Buying the Night Flight: The Autobiography of a Woman Foreign Correspondent

by Georgie Anne Geyer

Book Overview

Buying the Night Flight is Georgie Anne Geyer's retelling of her thrilling rise from cub reporter to foreign correspondent as she made her way into the male-dominated world of journalism. Geyer... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440007259
• ISBN13: 9780440007258
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Trailblazer In A Skirt

Let me make two things clear: "Buying the Night Flight" is a good autobiography, and it is also the account of a woman's amazing career as a trailblazer in the field of journalism. Geyer was truly a pioneer and a real lady. As a female foreign correspondent, something of a rarity back in the old days, she had to overcome a lot of obstacles. Not only was she not as respected as her male counterparts in her profession, she was also in a line of work that's very physically and mentally demanding for a woman. What's more, as one of the first female foreign correspondents, Geyer really had no one to look up to or to learn from. She had to make up a lot of her own rules as she went along. But as she marches into uncharted territories, whether it's the deep Columbian jungles ruled by the rebels, or a hostage crisis in Egypt, she proves to us time and time again in this book that not only did she succeeded in surviving each assignment with the most fascinating stories and interviews, what's more, she's always done it with class and stylish prose. What I loved most about this book is Geyer's unrelenting criticism and analyses on herself through each situation. Being pretty much the very first female foreign correspondent, Geyer is acutely aware of her limitations as a woman. But she had also learned that there are many advantages to being a woman, namely that women are more sensitive, and are actually able to get men to open up more. At the same time, Geyer is also honest about the sacrifices that she's had to make in her personal life in order to gain the achievements in her professional life. That's another element that makes this book a good autobiography, because it's such a truthful introspective on the author. Geyer is also one of those journalist who has a strong moral conviction in what she does, and is not afraid to voice her own subjective opinion on each subject. She's unabashedly American, and carries that naive, moralistic optimism which is very endearing. It makes her book a very revealing read.

A PROFILE OF COURAGE

I know Geogie Anne Geyer personally. We met first in Poland in the 1980's when she covered my country after the military coup in 1981. I have red her autobiography several times. I translated it to Polish in jail, when I was a political prisoner of the communists. This woman is a unique example of an investigative journalist. If she had fought in the wars, she would become a war hero. But she covers all the wars and revolutions that broke out during her mature life.What I like about Georgie Anne ("GeeGee") is her sharp mind and toughness. She always gets to the heart of the matter. But (a unique feature) she's also a lovely woman who never looses her charm. I recommend her book to everyone who is conscious of the World we live in. DAVID MARIUS DASTYCH (60),a veteran international journalist, Warsaw, Poland. E-Mail me at: starm@poczta.onet.pl Date: August 12, 2001 on Sunday

An insightful and fantastic adventure.

Ms. Geyer reveals her life and work as a wonderful adventure. As one of the first women foreign correspondents, she was where the action was. She provides us not only with brilliant insight into the geo-political events of Vietnam, Central America, and the USSR, but makes each of her tours an adventure. Ms. Geyer is truly a gifted writer. You have so much fun reading about her adventures, you may not realize you are learning a lot about foreign politics at the same time. This is a great book.