Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Rebuke
Chapter 2: Healthcare Despair
Chapter 3: Becoming the Story
Chapter 4: Twitter Trouble
Chapter 5: Enemy of the People
Chapter 6: Examining the Black Agenda
Chapter 7: Education for All?
Chapter 8: Divided Nations
Chapter 9: Women at Work
Index
About the Author
April Ryan has been a White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton administration. In addition she can be seen almost daily as a political analyst for CNN. She has been featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle magazines as well as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Politico, to name a few, and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Anderson Cooper 360, Hardball, Meet the Press, and many other television news programs. She is the 2017 National Association of Black Journalists Journalist of the Year. She is also a 2019 Freedom of the Press Award Winner for 2019 by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Ryan resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
There are times in history when having a government backstage pass
might’ve been boring, or academically interesting, or perhaps just
pretty cool. But April Ryan, a 21-year veteran White House
reporter, is there now, at an absolutely atypical and ever-changing
time, with a front row seat to this mess. Well, technically, she
sits in the third row, “smack in the middle.”
Ryan’s writing is conversational and accessible while also
displaying impressive depth of knowledge and access. She provides,
for instance, some context behind blundering generalizations made
by the 45th president about healthcare, quoting not only from
conversations she’s had with a senator the prez said refused to
meet with him, but also from scholarly texts about health
disparities for different races and socio-economic groups in the
United States. Sometimes pointing the spotlight, occasionally in
it, Ryan very apparently values truth—seeking it and telling it.
This book gives perspective on our most recent presidential
election and, though timely, will still be providing valuable
insights for years to come.
*BUST*
This revealing memoir from veteran White House reporter Ryan
relates “the backstory of some of the major news events of 2017 and
2018.”.... She clearly portrays the unrelenting stress of being one
of the few black reporters on the prestigious White House beat,
pulling back the curtain on the “emotional taxes” that
African-American people endure daily in the workplace. This account
will be an inspiration to those who have to fight similar
battles.
*Publishers Weekly*
[Ryan's] keen insight as a woman of color working for a minority
network lends context to the questions on race that she asks during
press briefings.... Verdict: An intriguing insight into the
challenges of reporting on Trump. Recommended for readers
interested in journalism or politics.”
*Library Journal*
Journalist April Ryan provides accurate, historic information and
perspective for anyone contemplating the 2018 elections and beyond.
Under Fire is a must read for truth seekers and those who teach
others the difference between media spin, personal commentary and
current political facts.
*Martin Luther King, III*
"April Ryan is one of the most respected journalists in Washington
for a reason -- she’s tough as nails, has a wealth of experience,
and relentlessly pursues the truth. The qualities that make her a
great reporter have also made her a frequent target of the Trump
administration. In Under Fire, April Ryan deftly navigates these
attacks to deliver a characteristically impartial account of an
unprecedented time: she not only documents the chaos, confusion,
and turmoil of the Trump era, but speaks to our common values, the
enduring and urgent need for truth-tellers, and how the most
difficult challenges can bring out the best in who we are. She is a
living example of how the fire of adversity often reveals and
forges greatness."
*Senator Cory Booker*
"April’s experience, knowledge, and judgment are on full display in
this book. She understands the political process at the
highest levels and has never been afraid to ask the tough questions
off-record or with the eyes of the world on her or when her courage
and mettle have been put to the test. All of these skills
come together in a compelling volume that blends her insights with
the very questions that we should all be confronting at this unique
moment in history."
*Thurgood Marshall, Jr.*
The narrative is filled with gems.
*Kirkus*
Ryan, a veteran White House news correspondent for the American
Urban Radio Networks, describes some of her disagreements with the
press secretary’s office during the first 16 months of the Trump
administration. Ironically, Ryan explains, these battles included
criticism of her work in 2017 by then White House aide Omarosa
Manigault Newman, who subsequently published an unfavorable
critique of the Trump administration. Ryan notes some of her
interactions with officials from the Clinton, George W. Bush,
Obama, and Trump eras. She is occasionally critical of policy
issues that impact African Americans, such as whether the Trump
administration should extensively support historically black
colleges and universities. Recommended.
*CHOICE*
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