cover image Listening to America: Twenty-Five Years in the Life of a Nation as Told to National Public Radio

Listening to America: Twenty-Five Years in the Life of a Nation as Told to National Public Radio

. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $24.95 (438pp) ISBN 978-0-395-70697-8

Though transcripts can't convey the immediacy of radio, this selection from NPR's news programs should engage fans. Proceeding chronologically from NPR's maiden news show in 1971, news veteran Wertheimer has selected an eclectic set of stories, many covering the major events of the years (elections, disasters, world turmoil), others reporting on the culture (interviews with author Norman MacLean and Jack Kevorkian). NPR's strengths emerge clearly: it is literate and a forum for thoughtful callers and has a rich array of commentators. Exploring such issues as AIDS, the isolated underclass and the debate about exposing philandering politicians, these stories exhibit the depth that shows why NPR's news operation garners accolades. (May)