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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December 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

The December 2015 starred BlueInk Reviews of self-published books include upbeat romance, a WWII novel and a spy thriller. The post December 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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September 2015: Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post September 2015: Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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August 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our August 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, ranges from fantasy to middle grade, memoir to self-help The post August 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Patricia Day Stein, of Stein and Day Publishers

Patricia Day Stein, who was v-p and co-founder of the book publisher Stein and Day with her then husband Sol Stein, died on July 16 in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., of natural causes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our July 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, focuses on a variety of nonfiction titles. The post July 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our June 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. All titles are deemed worth of further consideration. The post June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our May 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. This selection includes guides to finance and fighting cancer. The post May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our April 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our March 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a review of self-published books, includes a memoir from Romanian tennis pro Peter Marmureanu. The post March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our January 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, uncovers a superb memoir of a WWII concentration camp in Indonesia. The post January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, includes several nonfiction titles in history, science and more. The post December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review

The November 2014 selection of self-published book reviews from BlueInk Review includes paranormal fiction, young adult fiction, self-help and health. The post November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books from BlueInk Review honor two works of fiction: a dystopian saga and a thriller set in Australia. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

February's notable reviews of self-published titles include stars for a 'startling' memoir about the Vietnam War and a 'fascinating' exploration of human rights. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month’s starred reviews of self-published books includes a pair of notable new novels, one about dysfunctional childhood in Western and another about a busy single mother. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a "stellar" historical novel and a "touching" memoir of life as a teacher of disadvantaged students. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banning bad reviews undermines the very purpose of reviews

In an interview with Poynter back at the beginning of November, BuzzFeed book editor Isaac Fitzgerald said that the site will not include negative reviews. "Why waste breath talking smack about something? You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip. If you can’t say... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published books of note include a fictional tragedy in pre-colonial Nigeria and a memoir where beer pong meets sado-masochism. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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