Anchor Jennings Reports The Century

ABC News anchor Peter Jennings brought his version of recent history to life last night with a reading of selections from his best-selling book, The Century, at the Askwith Lecture Hall.

Jennings, the anchor and senior editor for ABC's World News Tonight, shared the stage with his co-writer, Todd Brewster, a former writer and correspondent for Life Magazine.

The Century, a journalistic account of the world since 1900, is a popular coffee-table history.

Last night's discussion spanned the major events of the century, the harrowing anecdotes including World War I, the Civil Rights movement and the end of the Cold War.

Using a photographic slide presentation as a backdrop, Jennings and Brewster took turns reading several of the book's eyewitness descriptions of historical events.

As a family photograph projected on the large screen behind him, Jennings read an account of the Great Depression from a woman named Clara Hancock.

"I started saving money in 1929 in a piggy bank," read Jennings, quoting from an interview with Hancock.

"One day I came into my room to shake it [but] there was nothing in it. My mother told me my dad had borrowed the money.... He said he was sorry and would pay it back. He never did."

Jennings and Brewster stressed that their book was not a detailed history, but written from an anecdotal, journalistic perspective.

"We tried to make it a narrative and a story," Brewster said. "It gives a sense of how the history was experienced, what it was like to be alive."

"This is a history from the bottom up," Jennings added. "It is dedicated to the witnesses."

Based on the book, the two men produced 27 hours of programming for The History Channel and a six-part ABC News series.

Jennings and World News Tonight staffers also produce a weekly segment for the network's flagship news broadcast.

After last night's reading, Jennings and Brewster fielded questions from the audience of over 300 people, providing answers on how they researched the book and also revealing their thoughts on the future.

One student asked Jennings how he thought the role of journalists had changed through the century.

After beginning to answer, Jennings said nervously, "I shouldn't start. You go," throwing the question over to Brewster, which drew laughter from the crowd.

The event, sponsored by Wordsworth Books, was followed by a book signing outside of the lecture hall.

A second book, The Century For Young People, was also available for purchase.

The program began with a speech by Jerome T. Murphy, dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Education.

He lauded the work for its down-to-earth perspective.

"Many histories document the major events, but few show the emotional impact of events through the eyes of those who witnessed it," Murphy said.

"This book portrays the sobering realities of the century while also showing hope for the future. We are all in this together, and together we move forward."