I can't really say I "enjoyed" this memoir, because it was basically a collection of awful things happening to people—to Anderson, to his family, to everyone in the areas he reported from—which is not enjoyable. But it was truly interesting and enlightening.

I really didn't know much about Anderson going into this book, just that I trusted his straightforward, logical, and clear reporting style because I've been watching him for the past year (it's the end of 2020) on CNN. I knew he'd just adopted a son recently. That's about it.

This older memoir (written in 2005?) sheds light on two major tragedies in his life before the age of 20, a little on who his parents were and their past, and on his earlier career up to that point, as a young, novice reporter throwing himself into the dangers of the world and what he saw and how he was changed by it. The stories were horrific, and honest, and frustrating.

He writes like he reports news. It was all very succinct with no embellishments—"The facts, ma'am, just the facts"—and devoid of most emotion or florid writing. Which, I guess, should be expected, but it's just very different from many memoirs I've read. Good but different.

I'm not keeping it for another readthrough in the future, but I'm glad I read it.

I read this book years ago and I absolutely loved it. The stories are well written with vivid detail and the human element comes through brilliantly. I have read tons of books since then but this book, these stories, always stuck with me. I hope whoever reads this, they will stick with them as well. Reading stories like this about war torn countries and natural disasters where no help comes, helps all of us to look beyond ourselves, to grow, and have empathy for our fellow man. Something I think we are losing in our modern, tech filled society. Cooper’s narrative regarding Haiti this week after the President’s comments brought me to tears. It made me look up this book here just to remember how great it is. I rarely reread books.. too many on my to read list but I may make an exception with this one.. it’s that good!!!

It took some (for lack of a better term) "gumption" to get through this book. At first it seems a rather sad story, and terribly truthful. But as the reader begins to learn if the author's personal tragedies you are compelled to discover if he comes to any resolutions.
He's a freakin' stud.

this is a quick read, a time capsule/memoir of Anderson Cooper's life and early career up to the point of him reporting on hurricane katrina's aftermath.

One of my favorite nepo babies for sure

- This man, Anderson Cooper, born into wealth and privilege, files reports from Somali to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. And with each report, he writes about the real dangers that all of the victims of these locations experience; the angst; the day-to-day unknowing of what's going to happen next.
It's an excellent book.

‘The key is not to let go.’

A comment written by Anderson Cooper on the last page of his heartfelt & extraordinary (2006) book about life & loss & love > Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival.

My favorite book now, not only because I couldn’t put it down. But because it made me cry & if asked to define the word, ‘it’ I would have to say the reason that Anderson Cooper couldn’t stop running away from the memories of his deceased father & brother, yet he tells us why & by doing so, still chooses to stay & to not let go; as a concept descriptor for that final departure that defines the initial step of death.

I very much like his writing style, altogether back & forth geographically, but still easy to follow along on his mental journey because it all takes place in one year, in the here & now. While, the memories are placed wherever they need to be, to make a point about his love lost & insight gained, or the grief which begets grief & sometimes won’t stop because emotions have a way of washing ashore whenever the overwhelming tide of reminiscence is pulled to the forefront of our senses by something frightening & unconscious.

The story style is short & sweet, like the old adage says, yet more bittersweet, but not so much as to be distasteful. I would also argue that his memories were more sweet than bitter because they were a necessary ingredient & important to be recalled, for this chapter in his life to be resolved.

The style is tightly woven into 4 narrative segments in just 212 pages with 8 pages of illustrations, presented in the tenacious timeline of 1 busy year as a base of erudite operations, yet with a lifetime of memories scattered throughout, to stir the sleep of emotional complacence, in order to face, with or without fear, the onslaught of a war-ravaged & natural-disaster wreaked havoc on our planet with so many people of all ages fighting for their lives, not to mention some desperate dignity, not to be forgotten. I dare anyone not to cry for someone in peril, in this story!

I think the most substantial thing (I choose) to take away from Anderson’s book is that ‘we’ cannot sit idly by & watch the world implode, standing perceptively apart & wonder why, but rather ‘get up & do something’ to partake in some preventative measures & more-than-likely & more-than-one remedy of some sane kind, as if we might alternately miss our collective target, in some unintentional way.

And thanks to Anderson Cooper for making me see & feel something I didn’t really want to pay attention to, for so many overwhelming reasons.

I’m sorry, too I waited so long to read Anderson’s 1st book, nearly 12 years already, but maybe it was meant to be, for whatever selfish reason! As another learnt lesson from his book that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves.

But I have no doubt that the spirit of Wyatt Cooper does watch TV from time-to-time, somehow & somewhere from the after-life, Anderson & undoubtedly, he is very proud, indeed!

Review by Jack Dunsmoor, author of the book OK2BG

Listened to the audio book. Love that it is narrated by the author.

First book in a long time that I just couldn't finish. Too much dark reality with my morning coffee.

Very 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.

A Life And Psyche On The Edge

As a retired newspaperman, I admire Anderson Cooper’s writing style and journalistic integrity. But I’m very glad that I’m NOT him. Death is a part of life for all of us, but it hit him personally and tragically before he was a journalist or even a fully-accredited adult.
In trying to comprehend the premature death of his father, the suicide of his brother and the sadness of his wealthy mother’s upbringing, he seems to have rushed headlong toward, war, pestilence, famine, and disaster. In a sense, behind an adrenaline junkie and putting himself on the line, he may have been seeking meaning out of his life’s chaos.
This short book isn’t a Sunday joyride but it is well written and sheds light on part of life most of us would prefer not to face. It is sad but informative and I hope the exercise of writing it has brought Cooper some peace.

I love Anderson Cooper as a human being and listening to audios of some of his older books really help me understand him better. This book was written back in 2005 after Anderson spent several months covering Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and New Orleans nearly 20 years ago. What I didn't realize was that his father grew up in New Orleans, so he had been there before with his father. He also reverts back to stories from his years covering civil unrest, natural catastrophes, and wars in other places around the globe including Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Iraq. What pushed him to write this memoir at this time was the comparison of the US response to Hurricane Katrina versus what he saw in the developing countries he reported from. The comparison is not good ... Cooper reports on the terrible response to this horrific hurricane in the south.

I loved that Anderson narrated the audio book, and there is also an interview with him after the completion of the audio which was interesting and well worth listening to.