Cokie: A Life Well Lived

by Steven V. Roberts

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Publication

Harper (2021), 272 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML: The extraordinary life and legacy of legendary journalist Cokie Roberts�??a trailblazer for women�??remembered by her friends and family. Through her visibility and celebrity, Cokie Roberts was an inspiration and a role model for innumerable women and girls. A fixture on national television and radio for more than 40 years, she also wrote five bestselling books focusing on the role of women in American history. She was portrayed on Saturday Night Live, name checked on the West Wing, and featured on magazine covers. She joked with Jay Leno, balanced a pencil on her nose for David Letterman, and was the answer to numerous crossword puzzle clues. Many dogs, and at least one dairy cow, were named for her. When the legendary 1980s Spy Magazine ran a diagram documenting all her connections with the headline "Cokie Roberts �?? Moderately Well-Known Broadcast Journalist or Center of the Universe?" they were only half-joking. Cokie had many roles in her lifetime: Daughter. Wife. Mother. Journalist. Advocate. Historian. Reflecting on her life, those closest to her remember her impressive mind, impish wit, infectious laugh, and the tenacity that sent her career skyrocketing through glass ceilings at NPR and ABC. They marvel at how she often put others before herself and cared deeply about the world around her. When faced with daily decisions and dilemmas, many still ask themselves the question, 'What Would Cokie Do?' In this loving tribute, Cokie's husband of 53 years and bestselling-coauthor Steve Roberts reflects not only on her many accomplishments, but on how she lived each day with a devotion to helping others. For Steve, Cokie's private life was as significant and inspirational as her public one. Her commitment to celebrating and supporting other women was evident in everything she did, and her generosity and passion drove her personal and professional endeavors. In Cokie, he has a simple goal: "To tell stories. Some will make you cheer or laugh or cry. And some, I hope, will inspire you to be more like Cokie, to be a good person, to lead a good li… (more)

Rating

½ (7 ratings; 3.7)

User reviews

LibraryThing member gpangel
Cokie: A Life Well-Lived by Steven V. Roberts is a 2021 Harper publication.

This book is an homage to the journalist Cokie Roberts, written by her husband, Steven. It’s not a biography in the strictest sense of the word. It’s a remembrance of various areas of Cokie’s life- her marriage,
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motherhood, career, friendships and her faith and talent for storytelling.

This book feels like a labor of love- perhaps even a way of sharing the big parts of Cokie’s life that will help keep her memory alive in our hearts and minds, as it must for the author.

After reading this sweet biography of the warm, funny and highly accomplished Cokie Roberts, I don’t think there could have been a more apt title for this book. Cokie is a person I know I would have liked immensely, if I’d ever gotten the chance to get to know her. I didn’t always agree with her opinions- but I think we were on the same page about most things.

This book is certainly a celebration of Cokie’s life and all that she meant to her family, her friends and her colleagues, and though occasionally the mood became somber or melancholy, there were times I could almost feel Cokie’s spirit flowing through the author’s prose.

Cokie was a trailblazer, a fierce and determined friend, mother, wife and grandmother and I enjoyed reading Steven’s many fond reminiscences of her life.

4 stars
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

272 p.; 8.25 inches

ISBN

0062851470 / 9780062851475
Page: 0.2491 seconds