Byron Pitts talked about his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges (St. Martin's Press; September 29, 2009). In the book he tells his story of rising from a Baltimore inner-city neighborhood to a career in journalism, while handicapped by a stutter and functional illiteracy. He talked about his life, read passages from the book and then responded to questions from members of the audience. The event in his current hometown of Montclair, New Jersey, was at his church, St. Paul Baptist Church, after the morning service on Sunday, December 6, 2009.

Byron Pitts, an Emmy-award winning journalist, is chief national correspondent for the "CBS Evening News" and contributing correspondent to news magazine "60 Minutes."