Nonfiction

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

  • Downloads：3956
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-13 11:21:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lisa Napoli
  • ISBN：166505879X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Leigh ，

I technically didn't finish this one about sixty pages from the end， so I don't feel comfortable giving it a star rating。 It didn't hold my interest。 I was expecting more stories about the impact these women had on NPR， but it seemed like the majority of the book was explaining how they got there。 I technically didn't finish this one about sixty pages from the end， so I don't feel comfortable giving it a star rating。 It didn't hold my interest。 I was expecting more stories about the impact these women had on NPR， but it seemed like the majority of the book was explaining how they got there。 。。。more

Cindy Gibson ，

I have listened to NPR for years -- it was THE radio station I first set on my car's radio when we moved from city to city。 My kids naturally have followed in my footsteps。 These 4 names （and many others discussed in this book） are so familiar to me because I "knew" them from daily broadcasts。 What makes this book special is that it not only tells about the development of NPR but it also talks unflinchingly about the struggle for women to be treated decently in all aspects of life in the 1960s - I have listened to NPR for years -- it was THE radio station I first set on my car's radio when we moved from city to city。 My kids naturally have followed in my footsteps。 These 4 names （and many others discussed in this book） are so familiar to me because I "knew" them from daily broadcasts。 What makes this book special is that it not only tells about the development of NPR but it also talks unflinchingly about the struggle for women to be treated decently in all aspects of life in the 1960s - current days here in the US。 I'm not talking about in 3rd world countries。 I'm talking about here。 These 4 women were mavericks。 Read this book！ 。。。more

Alice ，

Not bad but I expected more - more content， better writing。 It does an adequate job telling the story of these female pioneers and the early days of public radio but not in a remarkable way。 I felt like it couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be a biography or a history of NPR and didn't successfully balance the two approaches。 Not bad but I expected more - more content， better writing。 It does an adequate job telling the story of these female pioneers and the early days of public radio but not in a remarkable way。 I felt like it couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be a biography or a history of NPR and didn't successfully balance the two approaches。 。。。more

Alice ，

As a long=time listener and supporter of NPR， I looked forward to reading this book。 I am disappointed by the twinning of the Founding Mothers' story with the story of NPR。 I found that disjointed and feel the focus was shifted again and again from the women to NPR， which should have been a separate book。 Also， I found the writing at time condescending and the tone inappropriate。 The author took these women seriously sometimes and other times treated them poorly。 Why mention one of them taking h As a long=time listener and supporter of NPR， I looked forward to reading this book。 I am disappointed by the twinning of the Founding Mothers' story with the story of NPR。 I found that disjointed and feel the focus was shifted again and again from the women to NPR， which should have been a separate book。 Also， I found the writing at time condescending and the tone inappropriate。 The author took these women seriously sometimes and other times treated them poorly。 Why mention one of them taking her lipstick？？？ What does that add to the impressiveness of their accomplishments？ 。。。more

Keller ，

Loved these stories。 Well told。 It is a view of the evolution of journalism and public broadcasting as well as the stories of these four amazing women。

Robin ，

I have been an NPR fan from near its beginning and admired the "founding mothers" throughout their careers。 Non-fiction is a bit of a slog for me sometimes， and so I started this book， had it for two weeks from the library， had to return it and wait in the queue until it came a second time so I could finish it。 But that is me。The author has done her homework not only on the four women and their careers but also on the landscape as women began to move into the public eye of journalism and radio/T I have been an NPR fan from near its beginning and admired the "founding mothers" throughout their careers。 Non-fiction is a bit of a slog for me sometimes， and so I started this book， had it for two weeks from the library， had to return it and wait in the queue until it came a second time so I could finish it。 But that is me。The author has done her homework not only on the four women and their careers but also on the landscape as women began to move into the public eye of journalism and radio/TV more and more。 Her previous work on Ted Turner/CNN and on NPR benefactor Joan Kroc gave her insights into the history and politics of the times and situations。 Each of the women shines on her own， and their friendships are enviable。 I think the author made the right decision--when offered a chance to write about Cokie Roberts who had recently passed away--to counter with a suggestion to write about the four "founding mothers"--it is a rich study。 。。。more

Erin I ，

I love love love the subject matter， but this writing is utterly painful。

Jean Bolan ，

Good but seemed a little superficial。 It really only covered the early days at NPR and skimmed through the rest of their careers。

Dawn Marie ，

Absolutely incredible。 The way author， Lisa Napoli， weaves together the backgrounds， upbringings and career starts of the founding women of NPR is beyond top notch。 Brilliantly told。 Cokie Roberts， Nina Totenberg， Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer were fearless in leading women to the news desks of NPR in a mans world， back in the early 70s and 80s。 I listen to NPR every days and love that I now have this little bit of history to enjoy while listening to All Things Considered。 Loved this one a Absolutely incredible。 The way author， Lisa Napoli， weaves together the backgrounds， upbringings and career starts of the founding women of NPR is beyond top notch。 Brilliantly told。 Cokie Roberts， Nina Totenberg， Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer were fearless in leading women to the news desks of NPR in a mans world， back in the early 70s and 80s。 I listen to NPR every days and love that I now have this little bit of history to enjoy while listening to All Things Considered。 Loved this one a million times over。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

The an impressive evolution in the world of media and how clever， intelligent and insightful were these four women。 They came along when we desperately needed that sort of change in our daily。 broadcast。 It has changed but we still can appreciate public radio and television。 Each person brought her own unique character to this world。 We need to thank Frank Mankowitz for his ingenious hiring of each。 The women came from diverse backgrounds and yet were able to adapt beautifully to the demands of The an impressive evolution in the world of media and how clever， intelligent and insightful were these four women。 They came along when we desperately needed that sort of change in our daily。 broadcast。 It has changed but we still can appreciate public radio and television。 Each person brought her own unique character to this world。 We need to thank Frank Mankowitz for his ingenious hiring of each。 The women came from diverse backgrounds and yet were able to adapt beautifully to the demands of those years while plodding through some very difficult times historically。 The Vietnam situation， Martin Luther King Jr。， President Kennedy， all part of the on going current events。 The life in Washington D。C。 helped surround them with the political world as well as family life for each。Such a new addition to the men dominated society。 。。。more

Colleen ，

I know what NPR is but have not listened to it much for one reason or another。 I knew who Cokie Roberts was。 This is quite a history of 4 women and the NPR evolution。 BUT more important than that it documents the progress or lack of progress women have made for equal rights。 The equal rights bill passed in 1964; NPR founded in 1970。 Smart， talented women 'fighting' for their right to occupations just like men。 I was in my early 20's in the early 70's; a working woman， pregnant worker， stay at ho I know what NPR is but have not listened to it much for one reason or another。 I knew who Cokie Roberts was。 This is quite a history of 4 women and the NPR evolution。 BUT more important than that it documents the progress or lack of progress women have made for equal rights。 The equal rights bill passed in 1964; NPR founded in 1970。 Smart， talented women 'fighting' for their right to occupations just like men。 I was in my early 20's in the early 70's; a working woman， pregnant worker， stay at home mother and day care were my focus。 My husband was very progressive and supported me to stay home with the baby and/or go back to work when I was ready。 I experienced some discriminatory attitudes but nothing too serious。 I feel we've taken 3 steps forward and 1 backward for each rights for women and minorities。 I'd like my daughter-in-law， granddaughter and niece to read this book and realize how they have already benefited without even knowing it。 。。。more

Marge ，

This book tells about each of these women， but it's also about the beginning of NPR radio and also about the time， which was the late 1960s and 1970s。 It reminded me of things I had forgotten， such as that job descriptions used to specify whether they wanted a man or a woman for a job。 Often these four women were rejected for jobs by newspapers or radio stations that said they already had "a" woman on the staff。 As if one woman was all that was needed。 They also talk about how editors tried to s This book tells about each of these women， but it's also about the beginning of NPR radio and also about the time， which was the late 1960s and 1970s。 It reminded me of things I had forgotten， such as that job descriptions used to specify whether they wanted a man or a woman for a job。 Often these four women were rejected for jobs by newspapers or radio stations that said they already had "a" woman on the staff。 As if one woman was all that was needed。 They also talk about how editors tried to shove them off to cover fashion or food when they wanted to cover government， the courts and health care。 And how some male bosses harassed them but they couldn't do anything about it for fear of losing their jobs。They did a great job of reporting and one -- Nina Totenberg -- is still at it today at I think age 77 covering the Supreme Court。 And nobody does it better。You would enjoy this book more if you ever listen to NPR news shows but it's also a good story of the times。 。。。more

Melissa Agudelo ，

Some things never change

Yaaresse ，

I was going to go with 4。0， but this deserves a bump to 5。0 for two specific things: 1。 The author kept herself out of the narrative。 It was so refreshing to read a good non-fiction where the author didn't think s/he was the most interesting part of a story。 Also？ Nice to see someone remembers how to use endnotes to advantage in service of a narrative。 2。 Whoever formatted the Kindle edition of this did a fantastic job。 That's important because some of the links included lead the reader to some I was going to go with 4。0， but this deserves a bump to 5。0 for two specific things: 1。 The author kept herself out of the narrative。 It was so refreshing to read a good non-fiction where the author didn't think s/he was the most interesting part of a story。 Also？ Nice to see someone remembers how to use endnotes to advantage in service of a narrative。 2。 Whoever formatted the Kindle edition of this did a fantastic job。 That's important because some of the links included lead the reader to some wonderful archives of sound clips。 While this is a collective biography of four of the most distinctive female voices in American media， it is also a biography of National Public Radio。 And it is just in time for NPR's 50th birthday。 （I doubt that was an accident， but it's still nice timing。） Remarkable women， all of them。 Smart， insightful， persistent， and incredibly intelligent。 Some of the crap they put up with just to do the jobs they loved is incredible。 More than once， I found myself thinking， "Surely not。。。that seems more like something that would have happened in the 50s or 60s，" but then I'd remember some little incident from the early 80s in my own experiences that I'd discarded as "just how things are" at the time。 I'd like to say we've come a long way since then， but recent headlines prove we really haven't。 Some of the political wrangling and financial issues as late as the mid-80s came as a surprise to me。 I vaguely recalled some headlines about financial problems with public radio， but I never realized how bad it was or how close we came to losing NPR altogether。 。。。more

Dianne Atkins ，

The author used one chapter for each of these very strong women to introduce them， discussing their beginnings with NPR and then returns to them in the epilogue。 But a lot of the book deals with the history of the time and political and financial issues with NPR itself。 I was disappointed with the amount of the book devoted to their actual careers。 And the author kept referring to them as lady reporters， which irritated me no end。

Suzanne Zeitouni ，

Interesting bio of four extraordinary women who became the "founding mothers of NPR"。 Interesting bio of four extraordinary women who became the "founding mothers of NPR"。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Are you an NPR listener？ I have been since hearing All Things Considered with my aunt on summer evenings at her house as a teen。 I eagerly awaited an opportunity to read this book。Napoli gives us an abridged history of NPR and brief biographies of Susan Stamberg， Linda Wertheimer， Nina Totenberg and Cokie Roberts。 I enjoyed reading about these iconic women and how they led the way for women in journalism。 And I was reminded about how much has changed since the 1970's。I remember the way sexual ha Are you an NPR listener？ I have been since hearing All Things Considered with my aunt on summer evenings at her house as a teen。 I eagerly awaited an opportunity to read this book。Napoli gives us an abridged history of NPR and brief biographies of Susan Stamberg， Linda Wertheimer， Nina Totenberg and Cokie Roberts。 I enjoyed reading about these iconic women and how they led the way for women in journalism。 And I was reminded about how much has changed since the 1970's。I remember the way sexual harassment was accepted as the norm。 I listened to Anita Hill testifying in 1992 at Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court Confirmation hearings （Thank you Nina Totenberg！） And I am still dumbstruck that he was confirmed to the Court。My high school social studies class listened to parts of the 1978 broadcast of the Senate discussion of the Panama Canal treaties presided over by Linda。 This was the first broadcast from the Senate floor。I have an ongoing love affair with NPR， and I really want to love this book。 And I do like it a lot。 So what is missing？ I want details。 I want these women to be human， fleshed out with their admirable qualities and their imperfections。 Perhaps that's asking too much。 Napoli packs in a lot in her 281 pages， and I want more。I am glad I read this book and I do hope more is written about these amazing women journalists。 。。。more

Margaret Wilber ，

This was a really interesting look at the early years of NPR。

Nancy ，

I very much enjoyed this history of NPR and the four "founding mothers。" I found the book very well-written and will look for other titles by Lisa Napoli。 Napoli provided many details about the lives and families of the four women， along with their professional struggles in a male-dominated profession。 I like that she also gave many audio and video references， some of which I plan to look at further。 I very much enjoyed this history of NPR and the four "founding mothers。" I found the book very well-written and will look for other titles by Lisa Napoli。 Napoli provided many details about the lives and families of the four women， along with their professional struggles in a male-dominated profession。 I like that she also gave many audio and video references， some of which I plan to look at further。 。。。more

Linda ，

Excellent！ So good to know their stories。

Bharathi ，

It might called Susan， Linda， Nina & Cokie， but it is actually a history of the founding of NPR and their role in the founding。 It illuminates the obstacles they had in making a career in journalism and then in maintaining it。 Brilliant。 All the backstories， the supporting cast， the victories won and heights gained。 It was fascinating。 Biographies tend to boring or preachy。 Contrarily book was a great read。The founding mothers came from wealthy families， famous families， or just ordinary ones。 T It might called Susan， Linda， Nina & Cokie， but it is actually a history of the founding of NPR and their role in the founding。 It illuminates the obstacles they had in making a career in journalism and then in maintaining it。 Brilliant。 All the backstories， the supporting cast， the victories won and heights gained。 It was fascinating。 Biographies tend to boring or preachy。 Contrarily book was a great read。The founding mothers came from wealthy families， famous families， or just ordinary ones。 They studied in storied institutions。 But what endures it the fact that they created a more egalitarian workplace for women by their sheer force of will。 I've always enjoyed NPR and it is the highlight of my commute。 My favorites are ATC and Marketplace。 It was a pleasure reading the book in many ways。 I am awed by the founding mothers and thanks to Lisa Napoli for bringing their life to focus。 。。。more

Jean W-L ，

Always in the background of my life since my eye surgery in the early 80s kept me bedridden， this easy-to-read story was a history lesson in so many ways。

Vicki ，

As a contemporary of these four women， their tales of women's difficulties getting non-secretarial jobs in the 1960's were very familiar。As a fan of NPR I was somewhat interested in its history but there was too much history。 As a contemporary of these four women， their tales of women's difficulties getting non-secretarial jobs in the 1960's were very familiar。As a fan of NPR I was somewhat interested in its history but there was too much history。 。。。more

Terri C ，

Rated 7 out of 10。 Non-fiction。 Collective biography of the "founding mothers" of NPR。 Includes a great deal about the history of NPR and all its struggles to be heard and financially。 Tells the story of about how each woman was "hired" by NPR and the impact they each had on the media over time。 It's about the women's movement， discrimination of women in the workplace， and finally about friendship， and women supporting women。 It also includes highlights from national news and newsmakers as NPR e Rated 7 out of 10。 Non-fiction。 Collective biography of the "founding mothers" of NPR。 Includes a great deal about the history of NPR and all its struggles to be heard and financially。 Tells the story of about how each woman was "hired" by NPR and the impact they each had on the media over time。 It's about the women's movement， discrimination of women in the workplace， and finally about friendship， and women supporting women。 It also includes highlights from national news and newsmakers as NPR evolved。 I enjoyed reading it。 。。。more

Lena ，

I was expecting to learn about the four "founding mothers" of NPR， who are all fascinating trailblazers， but I was not expecting to learn so much about the origins of public radio and NPR， as well as the dismal state of women in journalism in the 50s， 60s， and 70s。 Very interesting for fans of NPR。 I was expecting to learn about the four "founding mothers" of NPR， who are all fascinating trailblazers， but I was not expecting to learn so much about the origins of public radio and NPR， as well as the dismal state of women in journalism in the 50s， 60s， and 70s。 Very interesting for fans of NPR。 。。。more

Candy ，

A must read for NPR junkies and non junkies。 Fascinating read about these 4 women who broke barriers in journalism。

Pat ，

Interesting history of how these women made it in broadcasting business

Caitlinleah ，

There was a LOT in here， and it made it very difficult to organize。 I loved starting at the beginning of each woman's story- sometimes when their parents were quite young。 It helped differentiate between them。 I listen to a lot of NPR programming but I'm not as familiar with them as many of the readers of this biography are going to be。 I found the story of the beginning of NPR to be so interesting too。 It's hard to know what to tell and what to skip in a book this sweeping。 I would have liked t There was a LOT in here， and it made it very difficult to organize。 I loved starting at the beginning of each woman's story- sometimes when their parents were quite young。 It helped differentiate between them。 I listen to a lot of NPR programming but I'm not as familiar with them as many of the readers of this biography are going to be。 I found the story of the beginning of NPR to be so interesting too。 It's hard to know what to tell and what to skip in a book this sweeping。 I would have liked the biographical elements to continue through their time at NPR and to continue more through the 2000s。 But the stuff in the 60s and 70s is certainly the most interesting， and the way it's all tied up in 2020 at the end does make for a satisfying ending。 。。。more

Carol Odekirk ，

Having worked in public radio in the 80s， I was most interested in this bio of Susan， Linda， Nina and Cokie。 I enjoyed reading the beginnings of their careers and the early days of NPR。 It gets a little inside baseball of the rise and financial demise of the network， only to right itself in the last chapter of bringing the reader up to date on the four women。 I miss Cokie’s reporting and her wise explanation of politics。 It’s a tribute to these four women and the doors they opened for other wome Having worked in public radio in the 80s， I was most interested in this bio of Susan， Linda， Nina and Cokie。 I enjoyed reading the beginnings of their careers and the early days of NPR。 It gets a little inside baseball of the rise and financial demise of the network， only to right itself in the last chapter of bringing the reader up to date on the four women。 I miss Cokie’s reporting and her wise explanation of politics。 It’s a tribute to these four women and the doors they opened for other women In journalism。 。。。more

Julie ，

3 1/2 stars。 As a long-time listener of NPR， I really enjoyed this book。 However， it seemed a bit “all over the place”， and therefore hard to follow at times。 That said， it was fun learning the back-stories of the women and men that I have come to know “by voice” over the years， and I so appreciate what they did to pave the way for women in the workplace today。