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Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival
From one of America’s leading reporters comes a deeply personal, extraordinarily powerful look at the most volatile crises he has witnessed around the world, from New Orleans to Baghdad and beyond.
Dispatches from the Edge of the World is a book that gives us a rare up-close glimpse of what happens when the normal order of things is suddenly turned upside down, whether it’s a natural disaster, a civil war, or a heated political battle. Over the last year, few people have witnessed more scenes of chaos and conflict than Anderson Cooper, whose groundbreaking coverage on CNN has become the touchstone of twenty-first century journalism. This book explores in a very personal way the most important - and most dangerous - crises of our time, and the surprising impact they have had on his life.
From the devastating tsunami in South Asia to the suffering Niger, and ultimately Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Cooper shares his own experiences of traversing the globe, covering the world’s most astonishing stories. As a television journalist, he has the gift of speaking with an emotional directness that cuts through the barriers of the medium. In his first book, that passion communicates itself through a rich fabric of memoir and reportage, reflection and first-person narrative. Unflinching and utterly engrossing, this is the story of an extraordinary year in a reporter’s life.
Dispatches from the Edge of the World is a book that gives us a rare up-close glimpse of what happens when the normal order of things is suddenly turned upside down, whether it’s a natural disaster, a civil war, or a heated political battle. Over the last year, few people have witnessed more scenes of chaos and conflict than Anderson Cooper, whose groundbreaking coverage on CNN has become the touchstone of twenty-first century journalism. This book explores in a very personal way the most important - and most dangerous - crises of our time, and the surprising impact they have had on his life.
From the devastating tsunami in South Asia to the suffering Niger, and ultimately Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Cooper shares his own experiences of traversing the globe, covering the world’s most astonishing stories. As a television journalist, he has the gift of speaking with an emotional directness that cuts through the barriers of the medium. In his first book, that passion communicates itself through a rich fabric of memoir and reportage, reflection and first-person narrative. Unflinching and utterly engrossing, this is the story of an extraordinary year in a reporter’s life.
222 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
305 people are currently reading
5203 people want to read
About the author
Anderson Cooper
14 books1,106 followersAnderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator currently anchoring the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, produced by CBS News. After graduating from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, he began traveling the world, shooting footage of war-torn regions for Channel One News. Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent in 1995, but he soon took more jobs throughout the network, working for a short time as a co-anchor, reality game show host, and fill-in morning talk show host.
In 2001, Cooper joined CNN, where he was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°; he has remained the show's host since. He developed a reputation for his on-the-ground reporting of breaking news events, with his coverage of Hurricane Katrina causing his popularity to sharply increase. For his coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Cooper received a National Order of Honour and Merit, the highest honor granted by the Haitian government. From September 2011 to May 2013, he also served as the host of his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live.
Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, as well as an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club in 2011. A member of the Vanderbilt family, he came out as gay in 2012, becoming "the most prominent gay journalist on American television". In 2016, Cooper became the first LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate, and he has received several GLAAD Media Awards.
In 2001, Cooper joined CNN, where he was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°; he has remained the show's host since. He developed a reputation for his on-the-ground reporting of breaking news events, with his coverage of Hurricane Katrina causing his popularity to sharply increase. For his coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Cooper received a National Order of Honour and Merit, the highest honor granted by the Haitian government. From September 2011 to May 2013, he also served as the host of his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live.
Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, as well as an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club in 2011. A member of the Vanderbilt family, he came out as gay in 2012, becoming "the most prominent gay journalist on American television". In 2016, Cooper became the first LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate, and he has received several GLAAD Media Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,075 reviews
June 22, 2013
It's unbelievable that many reviews for this book tend to focus on the completely irrelevant fact that Anderson Cooper is gay. It proves his point about how many simply forget about disasters. Here the book outlines disasters all over the world and goes into extreme detail about Hurricane Katrina and yet "Is he really gay" are the words in the first reviews that pop up. Some of you folks make me sick.
This book is intense. The Hurricane Katrina piece is especially jarring. I highly recommend this easy to read, not so easy to digest account of what it was like behind the cameras. Behind the things a puritanical society won't allow to be shown, or spoken of, on television. This is a shockingly heartfelt memoir, far away from such immature questions about the authors sexuality.
This book is intense. The Hurricane Katrina piece is especially jarring. I highly recommend this easy to read, not so easy to digest account of what it was like behind the cameras. Behind the things a puritanical society won't allow to be shown, or spoken of, on television. This is a shockingly heartfelt memoir, far away from such immature questions about the authors sexuality.
March 19, 2018
Dispatches from the edge was a very...not edgy book. Entertaining and enlightening perhaps, but but it is more likely to be that to someone who does not listen to NPR or BBC, or just does not know what is going on in the world. Cooper is a talented, ballsy reporter, no doubt, and his reports and blogs are great and informative, but this book, at least for me, was very much "nothing new under the moon." Entertaining, and a little sad, but not much else. Also, his narrative timeframe was a little disjointed; he bounced around a lot in time.
June 9, 2008
I initially had stopped reading this book at the mid point because I found it very depressing and thought Cooper's endless pursuits of finding the next tragedy and trauma a little exploitive. It wasn't until I decided to finish it and got to the chapter on Katrina that I began to see how much Cooper cares about the people behind the stories and how the tragedies of others have helped him deal with tragedy in his own life. I found his experiences as a journalist difficult to read at times but very interesting.
April 17, 2018
Book on CD read by the author
This is Cooper’s memoir of how he came to be a senior anchor for CNN. The chapters are divided according to various memorable assignments covering war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, famine in Niger, a tsunami in Sri Lanka, and culminating with his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and that storm’s effects on New Orleans and the gulf coast area of Mississippi. Throughout he recalls his early childhood, as one tender or distressing scene brings back memories of his family.
He’s a talented journalist and one thing that makes him so is his ability to distance himself from what he is reporting. And yet, it’s clear that he is deeply affected by what he witnesses.
I think this may be especially evident when listening to his audio performance, and I think that added to the experience for me. Having Cooper read his own memoir really made it feel as if I were listening to him relate stories from his life while sitting in my own living room.
He’s a trained television journalist, so his delivery is clean and moves along at a good pace. However, I was struck by how frequently he swallows syllables at the end of a word. I expected a crisper diction, I guess.
The text includes photos from his childhood and the memorable assignments covered in this book.
This is Cooper’s memoir of how he came to be a senior anchor for CNN. The chapters are divided according to various memorable assignments covering war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, famine in Niger, a tsunami in Sri Lanka, and culminating with his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and that storm’s effects on New Orleans and the gulf coast area of Mississippi. Throughout he recalls his early childhood, as one tender or distressing scene brings back memories of his family.
He’s a talented journalist and one thing that makes him so is his ability to distance himself from what he is reporting. And yet, it’s clear that he is deeply affected by what he witnesses.
I think this may be especially evident when listening to his audio performance, and I think that added to the experience for me. Having Cooper read his own memoir really made it feel as if I were listening to him relate stories from his life while sitting in my own living room.
He’s a trained television journalist, so his delivery is clean and moves along at a good pace. However, I was struck by how frequently he swallows syllables at the end of a word. I expected a crisper diction, I guess.
The text includes photos from his childhood and the memorable assignments covered in this book.
January 29, 2012
I've never really watched much of Anderson Cooper's reporting, though I think I might try to a bit more from now on. Actually, up until I read this book, the image his name brought to mind was the snazzy trailer CNN had of him, which somehow always made me think he was one of those uber successful guys who's just a bit too aware of how successful he is.
So the book was a bit of a surprise. I picked it up expecting to hear a bit about the news stories he's covered, and he certainly provides that in snippets. But the book is also stunningly personal. And by end, I'm struck by the odd thought that I just want to give him a big hug. There's such an honesty and vulnerability with which he writes -- aren't honesty and vulnerability after all two sides of the same coin? -- and as much as he is a very successful reporter, he's also extremely human.
But what I find sad is that while he asks his reader not to forget all the tragedies the world has witnessed -- for most of us, only at a distance, with the smells and the horror filtered through the cable news -- I don't think I can really make myself think about these sad and unnecessary losses except in short spurts. It all just gets too overwhelming after awhile. So I guess, in a way, I'm grateful that there're people like him, who can go on throwing themselves into conflict after conflict, and to make sure that when we do get the nerve to switch back to the news, that someone's still there telling the stories we all wish didn't exist to be told.
So the book was a bit of a surprise. I picked it up expecting to hear a bit about the news stories he's covered, and he certainly provides that in snippets. But the book is also stunningly personal. And by end, I'm struck by the odd thought that I just want to give him a big hug. There's such an honesty and vulnerability with which he writes -- aren't honesty and vulnerability after all two sides of the same coin? -- and as much as he is a very successful reporter, he's also extremely human.
But what I find sad is that while he asks his reader not to forget all the tragedies the world has witnessed -- for most of us, only at a distance, with the smells and the horror filtered through the cable news -- I don't think I can really make myself think about these sad and unnecessary losses except in short spurts. It all just gets too overwhelming after awhile. So I guess, in a way, I'm grateful that there're people like him, who can go on throwing themselves into conflict after conflict, and to make sure that when we do get the nerve to switch back to the news, that someone's still there telling the stories we all wish didn't exist to be told.
Currently reading
January 5, 2009I know, I know. Really?
Only partway thru...But who would've thought the gay son of Gloria Vanderbuilt would toss himself into war-torn countries in his tender 20's just to get the story. He is such an amazingly brave and complicated fellow. Not just that annoying CNN guy. Wow. Liking the memoir so far...
Only partway thru...But who would've thought the gay son of Gloria Vanderbuilt would toss himself into war-torn countries in his tender 20's just to get the story. He is such an amazingly brave and complicated fellow. Not just that annoying CNN guy. Wow. Liking the memoir so far...
January 30, 2009
I have always thought of Anderson Cooper as a thoughtful-looking self-contained news guy, and expected this book to be a fair amount of self-promotional blather interspersed with a few biographical details. Instead, I found that Anderson Cooper, in addition to being a t-l s-c news guy, writes like one. This memoir is thoughtful, self-contained, filled with news-that-was, and surprisingly well written. (My expectations are seldom high.)
The wars are comprehensive--Bosnia, Somalia, Niger, Iraq. The disasters are earth-shattering news--Sri Lanka after the tsunami, Rwanda at the beginning of the starvation, Hurricane Katrina--and life-shattering personal tragedies--the death of his father when he was ten, and the harrowing suicide of his only brother while he was at college. The survival is his own, both personally and professionally.
Stories of his childhood and personal life are interspersed with behind-the-scenes reviews of the headline news he covered, from his first post-college foray into Thailand as a freelancer to his four-week CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina damage from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Cooper's knack of stringing these seemingly-disparate stories into a cohesive whole is a testament to his intelligence and skill. Add to that his ability to completely sidestep any personal life he might have had since 1991, and his skills ratchet up even higher. (You think I exaggerate? Careful reading reveals the existence of a dog, friends, and a phone call to his mother.)
So, if you think you could like this, read it. You will.
The wars are comprehensive--Bosnia, Somalia, Niger, Iraq. The disasters are earth-shattering news--Sri Lanka after the tsunami, Rwanda at the beginning of the starvation, Hurricane Katrina--and life-shattering personal tragedies--the death of his father when he was ten, and the harrowing suicide of his only brother while he was at college. The survival is his own, both personally and professionally.
Stories of his childhood and personal life are interspersed with behind-the-scenes reviews of the headline news he covered, from his first post-college foray into Thailand as a freelancer to his four-week CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina damage from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Cooper's knack of stringing these seemingly-disparate stories into a cohesive whole is a testament to his intelligence and skill. Add to that his ability to completely sidestep any personal life he might have had since 1991, and his skills ratchet up even higher. (You think I exaggerate? Careful reading reveals the existence of a dog, friends, and a phone call to his mother.)
So, if you think you could like this, read it. You will.
October 24, 2008
This is no bit of fluff tossed off by rich kid Cooper. Despite his silver spoon, Cooper has seen his share of tragedy and emotional hardship. The travails of his mother were the stuff of tabloid delight, but did you know that his brother committed suicide when Anderson was still in college? It is clear that this haunts him to this day. Cooper, his protestations notwithstanding, is clearly an adrenaline junky. He has enough self-awareness that he sought treatment for this addiction. It did not take. He describes his experiences in various hardship locales (South Africa, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, post-Katrina) in a moving manner. The details he offers certainly add considerable texture to what we know of a correspondent’s perils. The information he shares about his family make him a very human reporter.
July 10, 2012
Devastation can be physical as in the tsunami in Sri Lanka, famine in Africa, and Hurricane Katrina or emotional when the unexpected delivers a sucker punch from which you think you can not recover. In this memoir, Anderson Cooper reveals the emotional voids created in his life by the death of his father when he was ten years old and the suicide of his elder brother when he was in college. He also details how those tragedies caused him to lose any sense of safety and to try to avoid and dull his emotions by being constantly on the move and placing himself in dangerous situations to avoid facing his demons. In the early days of his career, Cooper faked press credentials, eventually was hired as a foreign correspondent by Channel One, moved to ABC, and finally found a home at CNN. Along the way he spent time in Sarejevo, Somalia, and Rwanda. But 2005 turned out to be a defining year beginning with the tsunami in Asia, several trips to Iraq, Niger where people, especially children, were starving, and ending with Hurricanes Katrine and Rita in the southern United States. During this year of almost constant travel to some of the worse disasters in recent years, Cooper is finally forced to confront his own pain, face his memories, and begin to rethink his priorities. A compelling read.
May 18, 2020
A difficult read, but an important one. What struck me the most was how much we see history repeating itself when it comes to devastating events and the failure to act. From a police officer after Hurricane Katrina:
“Man, all I can pray is an independent commission comes in and looks at what happened. Whether or not there are criminal charges, at least the public knows who to vote for next time. The poor planning caused a lot of people to die. There was no plan, there was no plan.”
It happened before, it's happening now, and it will happen again. Please vote.
“Man, all I can pray is an independent commission comes in and looks at what happened. Whether or not there are criminal charges, at least the public knows who to vote for next time. The poor planning caused a lot of people to die. There was no plan, there was no plan.”
It happened before, it's happening now, and it will happen again. Please vote.
August 2, 2016
Емпіричним шляхом виявила, що я люблю жанр "хлопчик із привілейованого суспільного прошарку країни першого світу їде у гарячу зону в країні третього світу, щоб довести собі, який він крутий мачо-мен" лише в одному випадку: Томас Едвард Лоуренс, "Сім стовпів мудрості" (О-Б-О-Ж-Н-Ю-Ю <3 <3 <3). Всі інші хлопчики з привілейованого суспільного прошарку, які їдуть у гарячу зону повийобуватися, мене неілюзорно дратують, і Андерсон Купер тут не виняток. До Купера як ведучого я таки маю певну симпатію, він славний, а от його автобіографія демонструє якусь воістину приголомшливу відсутність розуміння, як це все виглядає збоку.
Що дратувало? (1) Torture porn, не прикритий ніякими моральними міркуваннями ("донести інформацію про злочини світові" абощо: я підозрюю, що такі міркування частіше фіговий листок, ніж щось інше, але Купер навіть таких риторичних жестів не робить). Страждання перетворюється на самоцінний об'єкт споглядання, його не треба вводити у політичний чи історичний контекст, що робив би його зрозумілою складовою більшої картини. "Трупи не брешуть", - пише Купер, що, звісно, лукавство: трупи не брешуть, бо трупи взагалі нічого не кажуть, і якщо ти сприймаєш труп як з��вершене висловлювання, що не потребує пояснень в силу своєї вичерпної правдивості, то тобі, швидше за все, просто подобається дивитися на труп. У більшості випадків базова умова того, що тобі подобається дивитися на труп - це відмова визнавати спільний для тебе і трупа людський досвід, наприклад, бо труп іншої раси/громадянин іншої країни/іншої статі (припущення, що як людська істота цей труп належав до засадничо іншої категорії, ніж ти сам). Я мрачний мудак по жизні й тому певна, що в кожного із нас у голові багато упереджень, на основі яких ми відмовляємо іншим у повноцінності, але своїх упереджень треба бути мінімально свідомим. А в Купера цього нема. Одним подихом він розказує, як йому тяжко адаптуватися після повернення з гарячих точок, і чужі страждання перетворюються на перчинку в його житті ("Там біль був намацальний ... Тут я ходив в кіно, бачився з друзями, а за кілька днів знову починав читати розклад літаків, шукаючи, куди б поїхати - бомба в Афганістані, потоп на Гаїті") - а потім, коли йому випало відвідати Нью-Орлеан після Катріни, він так здивовано: "Як це не дивно, на батьківщині це все інакше сприймається". Well, no shit, duh. (2) Позиціонування себе як бунтаря, який всього добивався сам, при тому, що його бунт потебує величезної системи підтримки, яку він сприймає як даність. Ну, наприклад, щоб купити камеру й поїхати самому знімати в гарячу точку в надії, що якийсь канал купить це відео, треба як мінімум (а) мати гроші на камеру; (б) мати гроші на квиток; (в) мати гроші, щоб жити без прибутків, доки намагаєшся вибудувати кар'єру своєї мрії; (г) не мусити нікого підтримувати морально і матеріально. Себто рішення сміливе, але людям, які не мають на старті двоповерхового пентхаузу на Мангетені на авеню, названому прізвищем твоєї родини, воно логістично ускладненіше. Мене, в принципі, дуже сильно тіпає, коли починають гратися у marginalization bingo штибу "мій досвід важливіший ніж твій, бо в тебе є вища освіта, а в мене ні. мій біль болячіший, бо ти з середнього класу, а я з робітничого" (тіпає, зокрема, як людину з середнього класу з усіма зовнішніми ознаками успіху, яка при цьому сяк-так функціонує виключно на антидепресантах, що, гм, не викликає розуміння у тих з моїх навколишніх, які tick more boxes on the marginalization bingo) - так от, а в автобіографії Купера вже прямо я закочувала очі д'горі й сичала "cry me a river", хоча не люблю, коли люди так роблять.
Що дратувало? (1) Torture porn, не прикритий ніякими моральними міркуваннями ("донести інформацію про злочини світові" абощо: я підозрюю, що такі міркування частіше фіговий листок, ніж щось інше, але Купер навіть таких риторичних жестів не робить). Страждання перетворюється на самоцінний об'єкт споглядання, його не треба вводити у політичний чи історичний контекст, що робив би його зрозумілою складовою більшої картини. "Трупи не брешуть", - пише Купер, що, звісно, лукавство: трупи не брешуть, бо трупи взагалі нічого не кажуть, і якщо ти сприймаєш труп як з��вершене висловлювання, що не потребує пояснень в силу своєї вичерпної правдивості, то тобі, швидше за все, просто подобається дивитися на труп. У більшості випадків базова умова того, що тобі подобається дивитися на труп - це відмова визнавати спільний для тебе і трупа людський досвід, наприклад, бо труп іншої раси/громадянин іншої країни/іншої статі (припущення, що як людська істота цей труп належав до засадничо іншої категорії, ніж ти сам). Я мрачний мудак по жизні й тому певна, що в кожного із нас у голові багато упереджень, на основі яких ми відмовляємо іншим у повноцінності, але своїх упереджень треба бути мінімально свідомим. А в Купера цього нема. Одним подихом він розказує, як йому тяжко адаптуватися після повернення з гарячих точок, і чужі страждання перетворюються на перчинку в його житті ("Там біль був намацальний ... Тут я ходив в кіно, бачився з друзями, а за кілька днів знову починав читати розклад літаків, шукаючи, куди б поїхати - бомба в Афганістані, потоп на Гаїті") - а потім, коли йому випало відвідати Нью-Орлеан після Катріни, він так здивовано: "Як це не дивно, на батьківщині це все інакше сприймається". Well, no shit, duh. (2) Позиціонування себе як бунтаря, який всього добивався сам, при тому, що його бунт потебує величезної системи підтримки, яку він сприймає як даність. Ну, наприклад, щоб купити камеру й поїхати самому знімати в гарячу точку в надії, що якийсь канал купить це відео, треба як мінімум (а) мати гроші на камеру; (б) мати гроші на квиток; (в) мати гроші, щоб жити без прибутків, доки намагаєшся вибудувати кар'єру своєї мрії; (г) не мусити нікого підтримувати морально і матеріально. Себто рішення сміливе, але людям, які не мають на старті двоповерхового пентхаузу на Мангетені на авеню, названому прізвищем твоєї родини, воно логістично ускладненіше. Мене, в принципі, дуже сильно тіпає, коли починають гратися у marginalization bingo штибу "мій досвід важливіший ніж твій, бо в тебе є вища освіта, а в мене ні. мій біль болячіший, бо ти з середнього класу, а я з робітничого" (тіпає, зокрема, як людину з середнього класу з усіма зовнішніми ознаками успіху, яка при цьому сяк-так функціонує виключно на антидепресантах, що, гм, не викликає розуміння у тих з моїх навколишніх, які tick more boxes on the marginalization bingo) - так от, а в автобіографії Купера вже прямо я закочувала очі д'горі й сичала "cry me a river", хоча не люблю, коли люди так роблять.
February 8, 2021
Writer, explorer, journalist, brother, son. Anderson Cooper explores the notion and meaning of all of his life roles in this fast-moving and nerve-wracking book, centered around the tumultuous events of 2005, plus flashbacks to happenings that have shaped who he is today. From the tsunami in Sri Lanka to famine in Niger to the conflict in Iraq, the author gives you a revealing and in-your-face look at the heartache, violence and suffering that often we, as Americans, are seemingly disconnected from and apathetic towards. Cooper relentlessly pursues the stories we don't often see, internally struggling to reconcile the voyeuristic tendencies that this often requires. The most impactful part of the book occurs in the last section focused on Hurricane Katrina and the eye-opening cultural and moral implications this event had on the American psyche. In each chapter, he brings voices of the victims, caretakers and authority figures forward to put a face on every struggle. But most of all, Cooper takes an introspective look at his own life: what motivates him to chase danger, heart-breaking relationships with his father and brother and traveling a path of self discovery. The book is written in a raw and fast-paced manner and is revealing of the author's innermost thoughts. But what I will takeaway most from this work is how Cooper has the opportunity to literally and figuratively retrace the footsteps of his relationship with his father – footsteps and thoughts that are tied-to and woven throughout the events of 2005. Watching "Anderson Cooper 360" each week now, I can't help but wonder how he feels about the evolution of his career – and life. Has fatherhood fulfilled a place in his soul that chasing the never-ending story in the field never will? Maybe. But maybe that's for another book. And I hope he writes it.
July 16, 2014
I picked up this book in my 'memoirs reading phase'. Actually, I have never watched any of Anderson Cooper's shows. So for me it was a clean slate when I started reading the book.
I feel Mr. Cooper has squeezed the 'pathos' lemon a little too hard, and the taste by the end was utterly bitter. I appreciate his sharing of many heart wrenching stories which are absolutely unimaginable. But the thing with stories like these is that there is no need to add extra zing to them. After a hundred pages or so, a feeling of numbness charges through the mind, which is not easy to shake off.
Along with this book, I also was reading "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah . Despite its controversy, the story-telling style used by the author was so realistic that it humbles one down to being extra happy for all we have got.
I believe Mr. Cooper also realizes the numbness he is creating as he does check himself from time to time to the incredulous nature of his job.
As it is said, that the best story we can tell is the one of ourselves. The story of his brother weaved into the book was heartfelt and his reactions much more real.
I feel Mr. Cooper has squeezed the 'pathos' lemon a little too hard, and the taste by the end was utterly bitter. I appreciate his sharing of many heart wrenching stories which are absolutely unimaginable. But the thing with stories like these is that there is no need to add extra zing to them. After a hundred pages or so, a feeling of numbness charges through the mind, which is not easy to shake off.
Along with this book, I also was reading "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah . Despite its controversy, the story-telling style used by the author was so realistic that it humbles one down to being extra happy for all we have got.
I believe Mr. Cooper also realizes the numbness he is creating as he does check himself from time to time to the incredulous nature of his job.
As it is said, that the best story we can tell is the one of ourselves. The story of his brother weaved into the book was heartfelt and his reactions much more real.
March 8, 2018
God this was magnificent. Anderson Cooper weaves his own personal history with death and loss into his work covering tragedy across the globe in a way that's so profound...I picked this up thinking it'd just be stories and anecdotes from his assignments covering wars and disasters but it's so much more than that, and I love the epilogue and final words he leaves us with. It's from 2006, so it's pretty 'dated' in terms of his career and who he was/what he was doing at the time it was published, but I like having that remove and reading something that was published before he was truly FAMOUS-famous.
September 13, 2007
I learned things about Anderson Cooper that I didn't know, but I feel like he could have put more into the book. He's been through a lot and I thought he was holding back. However, I get a sense that part of that is his personality. Still, if you're going to write a book, put your all into it. I also wish there was more on the time he spent in the Balkans, but that's because I just visited that area.
June 28, 2020
It was pretty good. I think I got more into it when Anderson described his experiences with Hurricane Katrina.
August 16, 2023
One of my favorite nepo babies for sure
June 29, 2019
Read for Read Harder 2019: “book written by a journalist”
Interesting behind the scenes stories of Anderson’s own personal life interspersed with reporting from Sarajevo, Iraq and post-Katrina Louisiana/Mississippi.
Interesting behind the scenes stories of Anderson’s own personal life interspersed with reporting from Sarajevo, Iraq and post-Katrina Louisiana/Mississippi.
April 26, 2021
Engaging and eye-opening. I think I would have preferred to read a physical copy of the book instead of an audio book as the book read in sections and that wasn’t portrayed as clearly through an audio book.
March 2, 2011
Why do people write memoirs?
Because they want to understand the life they lead by looking back at the life they led.
Why do people read memoirs?
More or less the same reason, but just reversed. Isn’t it rather fashionable to read about someone else’s life, learn what you can and quote it next time in casual conversation in order to pass oneself as learned?
Sure we can.
At times we do and even get a kick out of it equally, especially when someone takes notice of it and marvels at your apt usage of it and at the significance of such a tidbit. Admittedly, what drew me in to buy & read the book is the author himself; a prominent anchorman and news personality on CNN and hosts his own show, AC360.
And even if he went by another name, who wouldn’t take notice of him; of his piercing stare, his clear and crisp commentaries and equally creative repartee with his guests. Not to mention his distinguished looks; all grey-haired and smart looking. Yes, Anderson Cooper is well liked.
When I found this hardbound 1st edition at a Book Sale branch in Makati, I liked it all the more because I didn’t have to order it from Amazon as Powerbooks don’t have it and it only cost me only P70, which is roughly $1.56 just to get to know him.
Born into a family of wealth and opportunity, Anderson is the son of famous fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt. But he traded all that to live his life, to pursue and discover his calling, wherever it may take him. The book touches on his reminiscing about his father, of his own identity crisis after he died and the chasm that threatened to pull his family apart that claimed his brother’s life as well, for he took his own life by jumping off their condo balcony, just minutes after speaking to his mother.
There are no words for situations like these but somehow Anderson has managed to weave all of this family history and drama into the dream that ever more gets strengthened and tested whenever he travels to other countries like Sarajevo, Nigeria, Iraq, Indonesia and more recently in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005.
Finishing the book tonight and reading his entries about missing his father, I can’t help but think of my own; how my Dad’s own passing changed me and continues to do so and affect me in profound ways that I could not have predicted.
They always say that life is for the living and that the good of men (as well as the bad) are often interred with their bones. And knowing that it is said often; might we not rock the foundation just a little bit and remember properly those who died? That what they left behind propels us to look inward and decide for ourselves what and how much can we leave behind, when it is time to do so?
I may not be a parent yet. But when the time comes, I would want to do the same for my child, be they be a son or a daughter.
That as a child, you live your life in accordance with what you parents have taught you, what your values dictate. And in so doing, you honor their life and memory by giving and living your life; giving it the best show that you can give. So far the best shots that I have given have resulted and manifested in creative endeavours like the release of my first album, dedicated to Dad and also embarked on the writing of my first book which I am dedicating to Mom who has strongly carried on for us and whom we equally feed and give our own strength back to whenever needed.
Although 3 years after Dad’s passing, I may not be a crack shot just yet, I can at least say that I’ve managed to aim dead center and increase my chances of getting a bullseye.
Target up.
Ready. Aim. Fire.
Bullseye.
……Next Round please.
Because they want to understand the life they lead by looking back at the life they led.
Why do people read memoirs?
More or less the same reason, but just reversed. Isn’t it rather fashionable to read about someone else’s life, learn what you can and quote it next time in casual conversation in order to pass oneself as learned?
Sure we can.
At times we do and even get a kick out of it equally, especially when someone takes notice of it and marvels at your apt usage of it and at the significance of such a tidbit. Admittedly, what drew me in to buy & read the book is the author himself; a prominent anchorman and news personality on CNN and hosts his own show, AC360.
And even if he went by another name, who wouldn’t take notice of him; of his piercing stare, his clear and crisp commentaries and equally creative repartee with his guests. Not to mention his distinguished looks; all grey-haired and smart looking. Yes, Anderson Cooper is well liked.
When I found this hardbound 1st edition at a Book Sale branch in Makati, I liked it all the more because I didn’t have to order it from Amazon as Powerbooks don’t have it and it only cost me only P70, which is roughly $1.56 just to get to know him.
Born into a family of wealth and opportunity, Anderson is the son of famous fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt. But he traded all that to live his life, to pursue and discover his calling, wherever it may take him. The book touches on his reminiscing about his father, of his own identity crisis after he died and the chasm that threatened to pull his family apart that claimed his brother’s life as well, for he took his own life by jumping off their condo balcony, just minutes after speaking to his mother.
There are no words for situations like these but somehow Anderson has managed to weave all of this family history and drama into the dream that ever more gets strengthened and tested whenever he travels to other countries like Sarajevo, Nigeria, Iraq, Indonesia and more recently in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005.
Finishing the book tonight and reading his entries about missing his father, I can’t help but think of my own; how my Dad’s own passing changed me and continues to do so and affect me in profound ways that I could not have predicted.
They always say that life is for the living and that the good of men (as well as the bad) are often interred with their bones. And knowing that it is said often; might we not rock the foundation just a little bit and remember properly those who died? That what they left behind propels us to look inward and decide for ourselves what and how much can we leave behind, when it is time to do so?
I may not be a parent yet. But when the time comes, I would want to do the same for my child, be they be a son or a daughter.
That as a child, you live your life in accordance with what you parents have taught you, what your values dictate. And in so doing, you honor their life and memory by giving and living your life; giving it the best show that you can give. So far the best shots that I have given have resulted and manifested in creative endeavours like the release of my first album, dedicated to Dad and also embarked on the writing of my first book which I am dedicating to Mom who has strongly carried on for us and whom we equally feed and give our own strength back to whenever needed.
Although 3 years after Dad’s passing, I may not be a crack shot just yet, I can at least say that I’ve managed to aim dead center and increase my chances of getting a bullseye.
Target up.
Ready. Aim. Fire.
Bullseye.
……Next Round please.
December 21, 2011
A journalist's duty is to tell someone else's story. Personal opinion is to be put to the wayside as the journalist steps back and allows others to be heard when they normally don't have a voice on their own. So when a book from a respected journalist is released, I'm always curious to see how much of their personality shines through. Now we finally are able to get a glimpse inside their personal thoughts and experiences; unadulterated and ready for consumption.
Anderson Cooper's Dispatches From The Edge is a fascinating book from start to finish. As I devoured the pages in a single day, I felt as if I got to know Anderson personally. Much like a drama series on television, the book seamlessly jumps back and forth between Anderson situated in the middle of catastrophic events and flashbacks to his formative years. On one page we are with Anderson as he is witnessing carnage in Iraq, while on the next we are hearing about the death of his father and the suicide of his brother. We learn about the crucial points in his life that have built up Anderson's character, then seeing how they relate to his modern day experiences. This sort of back and forth is fluid and natural with each picture being painted so vividly that you feel you are right there alongside him.
Much like his journalism career, Anderson brings to our attention dire circumstances from around the world and tells the story for those who voices would remain silent. This speaks volume of his character as he could have took the easy way out by writing a book all about him. Instead, we receive insight into Anderson's life as well as education on horrific global events directly from the frontline.
Dispatches From The Edge is inspirational and begs to be read.
Anderson Cooper's Dispatches From The Edge is a fascinating book from start to finish. As I devoured the pages in a single day, I felt as if I got to know Anderson personally. Much like a drama series on television, the book seamlessly jumps back and forth between Anderson situated in the middle of catastrophic events and flashbacks to his formative years. On one page we are with Anderson as he is witnessing carnage in Iraq, while on the next we are hearing about the death of his father and the suicide of his brother. We learn about the crucial points in his life that have built up Anderson's character, then seeing how they relate to his modern day experiences. This sort of back and forth is fluid and natural with each picture being painted so vividly that you feel you are right there alongside him.
Much like his journalism career, Anderson brings to our attention dire circumstances from around the world and tells the story for those who voices would remain silent. This speaks volume of his character as he could have took the easy way out by writing a book all about him. Instead, we receive insight into Anderson's life as well as education on horrific global events directly from the frontline.
Dispatches From The Edge is inspirational and begs to be read.
January 17, 2009
I admit that I was drawn to read this book mostly because my friend Wendy kept playing CNN on the telly when I was in Chicago last winter and the advertisement for the New Year's Show kept running. Anderson Cooper is the perfect poster boy for a romantic ideal of journalism -- the tough journalist who goes into places where other people turn a blind eye to because he cares, the journalist who gives voice to the anonymous victims who suffer in the face of disaster and the quiet heroes who work to save them. Here, Cooper provides a psychological backstory of trauma and grief as explanation for the motivation behind his career: the man had lost his father (heart attack) and his brother (suicide).
The narrative/memoir hovers between compelling and stilted, mostly due to the style of the writing which seems a bit weak. Cooper attempts to use metaphors and details to organise the narrative, jumping between his memories of his family and his memories reporting in Africa and on Hurricane Katrina, however, most of the prose is written in a pedestrian style somewhat resembling reportage; his style is strongest when describing his experiences in the field, but the personal parts, while revealing, tend to come across as slightly cliched (here, he is saved by his use of personal detail). He's certainly had experiences that are worth telling; I wish he just told them better.
An easy read for the plane or a book to read quickly over the weekend.
The narrative/memoir hovers between compelling and stilted, mostly due to the style of the writing which seems a bit weak. Cooper attempts to use metaphors and details to organise the narrative, jumping between his memories of his family and his memories reporting in Africa and on Hurricane Katrina, however, most of the prose is written in a pedestrian style somewhat resembling reportage; his style is strongest when describing his experiences in the field, but the personal parts, while revealing, tend to come across as slightly cliched (here, he is saved by his use of personal detail). He's certainly had experiences that are worth telling; I wish he just told them better.
An easy read for the plane or a book to read quickly over the weekend.
September 4, 2024
I’ve always wondered about Anderson Cooper’s story as he clearly didn’t need to be a war correspondent. After reading this memoir I feel like I understand him a bit better. The deaths of his father & brother understandably affected him quite a bit, which is what made him both restless and reckless. He grew up extremely privileged and yet has always seemed so down to earth. The first part of this book bounces around in time between countries and wars. It then switches to him being basically a storm chaser. Hurricane Katrina really upset him as he saw Americans being treated like third-world inhabitants. He wanted to find out the whys of how everything fell apart so that it wouldn’t happen again, and he couldn’t get answers. I understand his feelings pretty well and related to how jaded he is about politicians and the media.
And I have to say I’ve enjoyed watching his New Year’s specials with Kathy Griffin over the years! I now plan on reading all of his books. 😊📚🐉
And I have to say I’ve enjoyed watching his New Year’s specials with Kathy Griffin over the years! I now plan on reading all of his books. 😊📚🐉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2016
This deeply affecting memoir is so beautifully eloquent that I slowed down my reading to enjoy every word.
Interspersing memories both good and bad about his late father and brother with recollections of stories he covered in some very dangerous places, Cooper moves effortlessly from the past to the present without the sense of disjointedness that could have resulted. It all flows seamlessly.
While the stories from Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia, Niger et al are interesting and intriguing, he really excels in his section on Hurricane Katrina. This part of the book is stunning for both its graphic descriptions of what it was really like down there and for Cooper's deep rage and pain at what he saw. His anger at the human tragedies burns off the pages. I couldn't put it down.
Interspersing memories both good and bad about his late father and brother with recollections of stories he covered in some very dangerous places, Cooper moves effortlessly from the past to the present without the sense of disjointedness that could have resulted. It all flows seamlessly.
While the stories from Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia, Niger et al are interesting and intriguing, he really excels in his section on Hurricane Katrina. This part of the book is stunning for both its graphic descriptions of what it was really like down there and for Cooper's deep rage and pain at what he saw. His anger at the human tragedies burns off the pages. I couldn't put it down.
July 7, 2023
I was pretty pleased with this novel, until Coop became political around the Katrina stories. He's entitled, and how dare he write that the US wasn't acting fast enough! In something as unprecedented as Hurricane Katrina, the US did all they could. I was one of those troops. The city of New Prleans is more to blame. They weren't prepared. That's like the teacher reading the book and her students reading a chapter, failing a test, then the teacher is blamed. Cooper is merely a puppet. Cooper loved taking time to write about the military and conservative leadership that responded to this crisis. Cooper doesn't know the first thing about any story except to exploit people for his career gains. That is what this novel became.
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June 15, 2013Very good book! Couldn't put it down and read it in just two days! Definitely helps you appreciate what you have in life. I'm so thankful I can walk down the street without fear of a bomb blowing up, or worrying if my child have proper nutrition.
November 2, 2019
This book has a very unique tone. Until the chapter “Aftermath”, he talks of everything like... like an alien! Like, no passion, no emotions, a total outsider. It was almost scary. I wonder, hearing fragments of his life, how he leads his daily life now?
September 28, 2012
Powerful, riveting, beautiful, passionate. It made me cry. Highly reccomended and a new favourite of mine.
April 7, 2017
I really wanted to give this a 5, but reading about how ill prepared America is to handle a crisis is not something I needed to read this week.
January 15, 2026
Compelling narrative that juxtaposes Anderson Cooper’s personal life and family stories with vignettes from Anderson’s professional life as a foreign correspondent covering war, natural disasters, and human tragedy.
It was difficult to hear about some of the things Anderson has experienced and saw as a journalist but at the same time refreshing to hear it from Anderson’s personal point of view instead of simply as a reporter. It’s easy to remove yourself from conflict when you’re learning about it through a television screen and packaged as a media story. Hearing the remarks of those living it makes it more real.
It’s no surprise that Anderson is a phenomenal storyteller given his profession but Dispatches from the Edge takes it to a more relatable and human level.
“Great compassion, terrible carnage—the choice is up to us.”
P.S. The story about Steven Seagal going to patrol with the SWAT team and taking it upon himself to bring a framed picture of himself to a bar and hang it up was hilarious.
It was difficult to hear about some of the things Anderson has experienced and saw as a journalist but at the same time refreshing to hear it from Anderson’s personal point of view instead of simply as a reporter. It’s easy to remove yourself from conflict when you’re learning about it through a television screen and packaged as a media story. Hearing the remarks of those living it makes it more real.
It’s no surprise that Anderson is a phenomenal storyteller given his profession but Dispatches from the Edge takes it to a more relatable and human level.
“Great compassion, terrible carnage—the choice is up to us.”
P.S. The story about Steven Seagal going to patrol with the SWAT team and taking it upon himself to bring a framed picture of himself to a bar and hang it up was hilarious.
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