A television journalist with numerous “firsts” to her credit, Connie Chung presents vibrant memories of her career in the public spotlight and her many challenges behind the scenes in her newly released memoir.

Chung was born to Chinese immigrants. A shy child, she admired her older sisters whom she describes as “strong, ballsy, competitive high achievers who set a high bar for me.” She would pursue their ideals in a new era when women were beginning to be seen, heard and reckoned with on the national scene. She majored in journalism at the University of Maryland and began to climb the career ladder through local television channels. There, she met Maury Povich, who would become her sweetheart, husband and partner in the realm of political reportage.

"Honest and detail-oriented, Chung describes her ups and downs with verve, and her wry sense of humor makes this sweeping account highly readable."

By 1971, Chung was hired by CBS News and would go on to work for all the major news networks, interviewing such notable figures as Nelson Rockefeller, Marlon Brando, Magic Johnson and Martina Navratilova. She would be the first Asian woman to co-host a weekday news program, with Dan Rather, which she reveals was a difficult work relationship. Though steadily rising in her role as a prominent woman in her field, she also experienced some glitches, interviews that went awry in the eyes of her employers and sometimes her audience.

Honest and detail-oriented, Chung describes her ups and downs with verve, and her wry sense of humor makes this sweeping account highly readable. Incidents include the sudden fire on her complex battery pack that moved astronaut John Glenn to come to the rescue, and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates jumping over a chair just to prove to her that he could --- but then walking out when her questions became too probing. Interviews with Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman (made separately but melded together as Newman’s remarks evinced “charming hijinks” from Woodward, which also was caught on camera) earned Chung an Emmy, one of many such awards she would receive.

Chung’s observations about other female news anchors, her fellow pioneers, reveal their competitive natures and her discomfort at being “squeezed” between them instead of being welcomed and allied with them. She still sees in America a “dinosaur society” in which men dominate, while proudly noting that her accomplishments have inspired a “Connie Generation” and urging her namesakes to “dream big and reach high.”