Step Out On Nothing: How Faith And Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
And I thought all 60 Minutes anchors were required to be die-hard skeptics. Byron Pitts indeed steps out on untraveled territory in a soul stirring, heart wrenching autobiography of his personal struggles to a coveted anchor position on 60 Minutes.An illiterate, skinny stutterer from a broken home for much of his early life, Pitts was an unlikely candidate for any significant position, let alone one as a television journalist, but as Pitts tells it, his faith brought him over every obstacle he encountered, including bullies, a cruel college professor, and his own debilitating self-deprecation.Pitts startled me with these revelations because I assumed he was likely an Ivy League educated journalist groomed from birth for his current position in life. He isn't afraid to amuse the reader with comical self-assessments of his appearance and laid-back attitude to life and achievements. His writing, filled with anecdotes, confessions, and regrets, belies a gentle and humble character, softened by the terrible blows of his childhood and teen years.His mundane existence might have remained thusly if not for the invention of Catholic priests in high school and a slew of overbearing (yet loving) family and friends who urged and encouraged him; A colorful tapestry of relatives, self-described weirdos, and strangers who, ignoring the evidence in front of them, helped propel Mr. Pitts to the top.Pitts' faith in Jesus explains faith as we Christians understand it-an actionable and unexplainable series of events that cohere to produce frequent Hallelujahs, similar to "Produced by Faith" by Christian film executive, DeVon Franklin.To the skeptics: if you read this book and can still conclude that faith had nothing to do with a nearly illiterate child, doomed to years of remedial classes, successfully rising through the ranks of one of the most competitive industries on the planet, then I challenge you to tell me what did."Step Out On Nothing" is a warning to the high achiever to acknowledge the "loser" in class, an admonition to you naysayers who love to stomp all over other people's dreams, and a written pat on the back to those who have stopped believing. You can do it. This book was so inpiring and says a lot about learning to forgive those who do wrong to you. Mr. Pitts is a Christian whose stories are heartwrenching and also uplifting. This book reminded me of Tony Dungy's book, if you liked it you will like this.My favorite quote from the book "I know that in all the darkest, loneliest moments of my life, when I felt the world was against me and the winds of conventional wisdom were in my face, in those moments, God held me in the palm of His hand"! Wonderful book Mr. Pitts!Hope you write more in the future!
What do You think about Step Out On Nothing: How Faith And Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges (2009)?
Great book, you would never guess the problems this amazing reporter had in school.
—yeedah
So far I am loving this book. An easy yet meaningful and sometimes profound read.
—Rana
He came to speak to our 8th graders and he is amazing.
—Lena
