Cozy Library reviews New to Me

NEWS TO ME is a memoir by Laurie Hertzel, who "knows how to tell a story and how to avoid the twin traps of telling too much or telling too little."

Hertzel_News coverNews to Me is a memoir by a Minnesota journalist about her 18 years at the Duluth News-Tribune – and a wonderful memoir it is. Although she documents the rise and fall of an American newspaper, this is a more personal story. And if News to Me isn’t the best memoir I’ve read, I can’t really think of one that tops it. Maybe that makes it the best. (And I’ve read a ton of memoirs and autobiographies of journalists, most of them much more famous than the author.)

Laurie Hertzel knows how to tell a story and how to avoid the twin traps of telling too much or telling too little. In News to Me, she gets it just right. Ms. Hertzel is funny and introspective, self-confident and self-deprecating.  This book is so good, I may just read it again someday.

Although journalists might be more attracted to News to Me, I believe any reader would appreciate Laurie’s story and storytelling … I especially enjoyed the story of her reporting trip to Russia. And her love for Duluth and its environs comes through on every page. When it comes out in trade paperback, I’ll recommend it for my non-fiction book group’s selections.

Published in: Cozy Library


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