Rough Draft by Katy Tur

I don't watch many network news shows, but Jeff is a loyal fan of several. So, when a friend told me about this book I asked my husband, "Do you know Katy Tur of MSNBC?" And he said "Yes, she is great, and she loves Phish!" And I said, "How do you know she loves Phish?" And he said, "Katy and another reporter, Jake Sherman, sometimes weave Phish titles and lyrics into their on-air reports." So, that is how Jeff and I decided to listen to Tur's audio book on our 9-hour round trip drive to Mount Shasta last weekend. This is her second autobiography, following the publication of "Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America" about her 510-day coverage of the Donald Trump campaign. At his rallies, Trump often called out derogatory comments to Katy. This time she writes about a subject closer to home: Her parents, Bob and Marika, ran Los Angeles News Service out of the Santa Monica Airport in the 1990s. They were a pair of bad-ass reporters who flew their own helicopter to track down footage of sensational stories like the L.A. Riots, Sean Penn's marriage to Madonna, and the infamous O.J. Simpon white Bronco car chase. They then sold their footage to local new channels and eventually made a lot of money. From her bird's eye seat at the Santa Monica Airport, little Katy fell in love with the news. She started her career covering storms and crime in New York, but then worked her way up to the anchor desk, after dating another on air personality, that nearly de-railed her future. As her television career starts to take off, so does her romantic life when she is introduced in the makeup room to colleague Tony Dokoupil. Together they learn to weather work, travel, step-children, new babies and a host of other challenges, including Donald Trump. The most fascinating part of the book is the trajectory of Turs parents. I don't want to give it away but while trying to cover the news, Tur sees her parents become the news, which is even more intriguing. Tur's memoir is smart, witty and fast-paced. It is an enjoyable read for those people who watch the news on TV, or people like me who prefer to read it. To buy this book on Amazon click here.