August 22, 2005
In this tepid memoir, the 60 Minutes
grand inquisitor appears rather manipulative, turning on a dime from unctuous insinuation to prosecutorial grilling, always searching for the point of emotional revelation when his subject weeps, rants or flounders in self-incriminating panic. Wallace includes many transcripts of such moments from his 50-year interviewing career, but with a few exceptions—a breakdown by JFK bodyguard Clint Hill, Norman Mailer calling Eisenhower a "bit of a woman"—they feel flat on the page, couched as they are in rambling, repetitive conversational prose (readers may find the accompanying DVD of broadcast highlights—not seen by PW
—somewhat livelier). Stripped of televisual aura, the transcripts also reveal the paucity of hard information Wallace uncovers; often, the interviews are more like theatrical showcases for the behind-the-scenes grunt work of journalistic fact-finding. Wallace himself seems to have learned little from it, to judge by his background commentary, which consists mainly of historical glosses interwoven with usually friendly (or adulatory) personal reminiscences of famous interviewees. Wallace does offer intriguing, if defensive, accounts of journalistic crises like CBS's censoring of a 60 Minutes
interview with tobacco whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand. Otherwise, the book is a dull and not illuminating read. Agent, Bill Adler
.
September 15, 2005
Presidents, celebrities, con men, and social activists are the focus of this insightful and thoughtful memoir by venerable "60 Minutes" journalist Wallace and collaborator Gates. Unlike Wallace's 1984 autobiography, "Close Encounters", which chronicled his career to that point, this work profiles some of the subjects he has interviewed throughout the years -e.g., Eleanor Roosevelt, Malcolm X, and Frank Lloyd Wright -and in the process provides a global and historical overview of the last six decades. Chapter headings broadly describe each interviewee's occupation or activity, and actual interview excerpts are included. Wallace's personal connections to his subjects, evident when he details his longtime friendship with Nancy Reagan and his experience growing up in the same Brookline neighborhood as the Kennedys, provide context, add depth to the interviews, and create sympathetic portraits. The reader also gets a sense of how Wallace developed his confrontational interview style and how it occasionally led to disastrous results. The writing is informative, humorous, and laced with a journalist's passion for getting the story right. Recommended for public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/15/05.] -Regina M. Beard, Kansas State Univ. Lib., Manhattan
Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2005
From the perspective of 60 years of reporting, most notably with " 60 Minutes" respected newsman Wallace, in his second memoir, shares interviews with the famous and the infamous, including personal observations on the friends and enemies he's made along the way. Interspersing clips from interviews with commentary, Wallace also provides the historical context and backstory. In 1971, talking to President Lyndon B. Johnson two years after leaving office, Wallace goads the desolate and compulsively controlling Johnson to speak about the legacy of the Vietnam War. Wallace relates his own personal struggles with depression, a malady he publicly shared with William Styron and Art Buchwald. He relates his respect for the penetrating intelligence and political savvy of Richard Nixon, his admiration for the public service spirit of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, and his long friendship with Nancy Reagan, including a public falling out and a public patching up on " Larry King Live." He includes a chapter featuring interviews with con artists and crooks, which " 60 Minutes" is famous for unveiling, and a chapter featuring beloved celebrities Shirley MacLaine, Vanessa Redgrave, Barbra Streisand, and others. The book also includes a 90-minute DVD of clips from Wallace's more famous interviews.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)