A Day Like Today by John Humphrys review – 'I like arguing'

The combative broadcaster’s memoir mixes engaging snapshots of his early career with some score-settling and a robust defence of his interviewing styleJohn Humphrys is the first to admit he doesn’t deal well with authority. He inherited it from his father, who refused to use the service entrance at the grand houses where he worked as a French polisher and, as a child, once watched his aunt get a humiliating dressing-down from the vicar for missing church. Humphrys had his own brush with condescending authority figures when he was in hospital with a cyst on his spine at 13, and an “arrogant posh bastard consultant” told his retinue of trainees it was because he didn’t wash regularly. “I don’t like being defined or told what to do, whoever is in charge,” he notes, a stance that has proved useful for grilling politicians (he has interviewed eight prime ministers), though it has also landed him in hot water.His memoir mixes engaging snapshots of his early career and analysis of the evolution of broadcasting with diatribes and petty score-settling. The early chapters tell of his passage from teen lackey on the Penarth Times in Wales, where his main task was standing outside the local church taking the names of those attending weddings and funerals, to being the first journalist on the scene at the Aberfan disaster, near Merthyr Tydfil, in which 116 children and 28 adults died after a colliery tip collapsed. Later he became a BBC foreign correspondent, reporting on the 1971 war... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-10 06:30:10 UTC ]

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Todger, Tiggy, Biro and Spike: A glossary of Harry's Britishisms for 'Spare' readers

If you're reading Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' and wondering what a biro is, here's a master list of the schools, nicknames and body parts you need to know. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-12 00:41:17 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ Memoir Breaks Sales Records

The steady drumbeat of revelations that preceded the book’s release helped push early orders and initial sales, making “Spare,” on its first day, one of the best-selling hardcover books in recent memory. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-11 22:07:48 UTC ]
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‘Spare,’ by Prince Harry: Book Review

At once emotional and embittered, the royal memoir is mired in a paradox: drawing endless attention in an effort to renounce fame. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-10 21:07:46 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first day Prince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 19:17:17 UTC ]
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It’s Prince Harry in One Flew Over The Windsors’ Nest. Just pity those he left behind | Marina Hyde

The book is out and as the royal gone awol speaks his truth, you have to ask: if this is Britain’s first family, what are the others like? Day 127 of J.Crew Hamlet and Prince Harry’s memoir has finally dropped. It needed to. I feel like I’ve had babies I’ve been less organised for than this... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 12:12:55 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s memoir hits No 1 on Amazon, predicted to be one of year’s bestsellers

Spare is already the UK’s top-selling title a day ahead of publication, with high-street retailers expecting sustained interest in the royal psychodramaPrince Harry’s Spare is currently the No 1 in the UK Amazon bestseller charts and among the biggest pre-order titles for high-street retailers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-09 17:46:20 UTC ]
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Prince Harry defends tell-all memoir in furious ITV interview

King, queen consort and Prince William all criticised as Harry says silence ‘allows the abuser to abuse’Harry: The Interview review – so horribly sad it could have turned the Queen anti-monarchyPrince Harry launched a broadside at the king, the queen consort, his brother and other royals in a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-09 01:55:15 UTC ]
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In his own write: Prince Harry’s ghostwriter is so famous that George Clooney made a film of his life

JR Moehringer, biographer to stars such as Andre Agassi and a doyen of the genre, was an obvious choice for the Duke of SussexWhen Prince Harry chose to work with ghostwriter JR Moehringer on his institution-shaking memoir, Spare, he was not taking half measures. The American writer and Pulitzer... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-07 18:42:05 UTC ]
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What’s in Prince Harry’s memoir Spare? Here’s all we know so far

Duke of Sussex writes about tussles with his brother, that Nazi uniform, his mother’s death, and losing his virginityThe Duke of Sussex’s tell-all memoir Spare is not sparing in its extraordinary revelations. After it went on sale in Spain ahead of official publication, excerpts have dominated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-06 15:12:39 UTC ]
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Why Travel Writing is a Form of Memoir and How Covid Has Changed How We See the World

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Pico Iyer, the author of The Half Known Life: In Search... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-06 09:52:43 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of January 9, 2023

Random House buys a memoir from Ketanji Brown Jackson, Katee Robert sells the first three in a series to Berkley, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Did the heir physically attack the spare? That's what Prince Harry alleges in memoir

'It all happened so fast,' Prince Harry writes in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir about a 2019 argument he allegedly had with Prince William. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-05 21:00:28 UTC ]
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Prince Harry tell-all memoir does not bode well for reconciliation hopes

Netflix series, memoir and ITV interview reveal Harry has ammunition on William and is prepared to use itIf the Duke of Sussex’s hopes are for an early reconciliation with his family, his wishes seem unlikely to be fulfilled any time soon, judging from extracts published from his tell-all... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-05 15:18:24 UTC ]
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Prince Harry claims in upcoming memoir that William physically attacked him during argument

Prince Harry alleges in a much-anticipated new memoir that his brother, Prince William, lashed out and physically attacked him during a furious argument over the brothers' deteriorating relationship, The Guardian reported Monday. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-01-05 11:54:52 UTC ]
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8 Memoirs by Women About Multicultural Identity and Belonging

I was in my twenties the first time I read a memoir set in Lahore, my father’s city, where I’d spent time during my childhood. I was living in Syracuse, New York, then, and I read Meatless Days hungrily, soaking in familiar places and people, and when I finished it, I read it again. I […] The... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-01-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover reveal: Safiya Sinclair’s summer memoir How to Say Babylon

Lit Hub is pleased to share the cover for Safiya Sinclair’s forthcoming memoir, How to Say Babylon, which Simon and Schuster will publish this summer. Sinclair is the author of the poetry collection Cannibal, winner of a Whiting Writers’ Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Metcalf... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-03 15:30:30 UTC ]
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10 New Books Coming in January

Watch for a follow-up to Leigh Bardugo’s “Ninth House” and a damning investigation of cobalt mining. Oh, maybe you’ve heard about a new memoir coming from Prince Harry? Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-29 16:00:14 UTC ]
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Lit Hub’s Favorite Books of 2022, with Emily Temple and Katie Yee

Author and Literary Hub Managing Editor Emily Temple and Lit Hub Associate Editor Katie Yee join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about Lit Hub’s 38 favorite books of the year as chosen by the staff. The list spans genres from historical to memoir to post-digital... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-29 13:27:43 UTC ]
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The Best Memoirs You’ve Never Heard of

There are so many incredible memoirs out there beyond the bestseller list. Here are some underrated gems you need to read, including Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-22 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Elizabeth Hurley denies rumor she took Prince Harry's virginity: 'Absolutely not'

Prince Harry reportedly says in his memoir that his first sexual encounter was with a 'beautiful older woman' many believe to be Elizabeth Hurley. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-12-18 18:56:06 UTC ]
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