A Bus of My Own

by Jim Lehrer

Whether the subject is a hilarious NewsHour near-disaster or a personal crisis, Jimmy Charles Lehrer's life makes terrific copy. His consuming passion for the great days of the intercity bus line; his youthful dreams, losses and embarrassments, his picaresque career as a reporter interviewing murderers, con men, Cardinals, and Elvis; his entry into public television; his observations on journalistic ethics, back-roads America, and the JFK assassination (to which Lehrer had an unusual front row seat); his foolproof method to stop smoking (have a heart attack); his lifelong hunger to possess "a bus of my own"–all percolate with the candor and wit that are Jim Lehrer's trademarks. This memoir will have readers thinking, chortling, even getting misty-eyed, and will be remembered long after the final page has been turned.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

James Charles Lehrer was an American journalist and the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections. Lehrer was an author of non-fiction and fiction, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.

Reviews

[Raimo Wirkkala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given my own professional background, I am drawn to broadcaster memoirs and this is my new favourite in that category. As enjoyable and interesting as his broadcasting stories are, his memories of his life outside the business are even moreso. His recollections of his childhood, his time as a Marine, his brush with death (heart attack) and his love of all things to do with buses are told with passion and wit. I also have nothing but respect for his philosophy of news/public affairs broadcasting. It is, sadly, a dying philosophy and we are all the worse for it.

[Michael crage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read non-fiction except for Math and hard science and those are usually papers and pamphlets, but having nothing else to read I read this book. It is a autobiography of Jim Lehrer who wa know for his PBS news programs. To me most biographical books are rather dry, giving the facts basically. In thisbook, Jim rather than just telling about his life, gave a bunch of recitals of interesting occurances in his life. And he basically left out the boring stuff.

[Sarah Ewald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would never have thought to pick up this book for read, but was prompted to by his recent death. He had quite the story to tell. In these days of instant news on phones and other devices, it was interesting to read about the MacNeil/Lehrer Report in its early days, and how it faced its detractors and critics. I wish I would have paid more attention to his program in the day...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lehrer wasn't always famous. He didn't come from money. In fact he grew up poor like so many people who watch public television. His story is relatable. He worked as a newspaperman, joined the Marine Corps, married, had a family. The book writes like Lehrer wrote it. He's honest and you can't help but be part of his journey.

[Eleanor Prickett Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood hero so the rating is pretty biased. Great to see someone championing being boring, but factual on the news. And funny that that's what he championed because the book itself was delightful and entertaining.

[Terry Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Lehrer is a great storyteller, and I enjoyed reading about his hobby, old buses, his career, the news industry, and all his random stories and great advice.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I found Jim Lehrer’s memoir a little slow at first, I continued reading because I identified with the author’s developmental years and his respect for his father’s effort in keeping a small town bus company alive.

Early on, Lehrer decided that he wanted to be a writer like Earnest Hemingway, who recommended that the best training for a writer was that of becoming a reporter; so, Lehrer eventually pursued a degree from the highly acclaimed School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. After finishing his degree, Lehrer joined the Marines like several of his relatives, followed by his work as a reporter for The Dallas Morning News, and later as City Editor at The Dallas Times Herald. After more than a dozen years, Lehrer went into broadcast journalism and eventually hosted what became the Lehrer News Hour on PBS. Toward the end of his working career, Lehrer wrote and published a series of novels, and he traveled many back roads to collect bus memorabilia, which included an antique bus of his own.

Although the chapters in Lehrer’s memoir may seem a little eclectic and wide-ranging, they are actually organized in chronological order. Each chapter includes many relevant personal stories. The chapter titles hardly give a clue about what to expect, so there is an element of surprise in each, and thus the memoir reads more like a novel than a step-by-step biography. In comparison with other memoirs that I have read, Lehrer’s writing is often humorous. Consistent with his personality, Lehrer’s memoir is not overly self-aggrandizing; and to the contrary, his periodic analysis is slightly self-deprecating, as he ponders alternative paths that he might have taken.

Less interesting for me were the unfamiliar people who were instrumental in shaping his career. However, the effort and hours that Lehrer put into his career came through loud and clear. It is easy to see how he moved forward in spite of setbacks, including his mid-career heart attack and double bypass surgery. At that point he thought about terminating his career, but in due course he gradually resumed his work at PBS. Throughout the book, Lehrer repeatedly emphasized his commitment to professional standards, which included his concerns for reporting verifiable details, and resisting sensationalism.

What interested me most was how he used his later years to develop what seemed most important to him. Honoring and remembering his father’s career in the transportation industry, plus his efforts to write novels is what consumed the latter part of his life, before he passed away at the age of 88 in 2020. Fortunately, he had many ideas for new novels and speeches that often incorporated honesty and righteous journalistic principles.

I can appreciate the way Lehrer selectively edited his memoir leaving out irrelevant details; but, as I read his book I longed for a little more detail about how his family impacted his life and how he impacted their lives. I find it strange that there are no pictures of his wife and children among the other historical pictures which are included. I can only guess that he separated his work from his home life, although how this worked would be of interest to me, and other readers as well.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the heels of the last two books I read, Lehrer's autobiography was a mellow walk through his gifted life. I've watched his news program on PBS for many years and love it. So reading about his mundane and not so mundane life was a pleasurable read. I did not know he has written so many books but find on the web that he gets decent ratings on some of them. The great quote I have taken from this book is 'the soul needs risk taking in order to grow and flourish' - I love it.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a biography increases my admiration for the person. Jim Leh-ra, you are truly the tops! A newsman of integrity who is also pretty darn smart,ever so funny (I've seen glimpses of this on the Newshour), and with a great story to tell. I'm glad you got your bus!

[Gayle Pritchard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get through it, no matter how much I love Jim Lehrer.

[Toesnorth's mom]

good

[Joellenparker]

Newsman's passion