Talking Back

NBC Foreign Correspondent and White House Reporter Andrea Mitchell has a lot of energy. She does a terrific job as the narrator of her own story. It's a pleasure to hear her deep, polished voice recounting her professional experiences as though each one were simple to accomplish. Her adventures with Fidel Castro are telling and amusing. Her thoughts on Ronald Reagan are equally frank. Especially touching are her stories of finding herself in unusual situations and gracefully (sometimes miraculously) making her way to success. Her reading enhances the drama of her narrative and gives insight to the famous and infamous characters she has encountered in the last quarter-century. No one else could have done better. M.R.E. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

September 1, 2005
Mitchell's narration, as expected, is flawless. Her delivery is stamped with the distinctive inflections and authoritative husk TV viewers have come to know during her 30 years as a broadcast journalist, primarily with NBC. But for a memoir, this is a double-edged sword, for often the impression is: "This is Andrea Mitchell reporting live from the career of Andrea Mitchell." Rare are the truly personal moments, so her voice betrays little vulnerability. Even in the treatment of her marriage to Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, she maintains a mostly matter-of-fact tone about its unusual nature given their respective professions. Mitchell does allow a bit of personality to shine with her impersonations of Ronald Reagan and whiffs of resentment when considering antagonistic Reagan chief of staff Donald Regan. No doubt Mitchell has had to be tough. From the Jonestown massacre to the Iraq War, from Carter to Bush II, she has covered it all, regularly landing exclusives and beating the competition in a traditionally male-dominated profession. But ultimately, Mitchell's unwavering manner, which serves her well as a journalist, deprives the listener seeking deeper passages into the human heart, especially one that has beat so close to some of this country's most historic events.

If a book ever begged to be read by the author, this is it. Anyone who has ever heard Mitchell narrate a broadcast can attest to her vivid pronunciation, pacing, and striking voice. She has written an interesting, serious, sometimes chatty book about her years as an NBC reporter, but the narration has been left to Melissa Edris, and the contrast is striking. Edris's voice has a tone that is easy to listen to, but she reads far too fast, swallows and mispronounces words, and zips by Mitchell's witticisms and sly ironic asides like a semi on the interstate. The result is a less than respectful treatment of late- twentieth-century history. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 15, 2006
Political and news junkies are in for a treat with Mitchell's revealing memoir of her 30 years as a journalist. While she embarked on her career at a time when it was uncommon for women to report hard news, she certainly didn't ease into the business. For one of her first major stories, Mitchell flew to Guyana to cover the 1978 Jonestown massacre -after the previous NBC correspondent had been murdered by Jim Jones's assassins. As a White House correspondent, the author covered Presidents Carter through George W. Bush. In addition to offering a behind-the-scenes view of presidential politics, her recollections give listeners a glimpse at the human sides of the Presidents and their families. She also discusses her marriage to Alan Greenspan and how it is sometimes difficult to balance her life as a -Washington insider - with her journalistic career. Mitchell's reading of the abridged edition is engrossing, but many listeners will want all the details included in the unabridged version, capably read by Melissa Edris. Both programs are highly recommended." -Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., OH"

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