A Book A Week

Where do you get your news? Like most of my fellow millennials, I mostly consume news from social media and on my phone. I'm grateful to have access to so many different sources, but filtering through all of the noise can be quite the task. My earliest recollections of being aware of the news stem from watching my grandfather consume the morning newspaper and completing the daily crossword puzzle. For decades, the local newspaper was the best way to learn what was going on in your community. Acclaimed journalist Carl Bernstein is no stranger to the allure of the news. In fact, his landmark reporting on the Watergate Scandal marked the beginning of the end for Richard Nixon's presidency. In his new book Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom, Bernstein recalls his early years as a young man looking to make his mark on history. 

At just sixteen years old, Carl Bernstein landed a job as a copy boy at Washington's Evening Star. Using his knowledge of the town he grew up in, he quickly ingratiated himself with the more tenured newspaper men. A career in journalism, however, seemed far away for the young man who was struggling to pass even the most rudimentary of high school courses. It isn't that Bernstein wasn't smart. In fact, in his early days with the Evening Star, he was already showing the potential to become an observant and nuanced reporter. Still, he would have to graduate from school if he ever dreamed of making a career out of the news. 

Bernstein's beginning in the business couldn't have come at a more noteworthy time. Some of his first assignments centered around attending campaign events for the young presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy, crime sprees in the city, and the growing movement for civil rights. Unlike other reporters, both up and coming and tenured, Bernstein had a knack for connecting with the people involved in the stories he told. His connection to the city and the people gave him an advantage that saw him become a reporter for the publication at only nineteen years old. 

Chasing History is a time capsule of sorts. The time and place that Bernstein tells about is one that I've only read about in history books or seen in old newsreels. Bernstein transports the reader to this era through his vivid descriptions, candid recollections, and quick wit. Just as the country was on the cusp of great changes, so was this young man growing into adulthood. Bernstein's personal life is intertwined with news-making history. He's grappling with the injustices of racism as he struggles to graduate from high school. He sees the nation mourn the death of a young president as he brims with the hope of growing personal romance. Bernstein's willingness to give the reader unbridled access to his life during this time helps to ground the larger historical moments in a reality that every reader can relate to. Chasing History succeeds as a memoir, origin story of an incredible career, and chronicle of history. 

For more information visit the author's website and Goodreads.