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 ]
In 'A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes,' filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia writes about losing both parents — and the one event his renowned father couldn't record: his own death. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-07-07 16:19:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Essay Photos by Mai Al-Nakib / Courtesy of the author Civilizations, empires, dynasties, and monarchies end, leaving behind ruins of their fabled splendor. Traces of achievements become more or less decipherable, contingent upon the mercy of... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-07-07 12:48:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Fox & I” is Catherine Raven’s memoir of her relationship with a bushy-tailed creature — no, not a dog. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-07-06 09:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Months before Andrea Constand’s memoir about the Cosby case and its aftermath was set to be published, a Pennsylvania Court overturned his conviction for assaulting her and released him. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-07-02 13:52:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this
On Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld—who, as defense secretary under George W. Bush, was a driving force behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—died. Major outlets wheeled out pre-written obituaries. The AP’s, by Robert Burns, bordered on hagiography. Its headline initially declared Rumsfeld “a cunning... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-02 12:32:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When Trump’s former national security adviser was told his proposed title had a sexual connotation, he reportedly told publishers their minds were "in the gutter." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2021-06-30 08:23:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Learn about queer topics and history from a graphic history, a collection of letters, a memoir and more LGBTQ nonfiction books for Pride. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-29 10:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Coronet has waltzed off with I Don’t Take Requests by DJ Fat Tony in a “significant” pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-25 01:16:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I first came to poet Rajiv Mohabir’s work through his cutting meditation on why he will never celebrate Indian Arrival Day, which Guyana celebrates on May 5th to commemorate the arrival of indentured Indian workers in the Caribbean. In the essay for the Asian American Writers Workshop’s The... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-06-22 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Will Smith has revealed the cover of his memoir Will, published by Century this November, at a community block party in Miami. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-21 12:22:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir” finds the Nigerian-Tamil author considering their identity. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Will Smith will publish "Will," a memoir co-written by Mark Manson, in November through Penguin Press. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-21 00:57:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan’s memoir, which follows family life after her partner's sudden illness, has gone to John Murray for “a strong six-figures". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-20 19:48:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Teresa Lim’s multi-generational memoir about a long-buried family tragedy set against the Second World War in Singapore has gone to Penguin Michael Joseph. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-19 12:40:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In our series “Can Writing Be Taught?” we partner with Catapult to ask their course instructors all our burning questions about the process of teaching writing. This month we’re featuring Cinelle Barnes, author of Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir and Malaya: Essays on Freedom. Barnes is a regular... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-06-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Department of Justice has dropped its legal claims against former President Trump's one-time national security adviser over his bestselling memoir 'The Room Where It Happened.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Annette Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth” combines history, analysis, and memoir to explore the significance of the holiday and its Texas roots. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-06-16 22:19:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Former Eight Tray Gangster Crip member's memoir brought attention to the sobering truth of gang life in South L.A. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-15 23:57:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Gavin Larsen’s ballet memoir “Being a Ballerina” opens up the dance world to show the determination, camaraderie, and physical strength at its core. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-06-15 15:51:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperCollins has signed a "funny, irreverent, and eye-opening" memoir by pop band The Jonas Brothers, which will publish on 11th November 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-09 11:06:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this