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. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly 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. Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist 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. Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved