"Born Lucky": Leland Vittert's journey from autism to anchor desk
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Cover: Harper Horizon. Right: Courtesy Leland Vittert
On the book cover above is Leland Vittert — a scrappy, aggressive prime-time NewsNation anchor — when he was nearly 2, being cradled by his dad, Mark Vittert, at their lakefront summer home in Leland, Michigan.
- In the photo at right, Leland and Mark — now best friends, and decades-long partners in a battle no one outside their family knew about — play golf in Naples, Florida.
The story in between — including painful years when his dad was the young Leland's only friend — is told in the anchorman's memoir, "Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism," out Tuesday.
Why it matters: Vittert, 43, told me his book's "lessons go beyond autism. It's about giving hope to every parent of a kid having a hard time."
- He says the lessons "apply to ADHD, anxiety and the general bullying and difficulty growing up, which has only gotten worse with social media."
How it started: Vittert — the cable channel's chief Washington anchor, and host of "On Balance" at 9 p.m. ET — tells the story of the day in seventh grade in St. Louis when he and his parents were called into the principal, who said: "Everybody here at this school thinks that your son is quite weird. ... And I do, too."
- Vittert — known in childhood by the nickname Lucky — had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. He says his dad, a well-off entrepreneur, made the radical decision "that if I wasn't gonna have any friends, he was going to be my friend. He still is my best friend."
How it's going: After each day of humiliation, his dad was waiting for Leland to put him back together. After a social encounter or a visit to a restaurant, Dad would coach his son on how to act more "normal." He was, as a chapter title puts it, "Learning To Be Me."
- In June, Mark Vittert beamed with silent pride as his son married the woman of his dreams at a lavish ceremony on a Santa Barbara ranch.
The big picture: "Born Lucky" has already taken off: Harper Horizon has ordered two new printings after the book marched up the Amazon charts after Vittert told his story in 25 network-affiliate interviews, and when Bari Weiss' The Free Press posted an excerpt.
- More on the book ... Megyn Kelly interview ... Bill O'Reilly special ... Gift link: Vittert op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
