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At the age of 87, Mike Wallace is a legendary figure in broadcast journalism. Now, after 60 years of reporting on important events around the world, he shares his personal stories about the incredible range of celebrities, newsmakers, criminals, and world leaders who have subjected themselves to his unique brand of questioning. Through Wallace's intimate observations about these figures, we experience afresh the pivotal events that have shaped our world. Here, we meet the guilt-racked Secret Service agent assigned to John F. Kennedy's car in Dallas. We learn about the candid moment when President Nixon revealed an unexpected softer side. We witness the underpinnings of the century's greatest social movement through Wallace's eyes as he manages to earn the trust of major civil rights leaders, and we see the trauma Wallace experienced while covering the conflict in Israel. These off-camera anecdotes and fascinating excerpts from Wallace's interviews--with everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to all the presidents of the last half century, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Johnny Carson, from Margaret Sanger to Malcom X--give us a new perspective on some of the greatest lives and minds of our time. With a reporter's eye for detail, Wallace mingles laughter, tragedy, and revelatory insight in a memoir unlike any other. For anyone who's ever wondered what it's like to make history for a living, this is a must-read.… (more)
User reviews
Wallace’s career as an interviewer lasted for six decades. He died at 93. On 60 Minutes, things didn’t always go smoothly. At times, he and the show were controversial. He butted heads with the CBS brass. This was especially true with the investigation of William C. Westmoreland’s leadership during the Vietnam war. Problems with this program led to millions-of dollars law suit that resulted in sleepless nights, and depression, but was eventually withdrawn.
Of the hundreds of interviews, Wallace talked with presidents – all except one, artists, authors, singers -Barbara Streisand, and Tina Turner. His shows about First Ladies - Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosalynn Carter were revealing. Black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcom X were about Civil Rights. He however had some difficulty before landing an interview with Johnny Carson, the reigning king of the Tonight Show.