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122 reviews for:
Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Lisa Napoli
3.77 AVERAGE
122 reviews for:
Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Lisa Napoli
3.77 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A fantastic account of the creation of National Public Radio (NPR) and the four pioneering women who were at the forefront of its success: Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg, and Cokie Roberts. I enjoyed the blend of personal stories about each woman with the history of NPR and what was going on in Washington, D.C. and the United States at the time. I found the women's backgrounds and lives fascinating and think it would have been interesting to read an entire book about any of them. I appreciated the tremendous research the author did and how she distilled it into a concise, cohesive narrative, especially knowing that much of the writing occurred during the early days of the 2020 pandemic lockdown.
The author includes several footnotes with references to on-line audio clips throughout the book, particularly in the early chapters, so this felt like an interactive/immersive reading experience. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and predict going down many more audio archive rabbit holes as a result of reading this book.
Living in the DMV area (DC-Maryland-Virginia, not the Department of Motor Vehicles
The author includes several footnotes with references to on-line audio clips throughout the book, particularly in the early chapters, so this felt like an interactive/immersive reading experience. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and predict going down many more audio archive rabbit holes as a result of reading this book.
Living in the DMV area (DC-Maryland-Virginia, not the Department of Motor Vehicles
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The crazy story behind the history - and the women - of NPR - so interesting!
Prior to reading this book I didn't know anything about the history of NPR or its founding mothers. I don't religiously listen to NPR but I really love the morning edition and other segments that I catch on my days off (I always have an audiobook going in my car so I can't listen there). NPR is educated, professional, and truly unbiased - they show the human element behind the stories and as a result NPR is universally regarded as one of the most trustworthy news sources out there. Lisa Napoli does a great job giving mini biographies of Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie discussing how they all got into journalism and eventually broadcasting. In a male dominated world of the sixties and seventies - these four women had to have more grit and determination than any other journalists, but they all eventually succeeded and made their way to the relatively new radio station, NPR. Not only is this book about these four women, it is also about the founding of NPR and the rocky road it started out on. A compelling look at everyone's favorite radio station and some of the pioneering women behind it!
My favorite genre is biography, so this story of the four founding mothers of NPR was like reading four biographies in one! When NPR began, it couldn't compete with the commercial network news organizations, so it hired journalists and reporters who would work for low wages, aka women. I enjoyed reading about Susan Stamberg's life in India; Linda Wertheimer's earning a scholarship to Wellesley, and then being told (by a man) that she could work as a researcher, rather than as an on-air personality; Nina Totenberg's unprecedented method of gathering news at the Supreme Court; and Cokie Roberts' growing up in the U.S. Capitol, and then covering those who worked there. These fourwomen changed the way that journalists gathered and reported the news, and they blazed the trail for women (and men) who followed in their footsteps.
Well-written, fascinating, and so compelling! The Founding Mothers' stories were wonderful as was the history of NPR and the folks who made it happen.
If you're a fan of the ladies of NPR, this is a great read! I enjoyed listening to the stories about how they all came together during a time when both NPR and women in journalism were both struggling together and persevered to become household names. I didn't know much about their backgrounds but the author does a good job of explaining how they started and built their respective incredible careers and became longtime friends.
NPR’s Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg & Cokie Roberts are journalism icons. But you’d wonder why from this bland, hero-worshipping press release. We learn less about the hard work they did to break major news milestones than we do about their roles in elementary school plays. Is broadcasting-scribe Napoli even trying? You’d get better anecdotes from having a beer with Totenberg. Lifeless, snooze-inducing prose. (Stamberg “loved being paid to deploy her brain & her love of learning & language in ways she had never imagined.”) These women deserve a better book.