Speed reading

While most Americans have their heads stuck inside the latest Harry Potter book I'm reading other stuff. Believe it or not there are a lot of great books out there that haven't been written by J.K. Rowling. Part of the joy of doing the 9 a.m. show is I get a chance to meet a lot of these authors, and I get a chance to read their books. I have to read them to prepare for my interviews with them. All too often the books show up too late, and I don't get a chance to read them from cover to cover until after I've done the interview. That was the case with the book pictured here to the left.

I figured since I've been reading these books I might as well pass a long a few recommendations. On vacation I wrapped up reading a couple of political books. "No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner." is written by Robert Shrum. Shrum has a winning smile and attitude, but he has a history of tough loses. As a strategist and senior advisor he hooked up with a laundry list of candidates who came up short in their quests for the White House. It's quite a list from Ted Kennedy to Ed Muskie, Walter Mondale, John Kerry, Bob Kerrey, and Al Gore. It's a fascinating read. It will give you new insights into the candidates and the bruising way in which we pick a president.

The other political book I finished chronicles the preparation that went into the David Frost/Richard Nixon interviews. James Reston Jr. wrote "The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews." It's a quick read, but if you are interested in politics and the business of television, you'll like it. Here's a link to Reston's website=http://restonbooks.com/

It's worth noting that Reston only recently came out with the book, although the interviews occurred years ago. There is renewed interest in the battle between Frost and Nixon. So much so it's now a hit play. It had a run in New York. Frost/Nixon is now playing to enthusiastic audiences in London. Frank Langella plays the role of Richard Nixon. It's also slated to become a film directed by Ron Howard.

This week I feel like I've spent some quality time in China. That's because of the book by Oliver August, "Inside the Red Mansion" August writes about his experiences in China. August became the youngest bureau chief there in the history of the Times of London. It's one hilarious tale after another. It provides remarkable insights into how China operates (it doesn't operate well unless you are a fan of corruption) and how everyone it seems is ready to scam the system if given the chance. Oliver says that he approached the book with the thought of sharing a number of stories from Chinese families. But finally he decided that telling the story of China through his eyes was more effective. He's right, it works.

My final recommendation is "It's Not About The Truth", by Don Yaeger with Mike Pressler. Pressler is the forgotten victim of the Duke Lacrosse case. He was the coach of the embattled team. He resigned after the scandal broke.

Pressler kept a diary of his ordeal and shared it with Yaeger. He dealt with hate mail and threats targeted at his family. He moved his children off to live with relatives and friends out of fear for their safety. It's a story of victims and villains.

The list of both is long. It's an indictment of Mike Nifong. It's an indictment of the University leadership. Sadly it's an indictment of a craft I believe in, the news media.

The saddest part of the book is a letter written by one of the victims most of us have never heard of. It's written by Pressler's teenage daughter Janet. Her life was turned upside down.

She pours her heart out into a short note to the President of Duke University. They are powerful words.

One passage reads: "I would have liked this letter to be one in which I described your heroism in your loyalty, leadership, and decisions during the events of last March, but it didn't turn out that way. the lives of my family and the lives of hundreds of others involved in Duke lacrosse were irrevocably changed because of decisions made by you and your staff. In the end, our sacrifice made no positive difference. No apology or promise can restore the lives we led last year."

Speaking of apologies Janet Pressler and the rest of her family are still waiting for them. As Yaeger pointed out to me before our sit down interview the only person to apologize for his role in the debacle is Mike Nifong. The others who joined or fueled the feeding frenzy have moved on.

If you have time to read my stuff maybe you'll find time to read these books too. I know I enjoyed them.