Search - Brinkley's Beat: People, Places, and Events That Shaped My Time

Excellent book. I enjoyed this. In this posthumously published memoir, Brinkley's well-known wry perspective is brought to bear on some of the most notable people, places, and events of his 50 years in television news. Brinkley came to Washington, D.C., in 1943 to begin a career that would put him in contact with an array of memorable figures, including Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo, whose career was "distinguished by its unabashed racism," and Congressman Martin Dies, the original architect of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Brinkley covered 11 presidents during his career but profiles only 3: cunning, energetic Lyndon Johnson; Ronald Reagan, whom Brinkley found impenetrable, "a man who filtered reality through a set of assumptions and preconceptions that he refused to question"; and Bill Clinton, coming to office with great promise but ultimately as overestimated as president as he had been underestimated as a candidate. The places Brinkley recalls include Normandy in 1944 and 1994 and black-and-white Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s. Given his longevity as a television journalist, his access to the powerful and influential, and his own sardonic perspective, Brinkley offers an engrossing look at the most fascinating people and events of the last half-century in a fitting capstone to his memorable career. Vanessa Bush

His writing style is as captivating as his reporting style. It's always interesting, to me at least, to see what those who really do keep up with the news think about it in retrospect.