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 New York Times bestselling author Katy Tur, a shocking and deeply personal memoir about a life spent chasing the news. “By the time I was two years old, I knew to yell ‘Story! Story!’ at the squawks of my parents’ police scanner. By four, I could hold a microphone and babble my way through a kiddie news report. By the time I was in high school, though, my parents had lost it all. Their marriage. Their careers. Their reputations.” 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? "Introspective and bitingly funny...a thrilling ride." ? Publishers Weekly (starred review) From MSNBC anchor and New York Times bestselling author Katy Tur, a shocking and deeply personal memoir about a life spent chasing the news. "By the time I was two years old, I knew to yell 'Story! Story!' at the squawks of my parents' police scanner. By four, I could hold a microphone and babble my way through a kiddie news report. By the time I was in high school, though, my parents had lost it all. Their marriage. Their careers. Their reputations." 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? From MSNBC anchor and New York Times bestselling author Katy Tur, a sharp and candid memoir about a life spent chasing the news. Television journalism is the worst job on the planet like motherhood is the worst job on the planet. Its messy and often absurdly unpleasant and youre constantly being judged by strangers and, yes, there are other wonderful ways to lead your life. But I cant think of a richer way to spend mine. Before Katy Tur was an anchor on MSNBC, a bestselling author, and the wife of CBS This Morning s Tony Dokoupil (a.k.a. the guy with the good hair), she was just another young journalist reporting on hurricanes and holdups. Katys passion for news began as a toddler when she would ride in her parents helicopter as they reported on forest fires, Madonnas wedding, and, of course, O.J. Simpson. In Rough Draft , Tur reveals a life lived in TV news, from her beginnings as the daughter of groundbreaking helicopter journalists in Los Angeles, to being a storm chaser, to upstart Trump campaign reporter Little Katy, to national news anchor, and now, a mother of two. She opens up for the first time about her complicated relationship with her parents and she brings us behind the desk and behind the scenes to reveal what it was like to guide millions through the craziest era in news America has ever seen. Tur writes about unique and often funny milestones (the semi-glow of bestseller acclaim, the art of the teleprompter) and relatable rites of passage (impostor syndrome, a difficult maternity leave, a husband who insists on feeding the baby beans). She also reflects on the business of broadcast news, and her role in it during a time of massive chaos, disinformation, and extremism. More than a book about the news, Rough Draft is about rising to the moment, embracing the unexpected, and learning to write your own story. 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? "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 now 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 Lost Angeles riots, and O.J. Simpson's notorious run in the white Bronco. To Katy, these family videos were an inheritance of sorts, and a reminder of who she was before she was her own breakout success as a reporter"--Dust jacket flap