Scott Pelley, former anchor of the CBS evening news and part of the current 60 Minutes reporting team, has written a memoir of his storied career.
In Truth Worth Telling, Pelley gives us glimpses of his coverage of the White House, battle zones around the world, and the selection of Pope Francis; interviews with Nadia Murad who was kidnapped and raped by ISIS and would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for bravely telling her story, parents of slain Sandy Hook Elementary children, and Ben Bernanke in the midst of the Great Recession.
As a teen in Lubbock, TX, Pelley was developed an interest in photography, and lied about his age to get hired as a copy boy, hoping to one day be promoted to photographer. An editor conspiring to keep reporters’ wages low snagged the teen and set him to work as a reporter, and into a 40-some-year career as a news journalist.
Pelley was able to make his way to Ground Zero on 9/11 before the second plane hit, and he gives a riveting account of his on-the-ground experience, the first-responder radio chatter, and who was where as the horrific events evolved. Eighteen years after that awful day, I thought I had seen and heard all the 9/11 stories from every perspective. But Pelley pulls it off; I was transfixed.
Pelley makes no secret of his disapproval of Bill Clinton’s extra-presidential activities involving Monica Lewinsky or what he calls Clinton’s hubris, but his comments regarding Donald Trump are vitriolic. This is the only section where the book is truly acerbic.
I’ve only been able to mention a few of the highlights covered in Pelley’s book. He’s a great storyteller, and this is well worth the read. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, and I think Pelley’s inflections add another layer of “being there”. Don’t miss this one.
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