Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
- Downloads：3974
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-14 02:31:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa Napoli
- ISBN：1419750402
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A group biography of four beloved women who fought sexism， covered decades of American news， and whose voices defined NPR
In the years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964， women in the workplace still found themselves relegated to secretarial positions or locked out of jobs entirely。 This was especially true in the news business， a backwater of male chauvinism where a woman might be lucky to get a foothold on the “women’s pages。” But when a pioneering nonprofit called National Public Radio came along in the 1970s， and the door to serious journalism opened a crack， four remarkable women came along and blew it off the hinges。
Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie is journalist Lisa Napoli’s captivating account of these four women， their deep and enduring friendships， and the trail they blazed to becoming icons。 They had radically different stories。 Cokie Roberts was born into a political dynasty， roamed the halls of Congress as a child， and felt a tug toward public service。 Susan Stamberg， who had lived in India with her husband who worked for the State Department， was the first woman to anchor a nightly news program and pressed for accommodations to balance work and home life。 Linda Wertheimer， the daughter of shopkeepers in New Mexico， fought her way to a scholarship and a spot on-air。 And Nina Totenberg， the network's legal affairs correspondent， invented a new way to cover the Supreme Court。
Based on extensive interviews and calling on the author’s deep connections in news and public radio， Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie will be as beguiling and sharp as its formidable subjects。
In the years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964， women in the workplace still found themselves relegated to secretarial positions or locked out of jobs entirely。 This was especially true in the news business， a backwater of male chauvinism where a woman might be lucky to get a foothold on the “women’s pages。” But when a pioneering nonprofit called National Public Radio came along in the 1970s， and the door to serious journalism opened a crack， four remarkable women came along and blew it off the hinges。
Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie is journalist Lisa Napoli’s captivating account of these four women， their deep and enduring friendships， and the trail they blazed to becoming icons。 They had radically different stories。 Cokie Roberts was born into a political dynasty， roamed the halls of Congress as a child， and felt a tug toward public service。 Susan Stamberg， who had lived in India with her husband who worked for the State Department， was the first woman to anchor a nightly news program and pressed for accommodations to balance work and home life。 Linda Wertheimer， the daughter of shopkeepers in New Mexico， fought her way to a scholarship and a spot on-air。 And Nina Totenberg， the network's legal affairs correspondent， invented a new way to cover the Supreme Court。
Based on extensive interviews and calling on the author’s deep connections in news and public radio， Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie will be as beguiling and sharp as its formidable subjects。
Reviews
Nelda Brangwin
，
If you’re a fan of NPR you’ll want to read this “group” biography of the founding mothers。 These four trailblazers were radical， but they paved the way for women to be working mothers。 They fought the sexism for many of us who followed。
Ric
，
Absolutely wonderful， perfectly realized account of the founding mothers of NPR。 Balances the juicy behind-the-scenes ups and downs of the first few decades of NPR with the personal and professional lives of these extraordinary women and how they paved the way for female journalists who followed them。 Wildly entertaining and extremely informative， I can't recommend this book highly enough。 Absolutely wonderful， perfectly realized account of the founding mothers of NPR。 Balances the juicy behind-the-scenes ups and downs of the first few decades of NPR with the personal and professional lives of these extraordinary women and how they paved the way for female journalists who followed them。 Wildly entertaining and extremely informative， I can't recommend this book highly enough。 。。。more
Joshunda Sanders
，
A well-written look at how NPR came to be and the women journalists who fought to create its signature sound and format while blazing trails for women reporters after them。
Ruth
，
Ultimately not my favorite kind of book but definitely worth dipping into - especially just to be reminded that a beloved institution， NPR， isn't as old as I thought and that American life would be much poorer if it had not succeeded。 Want to know more about how National Public Radio became a powerhouse？ Read this book。This book is also for longtime fans of NPR and All Things Considered; supporters of women in leadership roles， especially in journalism and Washington politics， plus all the fans Ultimately not my favorite kind of book but definitely worth dipping into - especially just to be reminded that a beloved institution， NPR， isn't as old as I thought and that American life would be much poorer if it had not succeeded。 Want to know more about how National Public Radio became a powerhouse？ Read this book。This book is also for longtime fans of NPR and All Things Considered; supporters of women in leadership roles， especially in journalism and Washington politics， plus all the fans of these strong， opinionated， and trailblazing ladies。 Thank goodness they persisted in something that seemed radical at the time。 We are better for their work and their gifts。Thank you to #Netgalley for providing an advance reader's copy。 。。。more
Danielle
，
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the beginnings of NPR including how they wound up supporting themselves through fund drives。 At some point I think the book does get away from the thesis of its title though。 At the beginning it does start off specifically focused on these women and how they wind up working at NPR， but then it turns more into just a general history of NPR including some extensive background of some of the men that worked there as well。 So while I thought it was interes I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the beginnings of NPR including how they wound up supporting themselves through fund drives。 At some point I think the book does get away from the thesis of its title though。 At the beginning it does start off specifically focused on these women and how they wind up working at NPR， but then it turns more into just a general history of NPR including some extensive background of some of the men that worked there as well。 So while I thought it was interesting I also felt like it betrayed its premise to some degree。 。。。more
Linden
，
The author discusses the history of National Public Radio by introducing us to the "founding mothers:" Susan Stamberg， Linda Wertheimer， Nina Totenberg， and Cokie Roberts。 These women， all born between 1938 and 1944， helped to make the evening program All Things Considered， and NPR itself， a familiar and trusted news source。 They were very different （Susan， a Barnard grad from NY; Linda， a New Mexico grocer's daughter who went to Wellesley; Nina a college dropout from New York; and Cokie， daught The author discusses the history of National Public Radio by introducing us to the "founding mothers:" Susan Stamberg， Linda Wertheimer， Nina Totenberg， and Cokie Roberts。 These women， all born between 1938 and 1944， helped to make the evening program All Things Considered， and NPR itself， a familiar and trusted news source。 They were very different （Susan， a Barnard grad from NY; Linda， a New Mexico grocer's daughter who went to Wellesley; Nina a college dropout from New York; and Cokie， daughter of a US senator from Louisiana and another Seven Sisters graduate） but each was driven in her own way， finding a niche in public radio。 Recommended for those interested in women's history， or broadcasting。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC。 。。。more
Nancy
，
I was in my early twenties when we moved to Philadelphia in 1975。 I don't know exactly when we discovered National Public Radio， it seems to have always been part of our life。 We listened to Fresh Air， All Things Considered， Morning Edition， Thistle & Shamrock， World Cafe， Piano Jazz， Car Talk， Wait Wait Don't Tell Me， Diane Rehm， and later Here and Now， 1A， plus classical music and folk music and jazz。 I recognized the voices of our virtual friends on the airwaves。 But I did not know much about I was in my early twenties when we moved to Philadelphia in 1975。 I don't know exactly when we discovered National Public Radio， it seems to have always been part of our life。 We listened to Fresh Air， All Things Considered， Morning Edition， Thistle & Shamrock， World Cafe， Piano Jazz， Car Talk， Wait Wait Don't Tell Me， Diane Rehm， and later Here and Now， 1A， plus classical music and folk music and jazz。 I recognized the voices of our virtual friends on the airwaves。 But I did not know much about them。Susan， Linda， Nina & Cokie is the story of the "founding mothers" of NPR， whose voices we know like old friends。 Lisa Napoli has written an entertaining， highly readable book that tells their stories and the barriers they broke。 These women were integral to the rise of public radio。 They were different in background and personality， but each rose to the top， bonded， and supported each other。 I remember my first full time job n 1972 and the sexism in the workplace。 A coworker discovered her salary was far less than the salary of the man who had the position before her。 He had a family to support， she was told; her husband was her support。 Another coworker told me to get a credit card in my name， and a credit rating。 When her husband passed， she was unable to get a car loan。 It was a time when women were judged by their appearance and attraction。 A black coworker was chastised for wearing 'ethnic' earrings。 I was fired for a fashionable frizzy perm。This was the world Susan， Linda， Nina and Cokie encountered when forging their careers。 There were women who had broken the barrier into journalism to inspire them。 When a young Linda Cozby （later， Wertheimer） saw trailblazer Pauline Frederick reporting the news， it was a revelation。 "To hell with being Edward R。 Murrow's secretary，" she thought。 "I'm going to aim higher。"In 1959， Susan Levitt Stamberg's "blue-chip" education wasn't as important in the workplace as her ninety-nine words a minute typing speed。 She started as a secretary for the new 16 magazine where she chose the winner of the "I Miss Elvis Contest" when Elvis entered the U。S。 Army。 She advanced to secretary at The New Republic， which gave her a "crash course in Washington。" When start-up station WAMU-FM needed a full time producer， at low pay， she found the challenging job she needed。As a girl， Nina Totenberg， daughter of an eminent violinist， was inspired by Nancy Drew。 It struck her that "journalism seemed as close to detective work as she could imagine。" Her first job in journalism was working on the women's pages of a daily newspaper。Cokie Boggs came from an elite background of democratic， Southern， Catholic， politicians。 But when she fell in love with the Jewish Steve Roberts， who planned a career in journalism， she knew a political career was out。 Cokie found employment in television， including Meet The Press。 After Steve and Cokie married， she had a checkered career as her husband was assigned across the world。 While having babies and raising her children， she worked with Steve。 While abroad， reporting breaking news for CBS made her mark and her career。NPR's development， advances， and economic woes is a major part of the book。 Susan earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame。 Cokie became one of the best-known women in America。 Nina's coverage of the Supreme Court， including the Anita Hill sexual harassment suit against Clarence Thomas， earned her top awards。 Linda was with NPR from its beginning， integral to All Things Considered， and reporting on Washington politics。The book is as inspirational as it is informative。I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Joyce
，
To those of us who are loyal listeners of NPR this is a MUST read。 Lisa Napoli's writing captures the essence of Susan， Linda， Nina and Cokie。The history of NPR is woven throughout as these formidable women laid the foundation for others to follow。Their lives， loves， successes and failures allows the reader to gain a richer understanding of the women of NPR。A wonderful read， very well written。 To those of us who are loyal listeners of NPR this is a MUST read。 Lisa Napoli's writing captures the essence of Susan， Linda， Nina and Cokie。The history of NPR is woven throughout as these formidable women laid the foundation for others to follow。Their lives， loves， successes and failures allows the reader to gain a richer understanding of the women of NPR。A wonderful read， very well written。 。。。more
Marvin Fender
，