By VANESSA McCRAY
vmccray@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY —
Tom Brokaw doesn't read a lot of fiction.
"I'm really more of a non-fiction kind of person. I read several books at a time," Brokaw said.
That makes sense for a man who spent his life reporting news of war, presidential campaigns and figures history will remember. What might be surprising is that Brokaw counts as his most memorable the true-life stories of civil rights leaders, a Doctors Without Borders worker and others whose names he no longer recalls but who displayed bravery "under difficult circumstances."
The journalist, former "NBC Nightly News" anchor and author will speak May 12 at the City Opera House as part of the Traverse City National Writers Series.
Brokaw no longer is a nightly news presence, but he's in no way finished telling stories. Now, he gravitates toward the tales that most interest him. "Consumerism and proportion" is one of those under-reported topics that emerged from the nation's economic slide, he believes. It requires thinking carefully about energy use and returning to saving.
"How much do you have to have, as opposed to how much you want?" Brokaw said.
For more on Brokaw and his Traverse City visit, read today's Arts & Entertainment section.
