A Canadian by birth, former newscaster Robert MacNeil became a U.S.
citizen after having lived and worked in the United States for a long
time. In his autobiography Looking For My Country, he talks about how
he viewed his Canadian upbringing and what prompted him finally to
choose to become a U.S. citizen.Thanks to his stint as anchor
of the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour on PBS, millions recognize MacNeil.
However, few know his personal life story or how he had worked earlier
for years as a reporter, crisscrossing the country, becoming familiar
with its people and places in a way that few native-born U.S. citizens
have ever done. As he writes of his travels, especially during
campaign years, one can easily imagine MacNeil traveling the highways
and byways of the country , getting an especially intimate view of it
much the same way that Charles Kuralt did in his memorable On the Road
series of vignettes for CBS News.Having a facility for words
and a wry sense of humor, MacNeil relates his life story in an engaging
manner. Adopting an evenhanded, forthright approach, he speaks candidly
about troubles he had personally and professionally over the years. He
also lets readers know about his penchant for creative writing and how
he finally left the NewHour so that he could devote himself ful- timeto
writing novels and screenplays.A number of years into his
retirement from the grind of presenting the day’s news on TV, he seems
to have no regrets about his decision to leave. He still plays an
indirect role in the business, however, through the production company
which he and Jim Lehrer own and control. It’s that company which has
prime responsibility for producing today’s version of the newcast—The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.All in all, MacNeil offers a lively
account of his comparison of Canada with the United States and the
reasons why, in the end, he decided to become a U.S. citizen.