Here are 88 books that Talk fans have personally recommended if you like
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As a career journalist who has worked in print, online, on the radio and on television, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of mass media and the vast technological changes in how information is transmitted that have occurred over the course of my career. Burnt out from the daily deadlines and transformed by a chance to work in the Kingdom of Bhutan, I began writing books and gravitate toward the “origin stories” of influential US entities.
Millions of people love and tune in to public radio every day. But how many people understand how public radio works, or how it got to where it is today? When it was first chartered in 1970, it wasn't clear NPR would work-or exactly how. For years, it struggled to find an audience—in part because of the technological limitations of the network and the emerging FM medium. McCauley interviewed early luminaries in public radio to construct this terrific look at its early years.
The people who shaped America's public broadcasting system thought it should be "a civilized voice in a civilized community"-a clear alternative to commercial broadcasting. This book tells the story of how NPR has tried to embody this idea. Michael P. McCauley describes NPR's evolution from virtual obscurity in the early 1970s, when it was riddled with difficulties-political battles, unseasoned leadership, funding problems-to a first-rate broadcast organization. The book draws on a wealth of primary evidence, including fifty-seven interviews with people who have been central to the NPR story, and it places the network within the historical context of the wider…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
As a career journalist who has worked in print, online, on the radio and on television, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of mass media and the vast technological changes in how information is transmitted that have occurred over the course of my career. Burnt out from the daily deadlines and transformed by a chance to work in the Kingdom of Bhutan, I began writing books and gravitate toward the “origin stories” of influential US entities.
For a critical look at the financial structure of public broadcasting and its intricacies as and after it became a powerhouse, Ledbetter's book can't be beat. I just wish he'd update it! Few people understand how public radio in particular is financed. Having written a book about the great philanthropist Joan Kroc and her landmark gift to NPR when she died, I found this book particularly illuminating. Anyone who gives to the pledge drives should read this.
Made Possible By...is an engrossing history of public broadcasting, from its initial idealist attempt to reshape the vast wasteland of television, to its current lamentable state - safe, consistently mediocre, and as dependent on corporate financing as its commercial counterparts.
As a career journalist who has worked in print, online, on the radio and on television, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of mass media and the vast technological changes in how information is transmitted that have occurred over the course of my career. Burnt out from the daily deadlines and transformed by a chance to work in the Kingdom of Bhutan, I began writing books and gravitate toward the “origin stories” of influential US entities.
Mitchell was the first person hired by NPR when it was first charted in 1970. He was appointed its first producer after the first initial, scattered year of production of its first news program, All Things Considered, which debuted in May, 1971. This is an excellent survey of the early years from the perch of a behind-the-scenes insider and offers to clues about how the network developed.
Public radio stands as a valued national institution, one whose fans and listeners actively support it with their time and their money. In this new history of this important aspect of American culture, author Jack W. Mitchell looks at the dreams that inspired those who created it, the all-too- human realities that grew out of those dreams, and the criticism they incurred from both sides of the political spectrum. As National Public Radio's very first employee, and the first producer of its legendary All Things Considered, Mitchell tells the story of public radio from the point of view of an…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
As a career journalist who has worked in print, online, on the radio and on television, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of mass media and the vast technological changes in how information is transmitted that have occurred over the course of my career. Burnt out from the daily deadlines and transformed by a chance to work in the Kingdom of Bhutan, I began writing books and gravitate toward the “origin stories” of influential US entities.
NPR turns fifty this year, but this book offers a survey of its first forty years. Though it was produced by the network itself, it's relatively devoid of unbridled boosterism, and offers a fair and fun look behind the scenes of what has become a beloved and respected network heard each day by millions.
Funny, moving, and comprehensive, this beautiful volume is the ultimate gift for the NPR fan, packed with transcripts, photos, and contributions from the most famous and beloved contributors from throughout the organization's 40-year history. The chapters, organized by decade, are wirtten by some of the most beloved NPR hosts: Foreword - Cokie Roberts Introduction - Susan Stamberg 1970's - Noah Adams 1980's - John Ydstie 1990's - Renee Montagne 2000's - Ari Shapiro Epilogue: David Folkenflik Sidebar material appreas throughout the book froma who's who of NPR corespondants and guest contributors: Steve Inskeep, Peter Sagal, Ira Glass, David Sedaris, Neal…
I’ve been fascinated by information technology since I was a child–whether in the form of books, libraries, computers, or cell phones! Living through a massive expansion in the volume of data, I believe it is essential to study the long history of information to make sense of our current data-driven times–which is why I became a historian of data, which I teach and write about full time. Here are some of the most informative and insightful books that have helped me make sense of our issues, ranging from information overload and artificial intelligence to privacy and data justice.
If you love NPR as much as I do, then this is the book for you! Shepperd tells the fascinating story of how public radio came into being in the US during the mid-twentieth century–and how public radio played a crucial role in defining Americans’ expectations about what they have the right to know about their government’s activities.
If you want to make sense of the historical relationship between democracy and data, then this is the book for you!
Winner of the 2024 BEA Book Award
Runner-up in the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
Runner-up for the AJHA Book of the Year (American Journalism Historians Association).
Despite uncertain beginnings, public broadcasting emerged as a noncommercial media industry that transformed American culture. Josh Shepperd looks at the people, institutions, and influences behind the media reform movement and clearinghouse the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB) in the drive to create what became the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio.
Founded in 1934, the NAEB began as a disorganized collection of undersupported…
As a longtime host of The Moth, I know the power of personal storytelling. During the early days of the pandemic, I decided to write down all my favorite family stories so my kids would always have them. But how? I knew I didn’t want to write it chronologically or as a series of separate stories. After months of experimenting, I stumbled upon a format that let me pick and choose which stories I wanted to tell but also weave disparate family members together. I was greatly inspired by the books on this list, and I hope you are too!
People either love The Moth or haven’t heard of it. If you are in the latter camp it’s a non-profit based in New York dedicated to true stories told live. The best way to experience it is in person, but there’s a podcast and a series of books.
50 True Stories is the first book they published and draws from thousands of stories told on Moth stages around the world. If you’re looking for dynamic ways to tell a specific story from your life, this is a great place to get inspired. I’ve been involved with it for over a decade as a storyteller and host and it’s helped me tell and even identify my own stories immensely.
From the hit podcast and radio show, a collection of soul-bearing stories from The Moth’s archives.
A wedding toast hone horribly awry. A rapper’s obsession with a Sarah McLachlan song. A death-defying stunt in a bullring. The fight to save Mother Teresa’s life. These are the spellbinding tales from The Moth’s storytellers.
Inspired by friends telling stories on a porch, The Moth was born in small-town Georgia, garnered a cult following in New York City, and then rose to national acclaim with the wildly popular podcast and Peabody Award-winning weekly public radio show The Moth Radio Hour.
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
My passion for leadership and aspiring women leaders comes from my own leadership experiences and working with women and men executives and aspiring executives, every day. I had to make some difficult work choices in my 20s and 30s (with four young children) and was wonderfully supported by some wise women. Many of my choices were different from my peers and we continue to have to make more difficult choices than our male colleagues. We need to help each other, every day. I lead a blended life co-leading an executive search and leadership advisory firm, while also being a mother, grandmother, wife, mentor, friend, and lover of good music, theatre, food, wine, and curious people.
Gillard and Okonjo-Iweala both have stellar careers in political and community leadership in their own countries and now globally.
They share their experience and that of other amazing and high-profile leaders they interviewed, such as Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Clinton, and Christine Lagarde. They share their passion for gender equality and their concerns that we ‘aren’t there yet’. The authors introduce themselves and the eight other leaders and their ‘pathways to power’.
They posit a series of hypotheses and lessons in a very relatable and accessible way. It is both educative and informative to realize that no matter how resilient they seem, high-profile women leaders have faced many of the same issues – and often more – as the rest of us females. Learn how to deal with it and turn it to your advantage!
A powerful call-to-action for gender equity that offers 10 key lessons for women aspiring to a leadership role—be it in politics, business, law, or their local community.
Featuring words of wisdom from female leaders like Hillary Clinton and Theresa May, this empowering study reads like a You Are a Badass volume on world leadership.
Women make up fewer than 10% of national leaders worldwide. Behind this eye-opening statistic lies a pattern of unequal access to power. Through conversations with some of the world’s most powerful and interesting women—including Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christine Lagarde, Michelle Bachelet, and Theresa May—Women…
As a teacher of US women’s history and educational history, I have long been interested in women’s colleges—in their faculties, administrators, students, alumnae, goals, and achievements. Most recently, as the biographer of a woman educator (a dean of Barnard College in the early 20th century), I became more deeply involved with the literature on single-sex schools. Major books focus on the older women’s colleges, the “Seven Sisters,” but devote attention to other colleges as well. I am impressed with the talents of historians, with their skill at asking questions of their subjects, with the intensity of mission at the women’s schools, and with changing styles of campus culture.
In its early decades, from the 1880s to the 1930s, Wellesley College boasted not merely a woman president but—alone among the “Seven Sisters”—an exclusively female faculty. Palmieri examines the impact of an all-woman community on the college’s students, professors, traditions, and development. A model exploration of campus culture, highly original, and a fascinating read.
Wellesley College was unique in its commitment to an exclusively female faculty, and has educated women such as Katharine Lee Bates and Hillary Clinton. This book is a narrative history of the first generation of Wellesley professors.
Things may have gotten better for women compared to our mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations, but that is not to say that it’s easy to navigate work and life, the weight of others’ expectations, and the expectations we place on ourselves. Women of color have a particular set of challenges that others often can’t even see. I have been lucky: I have found wonderful guides and sources of inspiration, and I have been able to pass along what I have learned. Nobody should have to navigate these challenging waters on their own. We need buddies, confidantes, truth-tellers, and sources of inspiration.
This is a book that I repeatedly return to when I need to remember how to be strong in the face of trouble. While there’s plenty of trouble in this book, both public and personal, Jen Palmieri is a charming guide to some painful truths that are really familiar to me.
She reminds me to find joy in the work. And she can see the future that we can all shape if we work together; that’s where I want my daughters to live.
DEAR MADAM PRESIDENT is an empowering letter from former Hillary Clinton Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri to the first woman president, and by extension, to all women working to succeed in any field. By using lessons learned during her experiences with Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and Elizabeth Edwards--to name a few--Palmieri through each chapter creates a forward-thinking framework of inspirational and practical advice for all women everywhere--from boardrooms to living rooms--who are determined to seize control of their lives, their workplaces, and their country. DEAR MADAM PRESIDENT will turn the results of the 2016 election into something incredibly empowering for future…
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
When I went to law school, so many of the stories we heard in class treated men’s experiences as the ordinary baseline and women’s experiences as something to skip over or briefly mention as a footnote. This narrow perspective warps our understanding of the past, present, and future, and helps perpetuate women’s inequality. I have been studying and writing about sex discrimination for more than two decades. I wanted to write a book that included women in the center of American law and history. In the process, I learned about scores of fascinating women who Americans know too little about or forget entirely.
What if Hillary Rodham had not married Bill Clinton? In Sittenfeld’s reimagining of American history, Bill never becomes president, but Hillary does.
I am including this work of fiction both because the novel is a page-turner and because there is no nonfiction book featuring a female president of the United States. More than a century after the Nineteenth Amendment, our line of male presidents remains unbroken.
BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ROMANTIC COMEDY, AMERICAN WIFE and PREP
'This addictive novel is the SLIDING DOORS of American politics. Gripping' Stylist
'Startlingly good. One of my favourite writers' KATE ATKINSON ---------------------- 'Awfully opinionated for a girl' is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb.
Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that's the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader - and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry…
