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About The Book

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“It’s a hell of a story.” —The New York Times
“A stunning and revelatory memoir.” —Oprah Daily


From MSNBC anchor and instant New York Times bestselling author Katy Tur, a shocking and deeply personal memoir about a life spent chasing the news.

When a box from her mother showed up on Katy Tur’s doorstep, months into the pandemic and just as she learned she was pregnant with her second child, she didn’t know what to expect. The box contained thousands of hours of video—the work of her pioneering helicopter journalist parents. They grew rich and famous for their aerial coverage of Madonna and Sean Penn’s secret wedding, the Reginald Denny beating in the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and O.J. Simpson’s notorious run in the white Bronco. To Tur, these family videos were an inheritance of sorts, and a reminder of who she was before her own breakout success as a reporter.

In Rough Draft, Tur writes about her eccentric and volatile California childhood, punctuated by forest fires, earthquakes, and police chases—all seen from a thousand feet in the air. She recounts her complicated relationship with a father who was magnetic, ambitious, and, at times, frightening. And she charts her own survival from local reporter to globe-trotting foreign correspondent, running from her past. Tur also opens up for the first time about her struggles with burnout and impostor syndrome, her stumbles in the anchor chair, and her relationship with CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil (who quite possibly had a crazier childhood than she did).

Intimate and captivating, Rough Draft explores the gift and curse of family legacy, examines the roles and responsibilities of the news, and asks the question: To what extent do we each get to write our own story?

About The Author

Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC Copyright: 2021 MSNBC Media, LLC

Katy Tur is the anchor of Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC, a correspondent for NBC Nightly News, and the author of the New York Times bestseller Unbelievable. Tur is the recipient of a 2017 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. She lives in New York City.

About The Reader

Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC Copyright: 2021 MSNBC Media, LLC

Katy Tur is the anchor of Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC, a correspondent for NBC Nightly News, and the author of the New York Times bestseller Unbelievable. Tur is the recipient of a 2017 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (June 14, 2022)
  • Runtime: 7 hours and 54 minutes
  • ISBN13: 9781797122809

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Raves and Reviews

"Fans of MSNBC anchor Katy Tur will be familiar with her skills and confidence in front of the camera. Here she narrates her memoir of her unconventional life. Her story will appeal not only to listeners interested in journalism, but also to anyone who enjoys a forthright or thoughtful narrative about an unusual life, along with personal takes on current events. Tur gives accounts of growing up, starting with her journalist parents — who, among other highlights, shot the O.J. chase — and her father’s transition to the female gender. She also shares aspects of her life with her husband, a coanchor on CBS. Listeners will hear some fascinating stories and gain an understanding of the difficulties reporters face."

– AudioFile Magazine

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    Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC Copyright: 2021 MSNBC Media, LLC
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