2005 from complications of lung cancer.
"Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life" is a very intimate book that is full of surprises. For example, he was an autodidact - a self-taught person - who traveled the world in search of stories. He kept a notebook perpetually tucked into his back pocket and was never without a copy of the U.S. Constitution. He loved the United States and acquired citizenship shortly before his death.
The book is edited by an almost perfect literary trifecta: Kate Darnton is a contributing editor to PublicAffairs; Kayce Freed Jennings was married to Peter Jennings from 1997 until his death; and Lynn Sherr is an award-winning correspondent with ABC News and often worked with him.
Throughout his life, Jennings was driven by a passion to seek the truth and convey the truth accurately, simply, cleanly and, yes, elegantly to his American audience. He was also a decent human being, both on camera and off, and that is why his death was so profoundly felt.
Books reviewed in this column are available online or at your local bookstore.
(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.
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