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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Goldsmiths winner Harrison moves to Serpent's Tail from Gollancz after 40 years

Serpent's Tail has bagged a post-apocalyptic novel and a memoir from 2020 Goldsmiths Prize winner M John Harrison, who is leaving his long-term publisher Gollancz after 40 years.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-19 23:45:16 UTC ]
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Richard Antoine White once had little more than his tuba. Now, he’s a musical pioneer.

White went from the streets of Baltimore to the philharmonic. In his memoir "I'm Possible," he tells the story of how he transformed his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-18 13:00:13 UTC ]
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The Author Behind ‘Maid’ Has a Room — and a Voice — of Her Own

Stephanie Land’s best-selling memoir inspired the popular Netflix series. She’s not done fighting for people navigating the red tape of poverty. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-16 10:00:03 UTC ]
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Nine Eight Books lands memoir from soul legend P P Arnold

Nine Eight Books, the music imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired the “compelling and pertinent memoir” from 1960s soul legend P P Arnold.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-15 22:10:47 UTC ]
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Memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes to be published in March 2022

The beloved Guardian writer finished Holding Tight, Letting Go before she died of cancer earlier this yearA memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes, who died from cancer earlier this year, will be published next March, tackling topics from planning your own funeral to the importance of trashy... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-13 14:25:04 UTC ]
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What Happens When I Don’t Understand My Own Novel?

A student of mine was writing a memoir about being in an abusive marriage. She’d divorced her husband in middle age and returned to college, and her prose was stark and beautiful. After a few months, however, her classmates grew restless. “He was horrible,” they said. “A bullying jerk.” Still,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-13 09:51:42 UTC ]
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Mel Brooks looks back on his delightfully deranged career

But the legendary comedian’s joyful memoir doesn’t pause for introspection, or analysis. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-10 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Little A acquires 'powerful' memoir from Polari Prize founder Burston

Little A, the literary fiction and non-fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing, has acquired a "powerful" memoir by Paul Burston, founder of the Polari Prize, the UK’s first and largest LGBTQ+ book award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-09 09:18:56 UTC ]
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Elliot & Thompson snaps up Campbell memoir

Elliot & Thompson has snapped up a memoir by writer Nancy Campbell, whose recent book Fifty Words for Snow (Elliot & Thompson) was Waterstones’ November Non-Fiction Book of the Month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 21:39:33 UTC ]
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Minnie Driver's 'dazzling' memoir goes to Manilla Press

Manilla Press has snapped up a "dazzling" memoir by actress Minnie Driver, whose credits include a breakout role in "Circle of Friends" and the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 13:00:02 UTC ]
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Religion Book Deals: Dec. 8, 2021

Atria Books is publishing a memoir by former Washington Football Team’s quarterback Robert Griffin III; Baker signed a two-book deal with debut author and speaker on race Ally Henny; Center Street is spotlighting the faith lives of George H.W. and Barbara Bush, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Seeking a world without women, Tabitha Lasley lost herself — and found a better book

A journalist went to Scotland to investigate the world of oil riggers and slept with her first source. "Sea State" is her raw memoir of the aftermath Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-07 14:00:53 UTC ]
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‘Sex Cult Nun’ is as shocking as its title. But Faith Jones’s memoir is also a vital survivor’s story.

Jones, who escaped the Children of God cult, found a different kind of faith, in books and later, the law — and herself. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Sebold’s Memoir About Her Rape Is Even More Brutal to Read Now

The uncanniness of rereading Lucky now that the man Alice Sebold identified as her rapist has been exonerated. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2021-12-04 00:50:58 UTC ]
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Sir Paul McCartney’s memoir aims to affirm his status as a writer

The main character in “The Lyrics” is his best friend and fiercest rival, John Lennon Continue reading at The Economist

[ The Economist | 2021-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A documentary about Anthony Broadwater’s exoneration, called Unlucky, is in the works.

Yesterday, a footnote to an op-ed in the LA Times revealed that Red Badge Films is now producing a documentary about Anthony Broadwater’s conviction and then exoneration of Alice Sebold’s rape, called Unlucky. Red Badge Films is helmed by Tim Mucciante, previously the executive producer for the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-03 17:48:54 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of December 06, 2021

A debut novel by a HarperCollins UK editor goes to Putnam, former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III sells a memoir to Atria, Random House buys NBA winner Tiya Miles’s latest, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher Pulls Alice Sebold's Memoir As 1981 Rape Conviction Is Overturned

Simon & Schuster said it was working with the author on how to revise her 1999 book "Lucky" after Anthony Broadwater was cleared of the assault it describes. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2021-12-01 22:20:50 UTC ]
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Alice Sebold’s LUCKY Pulled Following Anthony Broadwater Exoneration

Lucky, Alice Sebold's memoir of her rape as a college student, is being pulled from shelves following the exoneration of Anthony Broadwater. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-01 12:52:26 UTC ]
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Alice Sebold’s publisher pulls memoir after overturned rape conviction

Scribner has responded to the news that Anthony Broadwater has been cleared of the crime at the centre of Lucky by ceasing to distribute the bookAlice Sebold’s publisher Scribner is pulling her 1999 memoir Lucky from shelves after a man was cleared of the rape at the heart of it.Anthony... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-01 10:52:48 UTC ]
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