Known for his thought-provoking coverage and his commitment to exceptional storytelling, Byron Pitts is a multiple Emmy award winning journalist. As Chief National Correspondent for CBS Evening News With Katie Couric Pitts was an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War and was recognized for his work under fire. Pitts was also CBS' lead correspondent at Ground Zero immediately following the September 11th attacks and won an Emmy for his coverage. A news veteran with over 20 years of experience, other major stories include the war in Afghanistan, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the military buildup in Kuwait and the refugee crisis in Kosovo, to name but a few. Pitts realized a life-long goal when he was named a Contributing Correspondent to CBS' 60 Minutes in 2009.

Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges
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Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312577664
ISBN-13: 978-0312577667
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches

Read an AALBC.com Book Review

'It seems unimaginable that someone of Byron's intelligence and elegance could have faced so many struggles as a young man. No wonder he is such an inspired story teller ' his own story is inspiring.' 
- Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and 60 Minutes correspondent

'Byron Pitts' book, 'Step Out on Nothing ' How Faith and Family Helped me Overcome Life's Obstacles' should be required reading for anyone who has been told 'You can't do it.' Faced with obstacles and challenges that many would find insurmountable, Byron through his remarkable faith and the support of his family refused to accept what all too many resign themselves to today, a life left unfilled, with promise, dreams and aspirations sadly left on the doorsteps of our future. Faith without works is dead; Byron's faith is far from dead!
- TD Jakes, author and chief pastor of The Potter's House
 

Book Description
It was August 25, 2006, my first on-camera studio open for the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes. Executive Producer Jeff Fager poked his head in the dressing room.' Good luck, Brotha! You've come a long way to get here. You've earned it.'

'If only he knew. My mind flashed back to elementary school, when a therapist had informed my mother, 'I'm sorry, Mrs. Pitts, your son cannot read.'

In Step Out on Nothing, Byron Pitts chronicles his astonishing story of overcoming a childhood filled with obstacles to achieve enormous success in life. Throughout Byron's difficult youth'his parents separated when he was twelve and his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet'he suffered from a debilitating stutter. But Byron was keeping an even more embarrassing secret: He was also functionally illiterate. For a kid from inner-city Baltimore, it was a recipe for failure.

Pitts turned struggle into strength and overcame both of his impediments. Along the way, a few key people 'stepped out on nothing' to make a difference for him'from his mother, who worked tirelessly to raise her kids right and delivered ample amounts of tough love, to his college roommate, who helped Byron practice his vocabulary and speech. Pitts even learns from those who didn't believe in him, like the college professor who labeled him a failure and told him to drop out of college. Through it all, he persevered, following his steadfast passion. After fifteen years in local television, he landed a job as a correspondent for CBS News in 1998, and went on to become an Emmy Award'winning journalist and a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. Not bad for a kid who couldn't read.

From a challenged youth to a reporting career that has covered 9/11 and Iraq, Pitts's triumphant and uplifting story will resonate with anyone who has felt like giving up in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardships.