Whirlwind - by Bill Kurtis (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Starting with his coverage of the largest tornado in Kansas history, legendary correspondent, anchorman, and producer Bill Kurtis details his whirlwind career reporting American history as it unfolded, from the Chicago Seven to Charles Manson to Agent Orange. A fast-paced, entertaining, and inspiring story about the potent combination of talent and luck in the network era of television.

From his beginnings as a kid from Kansas working at local radio and television stations to pay for college and law school, Bill Kurtis had a hunger for telling stories and finding the truth. With passion, skill, and just the right amount of luck, Kurtis's reporting of the infamous Topeka Tornado of 1966 launched him into a whirlwind career in broadcast journalism. Only four years later, after passing the Kansas bar exam, Kurtis had already reported four of the largest trials of the twentieth century: Richard Speck, the Chicago Seven, Charles Manson, and Angela Davis.

During his career as a West Coast correspondent for Cronkite's CBS Evening News, anchorman and foreign correspondent at the revolutionary local newsroom at WBBM-TV Chicago, co-anchor with Dianne Sawyer at CBS Morning News, and beyond, Kurtis brought history to the American people in real time.

Recounting moments in his remarkable career as a television journalist, Kurtis brings us into some of the most iconic moments of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. He was in the streets during the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; he uncovered the truth about the deadly effects of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; he was the first US television journalist to return to Chernobyl after the infamous nuclear disaster; and much more. Kurtis also offers an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media.

A natural storyteller, Kurtis remembers his career with honesty and insight and gives a rare picture of American history and broadcast journalism.

Review Quotes

"Whirlwind is Bill Kurtis's story of his journey from the stormy skies of Kansas to the bright lights of Chicago and New York, from local reporter to big time television news. Bill has a good story to tell and he tells it well."--Dan Rather, Journalist

"Whirlwind offers a unique view of television journalism, told through the six-decade career of Bill Kurtis--anchorman, CBS News correspondent, master storyteller, and both the iconic voice and guiding force behind the Golden Age of cable documentaries, not to mention his unmistakable narration in the movie Anchorman. Bill brings us the story behind the stories, a vivid reminder that before they were history, they were news."--Joe Garner, author of We Interrupt this Broadcast: The Events That Stopped Our Lives...from the Hindenburg to the Death of John F. Kennedy Jr.

"If there was a major story of the late 20th Century and beyond that Bill Kurtis didn't cover, it was only because he was off somewhere else covering something even more important: the Chicago 7, the Manson Family, Agent Orange, Chernobyl and more. Not just the iconic anchorman, Bill is the quintessential journalist: going everywhere, talking to everybody and usually getting it all on film. It's common to say one stands on the shoulders of giants--I get to stand next to one."--Peter Sagal, host of the National Public Radio's game show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! and author of The Incomplete Book of Running

"Bill Kurtis found the perfect formula for his stellar career: strong skills, honed instincts, passion for his work, friends, and, yes, luck. Not to mention THAT voice! This book by a great storyteller should be a primer for aspiring journalists. Written with a journalist's eye for details and Bill's keen sense of humor, the book educates and entertains."--Ann M. Brill, Dean of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications