Dispatches from the Edge

Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival (2006) is Anderson Cooper’s memoir of his experiences reporting on some of the most horrific wars and natural disasters of the past 15 years—Bosnia, Rwanda, the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq, and others. It’s compelling subject matter, and Cooper brings an immediacy to each story through his lucid but choppy writing style. I could so easily imagine Anderson Cooper reading this on 360, even the sections about his own life. But despite the choppiness of it, Cooper does a fantastic job of describing what really goes on during a crisis situation. Cooper describes the stories that you don’t get to see on the news, and as you may expect, they are heart-wrenching. Over and over again, Cooper seeks out dangerous situations and comes face to face with violence, death, and suffering. In particular, the section about Hurricane Katrina is shattering.

Cooper seems addicted to the rush of a crisis, but there is a deeper reason for seeking out these disastrous scenes than just the adrenaline rush. It seems telling others’ stories of loss helps him make sense of his own pain from the deaths of his father and brother. Throughout the book, Cooper weaves in his attempts to come to terms with these losses. At times this seems awkward, like maybe he should have written another book with that as the focus. But I suppose his point is that death and suffering are universal; even the author with his privileged background hasn’t escaped tragedy.

I liked the fact that Cooper doesn’t gloss over the sensationalism of TV news, the push to find the most shocking story and record it on camera, and he expresses some guilt over it. However, you get the impression that he does care deeply about helping people and about bringing attention to causes that warrant it.

Maybe this book isn’t for everyone. However, if you have a strong stomach and are interested in news, Dispatches from the Edge is a well-written, emotionally affecting look at the life of a TV correspondent that is definitely worth your time.