Wise, rueful, candid, graceful commentaries from one of journalismas most stylish and respected writers.

With his critically acclaimed bestselling memoir, This Just In, Bob Schieffer proved a natural storyteller, a gifted writer able to capture current affairs, television newsaand himselfawith remarkable wit and insight. It is a gift he has also been able to bring to his awardwinning commentaries for Face the Nation.

No one had done commentaries for CBS since Eric Sevareidas retirement in 1977, when, in April 1994, Schieffer decided his show that week on the death of Richard Nixon needed a few closing words to put the subject into context. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and he has been doing them ever since.

Bob Schiefferas America brings together 168 of his best essays, pieces that cover a broad range: from the hard issues of today to the human stories that show us who we are; from politics and presidents and tragedy to the things that touch us, make us laugh, or reveal the small shifts in our culture that sometimes just creep up on us.

Smart, humorous, commonsensical, pitch-perfectasometimes bitingly critical and plainspoken, other times suffused with wonder or delightathese essays speak to us all.

aMy objective, a says Schieffer, ahas never been to convert someone to my way of thinking, but merely to provoke thought, to explain a complicated subject, or to call attention to a human foible. The greatest compliment to me is not when viewers write to say they agree with my conclusion, but when they say, aI really never thought of it that way before.aa

In addition to these outstanding essays, Schieffer has written a wealth of brand-new materialaacommentaries on my commentariesaathat run throughout the book, offering further anecdotes, reflections, updates, and insights. In all, it is as Jim Lehrer described This Just In: aA delight, a joyaa treasure.a

"Veteran CBS newsman and Frontline anchor Schieffer (This Just In) compiles 168 essays spanning his career from the Nixon administration to the present day. He reminisces about the pretelevision era when politicians 'had to be entertaining to hold a crowd'; with tongue-in-cheek rhetoric, the author creates his own exploratory committee because 'everyone else seems to be doing it.... and people for some reason send them million of dollars.' In a critique of the current administration, Schieffer laments that 'we had elected an administration that feared the future.' The hypocrisy of American foreign policy is brought to the forefront in a discussion about democracy, war and the loss of humanity in politics. As an ardent fan of human interest journalism, comic personal writing and America, Schieffer portrays citizens optimistically while harshly criticizing the current policies in Washington. Schieffer's ruminations are appealing (though hardly groundbreaking), but a choppy organization and a tendency toward repetition and overemphasis on a few themes detract from an otherwise humorous, albeit simple, collection of essays. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

With his critically acclaimed bestselling memoir "This Just In," Schieffer proved to be a natural storyteller and gifted writer. This work brings together 168 of his best essays, pieces that cover a broad range, from the hard issues of today to human stories of tragedy and triumph.