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123 reviews for:
Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Lisa Napoli
3.77 AVERAGE
123 reviews for:
Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Lisa Napoli
3.77 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
4.25 stars. As a self-professed NPR junkie, I have listened to all of the subjects of this book for years, but knew little of their backstories. This was not only a biography of four crusading women, but also a great reminder of how far we have come as women since NPR’s founding in 1971. A good read!
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This book traces the lives of the eponymous women, aka NPR’s “founding mothers.” A hybrid four-subject biography plus a recounting of the early days of the National Public Radio, Napoli’s work presents a engaging, well-researched chronology that highlights some truly pioneering women.
I did not know a whole heap about NPR going into this book, and it did give me a solid sense of its scrappy, humble beginnings. Each woman profiled had an interesting backstory and sincerely admirable drive to be a part of the journalism world. Hailing from largely privileged backgrounds, none had stories of significant adversity apart from their gender. Even still, hearing their family’s histories and particular roles in their development was one of my favorite parts of the book. For example, Did you know Cokie Roberts was the daughter of a Congressman (and later a Congresswoman) and stared down social conventions to marry her Jewish beau, Steve? And Linda hails from New Mexico where her father owned a grocery store? There is a strong sense of matrilineal gratitude. Every woman could point to another woman who blazed the way before them in some way inspiring their ambitions.
Now, to a few of my gripes. While the subtitle suggests a focus on the founding mothers, the middle third of the book was heavily skewed towards a portrayal of early NPR: the politicking, the leadership, the financial crises. And, while interesting in its own right, these chronicles only vaguely talked about the headlining women. They were present and held power, but were far from the main players. Some of the most interesting coverage of their individual achievements at NPR staff actually came in the epilogue, a structural choice and flummoxed and frustrated me. For instance, Nina Totenberg played a pivotal role in the Anita Hill coverage and revolutionized the way we relate to Congressional proceedings as the general public. But stories of this sort were largely smushed into the last 40 pages.
Also, there was, in my opinion, not enough air given to the fact that while these four women were fiercely devoted to one another and their network, they did seem to have a clique-like mentality (at least as portrayed by Napoli) and did not fully acknowledge their privileged positions as white women with supportive partners and familial support.
Finally, three of the four featured women are alive today. I was disappointed that they did not seem to have a significant role in the book’s research. It would have been even more powerful with direct reflections/commentary from Susan, Linda, and Nina.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
My dad, the ever the NPR uber-fan, has started countless stories with, "I heard the other day on NPR..." Pre-pandemic, his daily commute on the 405 from the South Bay to Santa Monica provided him an ample 2+ hours each day to tune into the ubiquitous radio station. He's the one who told me about this book, and I am so thankful I read it.
While Lisa Napoli does and admirable job stitching together the women's lives, including how many times their paths crossed before they were all together in the NPR newsroom, this book is something more than a biography of four career-minded women. This book is a love letter to the second wave of feminism in the US. Napoli traces the struggles that these women faced, from petty commentary said by bosses and congresspeople to the deep toll that working took on their marriages, family, and identities. Each one of them fought tooth and nail to simply get a foot in the door, and once they achieved that, they all displayed remarkable tenacity and determination to build something incredible. Napoli focuses mostly on NPR's political commentary, which is what launched the four founding mothers into the celebrity status that they retain to this day.
Two of my favorite bits: 1) when Cokie and Steve are assigned the same piece from different publications, and Cokie goes while Steve steps back, Napoli writes, "For the very first time, his work was accommodating hers", and 2) although a male coworked called the four the Fallopian Jungle, Napoli writes, "The women had lacked allies and friendship for so long that they were unabashed in their delight in having found one another—and this work. No longer did they need to gaze at or be at the hand of the old boy network. They were firm and proud leaders of the hard-won old girl network they'd hatched." That second one made me think of my own girl networks, the ones I have from high school and college, the ones into which I have so lovingly poured my all. I can only imagine the power we would generate if we collaborated on professional pursuits.
In addition, I loved the cameo by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and funny enough, there was a reference to my hometown when Cokie was assigned a piece on whale watching in southern California. And I most definitely got verklempt at the end. Thinking about that last image of these four spectacular women, the three surviving of them reminiscing on their impact together — OOF. My heart.
While Lisa Napoli does and admirable job stitching together the women's lives, including how many times their paths crossed before they were all together in the NPR newsroom, this book is something more than a biography of four career-minded women. This book is a love letter to the second wave of feminism in the US. Napoli traces the struggles that these women faced, from petty commentary said by bosses and congresspeople to the deep toll that working took on their marriages, family, and identities. Each one of them fought tooth and nail to simply get a foot in the door, and once they achieved that, they all displayed remarkable tenacity and determination to build something incredible. Napoli focuses mostly on NPR's political commentary, which is what launched the four founding mothers into the celebrity status that they retain to this day.
Two of my favorite bits: 1) when Cokie and Steve are assigned the same piece from different publications, and Cokie goes while Steve steps back, Napoli writes, "For the very first time, his work was accommodating hers", and 2) although a male coworked called the four the Fallopian Jungle, Napoli writes, "The women had lacked allies and friendship for so long that they were unabashed in their delight in having found one another—and this work. No longer did they need to gaze at or be at the hand of the old boy network. They were firm and proud leaders of the hard-won old girl network they'd hatched." That second one made me think of my own girl networks, the ones I have from high school and college, the ones into which I have so lovingly poured my all. I can only imagine the power we would generate if we collaborated on professional pursuits.
In addition, I loved the cameo by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and funny enough, there was a reference to my hometown when Cokie was assigned a piece on whale watching in southern California. And I most definitely got verklempt at the end. Thinking about that last image of these four spectacular women, the three surviving of them reminiscing on their impact together — OOF. My heart.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced