Yet Here I Am

Pulitzer Prize winning writer, editor and TV host Jonathan Capehart recounts powerful stories from his life about embracing identity, picking battles, seizing opportunity and finding his voice.

MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart is one of the most recognizable faces in cable news. But long before that success, Capehart spent his boyhood growing up without his father, shuttling back and forth between New Jersey and rural Severn, North Carolina, and contemplating the complexities of race and identity as they shifted around him. It was never easy bridging two worlds; whether being told he was too smart or not smart enough, too Black or not Black enough, Capehart struggled to find his place. Then, an internship at The Today Show altered the course of his life, bringing him one step closer to his dream. From there, Capehart embarks on a journey of self-discovery. 

Yet Here I Am takes us along that journey, from his years at Carleton College, where he learns to embrace his identity as a gay Black man surrounded by a likeminded community; to his decision to come out to his family, risking rejection; and finally to his move to New York City, where time and again he stumbles and picks himself up as he blazes a path to become the familiar face in news we know today.   

Honest and endearing, Yet Here I Am is an inspirational memoir of identity, opportunity, and finding one’s voice and purpose along the way. 

• "Jonathan Capehart’s absorbing memoir traces the arc of his life, from the death of his father when he was only four months old to his profound appreciation of the remarkable people he has known, the meaningful career he has built, and the abiding home he always sought. Yet Here I Am is as thoughtful and fascinating as its author, and a generous insight into a life well lived."

  President Bill Clinton

• “With candor and verve, Jonathan Capehart has given us a moving, memorable, and illuminating memoir. The good news is this is a wonderful book. The even better news is that Jonathan has many miles yet to go.”

  Jon Meacham

• “Powerful. Bold. Heartfelt. Jonathan takes readers on a journey of self-discovery that both enlightens and emboldens. His book will inspire readers for decades to come."

  Michele Norris, New York Times bestselling author of Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity

• “This is a story of how hard work and gumption can win out in a world where we often struggle to fit in and find our way. Following Jonathan Capehart’s journey is moving and inspiring.”
   

  Katie Couric

• “Behind the rise of one our most thoughtful journalists is his lifelong search to know—and see—his late father, who died just four months after he was born. Yet Here I Am is an inspiring memoir, beautifully rendered by Jonathan Capehart, who tracks his journey from his mother’s home in the aftermath of the Newark uprising in the late ’60s to his prominent seat interpreting the news. Through a series of challenges and contexts that provide a personal look at some of the most important issues of the last half century, Capehart grounds us in a story of curiosity meeting excellence. His seeking nature, for truth and understanding, underscores the qualities we should hope every journalist aspires to in our world today.”

  Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

• "In Yet Here I Am Jonathan Capehart proudly and defiantly dares to take up the space and firmly implant his Black & Queer identity in the earth and firmament thereof. His tome reminds us all that our collective humanity is the only peaceful path forward."
   

  Billy Porter

• "A lively, sometimes rueful, always illuminating look at the business of journalism by a knowing practitioner."
   

  Kirkus (starred review)