Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
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- Create Date：2021-05-19 19:31:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa Napoli
- ISBN：B08TKG6H8T
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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
Dora
，
A fascinating look at NPR’s founding mothers， but also a view of history of working women in the US as well as US history in the 70s and 80s。 I especially liked that we see the women’s humanity。 None of them are perfect， but all four are admirable。 For most of the book， the weaving in and out of various lives and events is easy to follow。 The epilogue seems to meander more than the rest and made it hard to see it as part of the book。 I read an electronic version of the book and loved being able A fascinating look at NPR’s founding mothers， but also a view of history of working women in the US as well as US history in the 70s and 80s。 I especially liked that we see the women’s humanity。 None of them are perfect， but all four are admirable。 For most of the book， the weaving in and out of various lives and events is easy to follow。 The epilogue seems to meander more than the rest and made it hard to see it as part of the book。 I read an electronic version of the book and loved being able to go directly to referenced material that was online。 Napoli has extensive citations both of specific sources for information and background material she reviewed in writing the book。 It’s astonishing that she was able to publish the book just as NPR is celebrating its 50th anniversary。 She began work on it in late 2019 and did much of the work during the pandemic。 。。。more
Ryan Levi
，
A fascinating history of not just the four NPR journalists in the title， but NPR as a whole。 I was a bit worried that this might lean toward the hagiographical， but Napoli captures the whole picture: groundbreaking， talented， impressive， flawed women with different styles who changed journalism and public radio forever。 Highly recommend for NPR fans and students of journalism history。
Keelia
，
I learned SO MUCH from this book and gained an even deeper appreciation for NPR， the Women's Movement， and of course， the Founding Mothers of NPR。 I liked that although it was biographical， the author explored briefly the history of many people， mostly women， in this book。 The contrasts drawn between women in the working world in the 1970's to now are appropriately dramatic。 I really enjoyed the read and hope the author does more with NPR's history and modern leadership as well。 I learned SO MUCH from this book and gained an even deeper appreciation for NPR， the Women's Movement， and of course， the Founding Mothers of NPR。 I liked that although it was biographical， the author explored briefly the history of many people， mostly women， in this book。 The contrasts drawn between women in the working world in the 1970's to now are appropriately dramatic。 I really enjoyed the read and hope the author does more with NPR's history and modern leadership as well。 。。。more
Linda
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This one bit off more than it could chew。 Should have been fascinating， but instead the whole thing felt like it was written at arm's length。 Did not serve these women or NPR well。 This one bit off more than it could chew。 Should have been fascinating， but instead the whole thing felt like it was written at arm's length。 Did not serve these women or NPR well。 。。。more
Jodi
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I loved this book。 Susan， Linda， Nina & Cokie were wonderful reporters and so easy to listen to。 What a thrill for me to read more about these trail blazing women。 An inspiration to us all。
Lynn
，
As a woman just a few years younger than the titular “founding mothers” of NPR， and having spent most of my life as a listener， I found this book very interesting， often funny， and an excellent review of what it has been like to be a professional woman over the past fifty （or so） years。
Debbie
，
4。25 stars。 As a self-professed NPR junkie， I have listened to all of the subjects of this book for years， but knew little of their backstories。 This was not only a biography of four crusading women， but also a great reminder of how far we have come as women since NPR’s founding in 1971。 A good read！
Michele
，
Lots to say about this amazing book。 It's three parts history， one part biography， one part politics。 Topics include feminism， journalism， broadcasting， legislation， and life。 Just the right blend of anecdotes—humorous ones， sad ones， interconnected ones。 And so many quotable sentences！ Plus， great links in pagenotes throughout the book， sending the reader to where something referred to in the text can be heard or seen。These four women are my sheroes and I was anxious， obviously， to read about t Lots to say about this amazing book。 It's three parts history， one part biography， one part politics。 Topics include feminism， journalism， broadcasting， legislation， and life。 Just the right blend of anecdotes—humorous ones， sad ones， interconnected ones。 And so many quotable sentences！ Plus， great links in pagenotes throughout the book， sending the reader to where something referred to in the text can be heard or seen。These four women are my sheroes and I was anxious， obviously， to read about them。I grew up with All Things Considered and National Public Radio。 That is not to say they were part of my childhood or teen years。 Rather， ATC was there as I grew into an adult， roughly aged 21 to 40。 In 1972 or early 1973， newly graduated from Oberlin College and newly married， living in a nearly unfurnished two-bedroom house in NE Portland， I first heard All Things Considered on NPR。 I had no idea how young the program was--almost newborn。 I was hooked from the first listen。 The quirky stories and friendly sounds of All Things Considered appealed to me。So， for the rest of my life， I have known and loved the voices of Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie， plus Rene， Bob， Red， Noah， Scott， Carl， et al。 These people are like Walter Cronkite and Edward R。 Murrow and Dorothy Kilgallen were to the generation before us—trusted， like family or your best next door neighbor。Last but not least， now at the age of 70 I have only one real regret in life， one dream I did not pursue: While I was teaching， I thought how wonderful it would be to intern with Nina Totenberg for a summer， or for one October。 I still think it would be awesome。 。。。more
Nina
，
Was looking forward to a book about my favorite NPR women。 Unfortunately， I found the book boring， dry， devoid if anything personal or interesting。 There were a few parts I enjoyed， the story of Eleanor Rosevelt hosting women reporters and the retelling of what life was like for women the 70s。 But overall， I do not recommend。 Strangely， all 8 women in my book club felt more or less the same。 And we never ALL agree。
Sharon Saxton
，
I guess I am losing interest in biography now。
Lina
，
I stan NPR really hard， but honestly。。。 I did not like this book。First， there's a structural problem with the way it's arranged。 The book launches in to each of these founding mothers' childhood "origin stories，" so to speak， without any preamble or reason why one might care。 I think it would have been better served to start the book with some sort of general introduction about why we should care。Second， I cannot stand the purple prose。 For example， I think it might have been in describing Cokie I stan NPR really hard， but honestly。。。 I did not like this book。First， there's a structural problem with the way it's arranged。 The book launches in to each of these founding mothers' childhood "origin stories，" so to speak， without any preamble or reason why one might care。 I think it would have been better served to start the book with some sort of general introduction about why we should care。Second， I cannot stand the purple prose。 For example， I think it might have been in describing Cokie Roberts' childhood where the book describes a radio dispensing "oracular pearls。" Or describing the New Yorker as the "effete bible of the literari。" 。。。more
Tracy Quinn
，
This book is a 5 for me because I love NPR and the impact Susan， Linda， Nina， and Cokie had on their listeners and on the media landscape。 The author， Lisa Napoli， is a gifted storyteller。
Jane
，
This was a fun read。 It was interesting to read about how NPR got its start and evolved over the years， and these four women were certainly trailblazers when it was thought no one would ever want to listen to a woman on the air， let alone hire them for anything more than secretarial work。 But like any group biography of four people， its hard to keep the story going when switching back and forth between characters。 Susan Stamberg gets a lot of attention in the first part of the book because she w This was a fun read。 It was interesting to read about how NPR got its start and evolved over the years， and these four women were certainly trailblazers when it was thought no one would ever want to listen to a woman on the air， let alone hire them for anything more than secretarial work。 But like any group biography of four people， its hard to keep the story going when switching back and forth between characters。 Susan Stamberg gets a lot of attention in the first part of the book because she was the first big woman star on NPR， and Cokie Roberts' story seems to dominate the second half of the book。 I wished for pictures， but the author's inclusion of links to interesting archival audio material is a lot of fun -- for example how the musical theme for "All Things Considered" has evolved over the years。 。。。more
Amy
，
The crazy story behind the history - and the women - of NPR - so interesting！
Tina Panik
，
A solid history， full of the sweat equity that defines pioneers。
Buff
，
Disappointing。 I'm a long-time listener and admirer of NPR， and looked forward to learning more about these sterling women。 Unfortunately， the book speaks more about feminism and women's rights--worthy subjects， but not the topic of the title。 Disappointing。 I'm a long-time listener and admirer of NPR， and looked forward to learning more about these sterling women。 Unfortunately， the book speaks more about feminism and women's rights--worthy subjects， but not the topic of the title。 。。。more
Debbie
，
I've been listening to NPR since the late 1970s， when I was just at the beginning of my career。 I had a 13" black & white TV and not the best reception。 A friend told me about NPR and it became my news source and so much more。 This book is a biography of four incredible women， a history of NPR， and a history of the women's movement。 As I read， I could almost hear the voices of Susan， Linda， Nina， & Cokie and how they made the news interesting and relevant。 Oh， how I loved this book！ I don't kno I've been listening to NPR since the late 1970s， when I was just at the beginning of my career。 I had a 13" black & white TV and not the best reception。 A friend told me about NPR and it became my news source and so much more。 This book is a biography of four incredible women， a history of NPR， and a history of the women's movement。 As I read， I could almost hear the voices of Susan， Linda， Nina， & Cokie and how they made the news interesting and relevant。 Oh， how I loved this book！ I don't know if my enjoyment of it was due to nostalgia or to the fascinating story， probably a combination of both， but it doesn't really matter because I think this book was fantastic！ 。。。more
Annu
，
There's so much good information in this book， but it makes it too textbook-like for me。 I found it really hard to keep track of what was going on。 I'd like to come back to it someday and write down notes as I go or something。 There's so much good information in this book， but it makes it too textbook-like for me。 I found it really hard to keep track of what was going on。 I'd like to come back to it someday and write down notes as I go or something。 。。。more
SJ
，
I really liked this。 I probably would not have picked up an individual book about any of these women， whose voices I remember every morning in the car and in the bathroom （my dad did and still does start his day before 5 am with very loud talk radio） but I loved hearing the story of how NPR came to be and how they almost lost it。 I had read about Nina's father's violin and her relationship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg， and I've read all of Cokie's Founding Mothers series -- and I loved hearing how l I really liked this。 I probably would not have picked up an individual book about any of these women， whose voices I remember every morning in the car and in the bathroom （my dad did and still does start his day before 5 am with very loud talk radio） but I loved hearing the story of how NPR came to be and how they almost lost it。 I had read about Nina's father's violin and her relationship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg， and I've read all of Cokie's Founding Mothers series -- and I loved hearing how later in their careers they all took care of each other。 Now why can't I find a place like that to work！ 。。。more
Toka Smith
，
I expected to love this book as I so respect and admire the women it features。 But sadly I did not。 I never felt that I knew these women as their stories did not delve into their lives with depth。 And certainly there could have been more careful editing。 Any number of references of Linda’s early life in southwestern New Mexico is made but a casual search would reveal that Carlsbad is located in southeastern New Mexico。 Sadly such errors made me question other factual statements， probably without I expected to love this book as I so respect and admire the women it features。 But sadly I did not。 I never felt that I knew these women as their stories did not delve into their lives with depth。 And certainly there could have been more careful editing。 Any number of references of Linda’s early life in southwestern New Mexico is made but a casual search would reveal that Carlsbad is located in southeastern New Mexico。 Sadly such errors made me question other factual statements， probably without cause， but such sloppiness creates uncertainty。 And is there no other descriptive word than “pithy” which is used repeatedly—in one case three times in two pages。 I did relish the history of NPR and these women’s part in the development of what is a critical part of many of our lives。 。。。more
Holly
，
Very enjoyable book about the four women who put NPR on the map and into the consciousness of the public。 If you're familiar at all with NPR you can "hear" these voices as the book goes along。 Such iconic women who have made a difference in how we listen and absorb the world around us。 At a few points I found the presentation of the book to be a bit less than smooth with anecdotes not transitioning well from one to another， but overall it was well written and really conveys the personalities of Very enjoyable book about the four women who put NPR on the map and into the consciousness of the public。 If you're familiar at all with NPR you can "hear" these voices as the book goes along。 Such iconic women who have made a difference in how we listen and absorb the world around us。 At a few points I found the presentation of the book to be a bit less than smooth with anecdotes not transitioning well from one to another， but overall it was well written and really conveys the personalities of the women Napoli writes about。 It's a great history lesson of NPR chronicling these delightful and impactful women。 。。。more
Suzi
，
I wish there were photos！ Interesting and informative， well-written and timely。 Good reminder of what women were "allowed" to do fifty years ago。 I liked it and I hope there will be more to come。 I wish there were photos！ Interesting and informative， well-written and timely。 Good reminder of what women were "allowed" to do fifty years ago。 I liked it and I hope there will be more to come。 。。。more
Kelly Kerns
，
This book is well written， easy to read， and enjoyable。 The audio version is narrated with a professional voice， that itself has been on NPR。I really enjoyed hearing the story of these 4 amazing women that I've listened to several times a week for the last 30 years。In 2021 it is hard to imagine a world where NPR doesn't exist。 If not for these founding mothers， their commitment， and tenacity it just might not！ This book is well written， easy to read， and enjoyable。 The audio version is narrated with a professional voice， that itself has been on NPR。I really enjoyed hearing the story of these 4 amazing women that I've listened to several times a week for the last 30 years。In 2021 it is hard to imagine a world where NPR doesn't exist。 If not for these founding mothers， their commitment， and tenacity it just might not！ 。。。more
Roslynne Levine
，
Well-written， fascinating， and so compelling！ The Founding Mothers' stories were wonderful as was the history of NPR and the folks who made it happen。 Well-written， fascinating， and so compelling！ The Founding Mothers' stories were wonderful as was the history of NPR and the folks who made it happen。 。。。more
Jolie Fredette
，
Enjoyed learning more about these Founding Mother of NPR， that have listened to all these years。
Ferris
，
This book chronicles the birth and progression of NPR， and thereby also chronicles the careers of the "founding mothers of NPR"。 Chronicling these four careers is unavoidably a history of the women's movement as well。。 I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of these women whose personal and professional lives reflect the momentous shifts in the United States as women finally become recognized for the gifts they bring to the workplace。 Very good listen！ This book chronicles the birth and progression of NPR， and thereby also chronicles the careers of the "founding mothers of NPR"。 Chronicling these four careers is unavoidably a history of the women's movement as well。。 I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of these women whose personal and professional lives reflect the momentous shifts in the United States as women finally become recognized for the gifts they bring to the workplace。 Very good listen！ 。。。more
Heidi Miller
，
I never knew much about the women I loved hearing deliver the news nor how much discrimination they faced to get where they were。 A powerful read for women everywhere。
Garrick Infanger
，
If you love NPR you'll love seeing some of the early days。 Also a great history of feminism in the 70's through the lens of these four great female journalists。 This book was great but they couldn't seem to decide if it was a history of NPR， a write-up of early working feminism， or a four-way biography of these women。 If you love NPR you'll love seeing some of the early days。 Also a great history of feminism in the 70's through the lens of these four great female journalists。 This book was great but they couldn't seem to decide if it was a history of NPR， a write-up of early working feminism， or a four-way biography of these women。 。。。more
James Sindt
，
Let women fix things。I knew I loved NPR。 Now I know why; it was invented and nurtured by women！ It's a great recommendation for giving women the chance to get things done。 Let women fix things。I knew I loved NPR。 Now I know why; it was invented and nurtured by women！ It's a great recommendation for giving women the chance to get things done。 。。。more
Homerun2
，