How is the American spirit holding up in these difficult times? Peter Funt, syndicated columnist and host of TV's "Candid Camera," looks beyond the headlines to find out. In six-dozen essays, Funt uses a light but penetrating touch to take the nation's temperature. "I've always been fascinated by small slices of life," he writes. "During my time in broadcast and print journalism, as well as in entertainment television, I've looked for the smaller items that, when taken together, create a bigger picture of who we are and where we're headed." Funt's columns appear regularly in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and many of his op-eds formed the basis for these essays. Funt's canvas is very much like the real world we deal with every day. Sure, Americans are concerned about taxes, education and crime. But we also care about mobile apps that talk back to us, Paul McCartney's hairdo, and raccoons that destroy our lawns. "On 'Candid Camera, ' Funt explains, "we celebrated the American spirit, and in the last five years of traveling, interviewing and researching, I'm happy to report that the spirit remains strong. That said, my opinion pieces often focus on the negative. That's inherent in news and commentary; we don't dismiss all the good, but we search out those things that need to be fixed." In "Cautiously Optimistic," Peter Funt finds the good, the bad and the occasionally hilarious. These essays are designed to make you think, but also to smile.
About the Author: In one way or another throughout his career, Peter Funt has sought to carry on the Funt Family tradition of making people smile, while examining the human condition. After 20 years hosting the landmark TV series "Candid Camera," Peter turned to writing op-eds for publications such as The Wall Street Journal and New York Times as well as his weekly syndicated column. His writing contains the same pointed social observations that have made "Candid Camera" so popular since its creation by Peter's dad, Allen. Peter is a frequent speaker before business and civic groups, using the vast "Candid Camera" library to bring his points to life. Peter made his first appearance on "Candid Camera" when he and the legendary series were each just three years old. Over the years he has appeared in hundreds of "Candid Camera" sequences and hosted over 200 network episodes. In addition to his hidden-camera work, Peter Funt has produced and hosted TV specials on the Arts & Entertainment and Lifetime cable networks. He also spent five years as an editor and reporter with the ABC Radio Network, and was editor and publisher of the national television magazine On Cable. He authored the book "Gotcha!" for Grosset & Dunlap on the lost art of practical joking. Peter follows in his father's footsteps as President of Laughter Therapy Foundation, a non-profit organization started in 1982. Peter received his degree in journalism from the University of Denver and in 2010 DU named him a Master Scholar in Arts and Humanities. He is a past winner of the Silurian's Award for radio news reporting, for his ABC News coverage of racial disturbances in Asbury Park, N.J., and a recipient of the 2001 Angel Award for television. Peter is founder of the Monterey County Young Journalists program in California, which provides hands-on training for high school students pursuing careers in news. Peter resides in Central California. He and his wife, Amy, have two children, Stephanie and Danny.