In the tradition of Barbara Walters's Audition and Katie Couric's “Going There”, legendary journalist Connie Chung delves into her storied career and the hard-fought lessons she learned while trying to succeed as a Chinese-American woman in a white, male-dominated media business.
Before Connie Chung was a renowned journalist, she was a pioneer. In 1969 at the age of 23, this shy daughter of Chinese immigrants took her first job at a local TV station in her hometown of Washington, D.C. and soon thereafter began working at CBS news as a correspondent. Despite the sexism and racism, she quickly learned was endemic to white, male-dominated newsrooms-an affliction she called "big shot-itis"-she was tenacious in her pursuit of stories. In the span of only a few years, she covered the 1972 presidential campaign of Senator George McGovern and Democratic convention, the Vice Presidency of Nelson Rockefeller and the Watergate Scandal and became a household name. In 1993 she made history when she was named co-anchor of the CBS Evening News-she was the first woman to ever hold the position and the first Asian-American to anchor any news program.
In “Connie”, Chung provides a behind-the-scenes look at her singular life, and nothing is off limits. From her family's daring escape from China and her experience growing up in the United States as the child of immigrants; to her marriage to Maury Povich; to interviews with Magic Johnson, Marlon Brando and every president since Richard Nixon. She pulls no punches, especially when it comes to the bad behavior of powerful men. Through these stories, Chung offers an intimate look at what it meant to be an Asian woman in a white male centered world. Funny, irreverent, and ultimately inspiring, “Connie” is an informative piece of modern history and the definitive memoir of an icon. Connie Chung, pioneer news anchor and reporter was the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News, the flagship news broadcast on CBS. Connie was only the second woman to anchor any network evening broadcast in television history.
The early part of Connie Chung's narration is a bit uneven--perhaps because of the personal nature of discussing her Chinese heritage and her parents' high expectations for her achievement in life. Once she settles in, her performance of this evocative, informative, and insightful memoir is flawless. Heavy with acerbic wit and "teases" for upcoming chapters, it frequently displays her sense of hum
