Carl Bernstein was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and he knew from a small boy what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a newspaper reporter and at age sixteen, he managed to get a job on the Washington Star as a copy boy. Carl was the kind of kid who overachieved and he was always there at the newspaper, always ready to do anything he was asked to do. He's go anywhere and talk to anyone. As time went on, he began to have short pieces in the paper and by the time he was nineteen, he was writing stories on almost a daily basis.

This is the memoir of those early days. It was the time of change. John F. Kennedy was running for President and Bernstein was able to report on his appearances locally. He went to car wrecks and fires and an airplane crash where there were no survivors. Bernstein came from a liberal family, with his mother refusing to testify in front of Joseph McCarthy's Senate committee, and his biggest interest was in civil rights. He got to know many of the leaders of the movement and reported on the atrocities happening in the South as well as the slow progress of the Civil Rights Act through Congress. He was there for the worst story of his times, the Kennedy assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald.

What most comes through in this book is the friendliness and energy of Carl Bernstein. He was friends with anyone, even those diametrically opposed in their viewpoints. He kept up this networking throughout his life, loyal to those he knew in his youth. Carl didn't finish college; he barely graduated high school because he would not attend for days on end, days that he instead spent in the newsroom. He was present for some of the most momentous events of the time and of course, in his next job at the Washington Post, ended up bringing down Richard Nixon's administration in the Watergate scandal which he and Bob Woodward reported on. I listened to this book and the narrator was able to accurately portray the excitement of covering the news. Bernstein narrated the prologue and epilogue and his voice helped me visualize what he must have been like as a teenager doing what he loved. This book is recommended for those interested in memoirs and historical events.

Whew there are so many times I wish I was alive in the 60s—the music, the fashion, the erm…recreational activities and of course the salacious political scandals. This book takes us all the way there in a wild, hilarious, intense, and sometimes quite moving history of a very special time, place and person ✌🏼

What insight Bernstein provides for the world of journalism! Fascinating! I always knew of Woodward and Bernstein for their exposure of Nixon's antics during Watergate. Admiration for their exhaustive reporting and uncovering of the threat to democracy was invaluable. This book served as background into the makings of a reporter and all that entails.
The writing was humorous, engaging and thought-provoking. The history behind the country's history was fascinating. His description of the Kennedy era and the civil rights movement made me understand the events even more. His recounting of his rise throughout the newspaper industry was so astute. It was easy to experience the ups and downs of a newsroom through the eye-opening writing.
Since I live in the Washington, DC, area, it was especially fun to read about places that I am familiar with and drive by frequently..
The narrator did a great job and I enjoyed Bernstein's voice interspersed with him. It was a wonderful read for tis historic and journalistic perspectives.

I am still listening to this book, and I am loving it. What a great insight into the evolution of a journalist, and a great one at that. I can’t wait for my rising journalist son to read this book.

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.

My knowledge of Carl Bernstein prior to reading his book was his connection with Woodward and the book, later movie ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (which I have not read/ or watched - but soon will do both). I was a toddler when Watergate broke and have no personal recollection or knowledge. That being said, I was intrigued to hear Mr. Bernstein's back story and how he became a journalist.

I was fascinated by his dedication to journalism, for which he had great passion. I enjoyed reading about his first-hand accounts of rallies and gatherings. The way he described the news of Kennedy's assassination was powerful.

This was not a book I would have picked up at the library (or bookstore) to read, but I am so glad I was introduced to Mr. Bernstein through his own words and recollections.

The narrators (Mr. Petkoff and Mr. Bernstein) were fascinating to listen to in this audiobook. It felt like the stories were being presented just to me, as if we were in the same room.

Although I am not a huge journalism buff by any means, I did find this quite interesting. It was a great look at the newspaper industry and how it emerged. I found it to be particularly interesting towards the end but didn't love the middle chapters quite as much. This isn't my typical reading choice but I figured I would give something else a shot for once and I am glad I did. This was well researched and written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am fascinated by Carl Bernstein and the same goes for this book. Glad I got it in audio because it was great to hear on my recent road trip.

In <i>Chasing History</i>, Carl Berstein recalls his first years in the world of newspapers, working for the Washington Star in D.C., starting at the age of 16. It was the early 1960s, and he covered many significant events during his time there.

This was a really intriguing look into the way newspapers worked back in the 1960s. The book was a good blend of his personal life, professional life, and the news of the day. There is quite a long epilogue if you want to know what happened to many of the people mentioned in the book after its end.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

An immersive shadow box into 1960s D.C. Anyone interested in history or the history of reporting will find this autobiography with humorous vignettes highly entertaining and informative. Having spent much of my life in the D.C. area, I found Mr. Bernstein's reference to landmarks quite the trip down memory lane. Explore the exciting innards of the Washington Star and its vital organs, the paperboys and printers. Narrator entertains with hijinks and insights into some of history's biggest moments.