Outtakes: Stumbling Around the World for NPR

by Peter Breslow

** PEABODY AWARD WINNER **
** OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB AWARD WINNER **
** DUPONT-COLUMBIA AWARD WINNER **

Peter takes us on a wild ride of assignments from the South Pole to the Amazon to Mogadishu to Baghdad and also prompts a rattlesnake to spit venom on his microphone.

--SCOTT SIMON, HOST OF NPR’S WEEKEND EDITION SATURDAY


Ever wonder what kind of people helped build NPR into the revered media institution it is today? Peter Breslow's rollicking memoir pulls back the curtain on what it took to make radio from the farthest reaches of the world.

--RACHEL MARTIN, NPR HOST

National Public Radio wasn’t always the journalistic treasure it is today. And Peter Breslow wasn’t always a multi-Peabody Award winner. Thankfully for NPR junkies, their paths crossed in 1982 when both were young, and they grew up together over the decades. In his memoir Outtakes, senior producer Peter Breslow reveals how NPR moved from a niche listening experience to become one of the world’s preeminent news organizations.

We are alongside Peter in the front seat as he travels the planet reporting –from Kabul to Kathmandu and from the earth’s highest point--Mt. Everest—to its lowest—the Dead Sea. Outtakes takes us behind the scenes covering history-defining breaking news and producing award winning programs like All Things Considered and Weekend Edition.

Packed with absurd hijinks, hilarious missteps and breathtaking close calls, Outtakes is a must read for NPR fans, journalists of all ages and people interested in enthralling audio storytelling.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2023

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Peter Breslow is a friend, but I would be writing this even if I’d never met the guy.
Outtakes is such a fun read. Just as in his radio storytelling, he knows how to take you there. The book is full of vivid detail as Pater “stumbles” from one continent to another, collecting a slew of hair-raising experiences along the way. If you have ever been curious about how a story you heard on NPR came together, this is the book for you. It’s a delight, start to finish.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories about what it means to be an NPR producer. Very well written snapshots of some of Breslow’s most exciting adventures undertaken in pursuit of top notch radio programming. Breslow helps us understand how he came to be at NPR and the rewarding journey that got him
to stay for his entire career. Fascinating and fun.

[BookTrib.com]

In his just-launched memoir OUTTAKES: STUMBLING AROUND THE WORLD FOR NPR, senior producer Peter Breslow takes readers behind the scenes covering history-defining breaking news and producing award-winning programs.

Read the full review on BookTrib.com

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter’s book is a quick read that crams more into 200 pages than any book I’ve read in recent history. It was very entertaining with several mentions of the NPR reporters I have grown to love while listening to KUT in Austin.
What a character!

[Dennis Regier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outtakes takes us backstage to see how the news "sausage" is made. It would be a good primer for anyone considering a career in journalism. It also shows how journalists sacrifice personal comfort and a normal life to bring us the news, often putting themselves in danger to do so.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never met Peter! Read this book!

Peter is a great storyteller. If you don’t know who Lefty is yet you’re missing out. Come for the behind the scenes look at NPR stay for the heavy breathing on Everest.

[Luke Sadhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter’s journalism prowess really shines through in his memoir Outtakes. His witty storytelling is spellbinding and is an altogether phenomenal book. Highly recommend!!