19 books like Made Possible By...

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Book cover of NPR: The Trials and Triumphs of National Public Radio

Lisa Napoli Author Of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

From my list on National Public Radio and how it all works.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Lisa's book list on National Public Radio and how it all works

Lisa Napoli Why did Lisa love this book?

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.

By Michael McCauley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked NPR as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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…


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Book cover of Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio

Lisa Napoli Author Of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

From my list on National Public Radio and how it all works.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Lisa's book list on National Public Radio and how it all works

Lisa Napoli Why did Lisa love this book?

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.

By Jack W. Mitchell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Listener Supported as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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…


Book cover of Talk: NPR's Susan Stamberg Considers All Things

Lisa Napoli Author Of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

From my list on National Public Radio and how it all works.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Lisa's book list on National Public Radio and how it all works

Lisa Napoli Why did Lisa love this book?

Stamberg is a pioneer broadcaster, whom Mitchell appointed to host a nightly newscast and as someone who worked in public radio back when it was called "educational broadcasting." Read this book of annotated transcripts of some of her best interviews and see why she got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for putting public radio on the proverbial map. Bonus: Linda Wertheimer's Listening to America, derived from her years as host of ATC, and long-time Morning Edition host Bob Edwards’ memoir, A Life in the Box.

By Susan Stamberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Talk as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of This Is NPR: The First Forty Years

Lisa Napoli Author Of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

From my list on National Public Radio and how it all works.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Lisa's book list on National Public Radio and how it all works

Lisa Napoli Why did Lisa love this book?

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.

By Ari Shapiro, David Folkenflik, Cokie Roberts , Susan Stamberg , Noah Adams , John Ydstie , Renee Montagne

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Is NPR as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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…


Book cover of Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting

Asheesh Siddique Author Of The Archive of Empire: Knowledge, Conquest, and the Making of the Early Modern British World

From my list on understand the history of data.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Asheesh's book list on understand the history of data

Asheesh Siddique Why did Asheesh love this book?

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! 

By Josh Shepperd,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shadow of the New Deal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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…


Book cover of Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Albert Glinsky Author Of Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution

From my list on iconic 20th Century figures in technology and arts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am both a musician and an author: a Juilliard-trained professional composer who fell into writing after a Ph.D. in electronic music at NYU. Both of my biographies—a favorite genre—chronicle the lives of inventors who married music to electronics and altered the trajectory of music. But their lives each took strange turns—sometimes in almost fictional dimensions—demonstrating that leaving a technological and artistic mark on posterity often has a black side that history overlooked. I’m fascinated by the psychic profiles of my subjects, and I love books that show how character is not black and white—that those who moved the needle of human progress also harbored dark realms in their personalities. 

Albert's book list on iconic 20th Century figures in technology and arts

Albert Glinsky Why did Albert love this book?

The invention of the radio came at a great price for Edwin Armstrong, inventor of the key component that made broadcasting possible. Financially ruined by nefarious competition, he jumped from a window. Lewis’s gripping account of the lives of Armstrong, Lee de Forest, and David Sarnoff—the pioneers who put our lives on the air—is another tug-of-war tale of who got there first or who claimed to have gotten there first and who would profit from crossing the finish line, deserved or not.  

I’ve researched the history of radio extensively for my own writing, and Lewis’s account is surely the best seat-of-the-pants history of this technology that fostered not only radio but every incarnation of electronics during the first half of the 20th century. 

By Tom Lewis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Empire of the Air as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The story of the invention of radio focuses on scientist Lee de Forest, brilliant recluse Edwin Armstrong, and RCA mogul David Sarnoff, who turned a basement discovery into a worldwide communications revolution


Book cover of The Senator's Wife

Jennifer Vido Author Of Serendipity by the Sea

From my list on reads for the beach for moms.

Why am I passionate about this?

When our two sons were younger, I ran a book club for moms. We met at the local library branch once a month—an excuse to get out of the house for some adult conversation. I frequently offer book suggestions to friends and family because I keep my finger on the pulse of what books moms want to read, especially in the summertime at the beach. Typically, I read three to four beach reads on vacation, and I like a variety of genres. I gravitate towards stories with some element of romance, fitting since I’m a sweet romance writer who loves a good book.   

Jennifer's book list on reads for the beach for moms

Jennifer Vido Why did Jennifer love this book?

My proximity to DC attracts me to political and psychological suspense, like the latest release by this bestselling sister writing team.

An insider’s look into the lives of the power players in the nation’s capital, this story grabs your attention with the family drama and medical mystery. D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase undergoes surgery and wakes up thinking her home health aide is trying to steal her new husband, ruin her reputation, and claim her social standing.

The story culminates with a political twist ripped from modern-day headlines, which makes for the ultimate beach read this summer.    

By Liv Constantine,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Senator's Wife as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A D.C. philanthropist suspects that her seemingly perfect employee is secretly plotting to steal her husband, her reputation—even her life—in this seductive novel of psychological suspense from the internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish.

“A deadly cocktail of medical mystery, family drama, and psychological suspense.”—Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

In this town, anyone is replaceable. . . .

After a tragic chain of events led to the deaths of their spouses two years ago, D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery are finally starting to move on. The horrifying ordeal drew them…


Book cover of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better

Doug White Author Of Wounded Charity: Lessons Learned from the Wounded Warrior Project Crisis

From my list on the complex worlds of philanthropy and nonprofits.

Why am I passionate about this?

The nonprofit sector is important to society and I often marvel at how many of us – which is to say all of us – have been touched by the generosity of others. With few exceptions, anyone who has graduated from college, who has been admitted to a hospital, who has attended a faith-based service, who has examined art at a gallery, who – literally, and there are no exceptions here – breathes air has benefited from the work of nonprofit organizations and the philanthropists who support them. It is therefore important to me to understand how the system works and how important charities are to society and a functioning democracy. 

Doug's book list on the complex worlds of philanthropy and nonprofits

Doug White Why did Doug love this book?

Rob Reich, a professor at Stanford University – in observing that we are living in a second gilded age – directly addresses whether the philosophy of philanthropy is in opposition to democracy. 

He answers, with several qualifications, that it very well could be.  He sets it up in the following way: Is philanthropy – the support of privately funded causes that affect society, often in profound ways – an individual act or a social policy? 

He views the question through that prism, of social policy, and concludes that philanthropy “is not just a matter of private morality,” but is “a matter of public morality.”  Just Giving appeals to me because of its comprehensive approach to an issue – the private support of our nation’s charitable organizations – that, while ubiquitous in society, has received too little attention. 

By Rob Reich,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Just Giving as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The troubling ethics and politics of philanthropy

Is philanthropy, by its very nature, a threat to today's democracy? Though we may laud wealthy individuals who give away their money for society's benefit, Just Giving shows how such generosity not only isn't the unassailable good we think it to be but might also undermine democratic values. Big philanthropy is often an exercise of power, the conversion of private assets into public influence. And it is a form of power that is largely unaccountable and lavishly tax-advantaged. Philanthropy currently fails democracy, but Rob Reich argues that it can be redeemed. Just Giving…


Book cover of The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty

William MacAskill Author Of What We Owe the Future

From my list on doing good.

Why am I passionate about this?

William MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world. He cofounded the nonprofits Giving What We Can, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and Y Combinator–backed 80,000 Hours, which together have moved over $300 million to effective charities. He is the author of Doing Good Better and What We Owe The Future.

William's book list on doing good

William MacAskill Why did William love this book?

In The Life You Can Save, Peter Singer makes the case that we can do a tremendous amount of good by donating to high-impact charities. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children die from preventable diseases, and at little cost to ourselves, we can make an enormous positive difference by giving to organizations like the Against Malaria Foundation. 

By Peter Singer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Life You Can Save as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For the first time in history, eradicating world poverty is within our reach. Yet around the world, a billion people struggle to live each day on less than many of us pay for bottled water.

In The Life You Can Save, Peter Singer uses ethical arguments, illuminating examples, and case studies of charitable giving to show that our current response to world poverty is not only insufficient but morally indefensible. The Life You Can Save teaches us to be a part of the solution, helping others as we help ourselves.

'A persuasive and inspiring work that will change the way…


Book cover of Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World

Doug White Author Of Wounded Charity: Lessons Learned from the Wounded Warrior Project Crisis

From my list on the complex worlds of philanthropy and nonprofits.

Why am I passionate about this?

The nonprofit sector is important to society and I often marvel at how many of us – which is to say all of us – have been touched by the generosity of others. With few exceptions, anyone who has graduated from college, who has been admitted to a hospital, who has attended a faith-based service, who has examined art at a gallery, who – literally, and there are no exceptions here – breathes air has benefited from the work of nonprofit organizations and the philanthropists who support them. It is therefore important to me to understand how the system works and how important charities are to society and a functioning democracy. 

Doug's book list on the complex worlds of philanthropy and nonprofits

Doug White Why did Doug love this book?

After reading Winners Take All, we might be forgiven for being worried about the role philanthropy plays in society.  Anand Giridharadas’s central argument is that donors – defined not as the average annual supporter of a charity, but as those with millions, and more, to give – do not so much change society for the better, but use their wealth to maintain the status quo. 

He says that instead of helping the poor, donations support policies, in the nonprofit arena, that uphold and even increase donors’ own wealth and status. In that regard, he reflects upon Oscar Wilde’s observation that those who do the most harm are those who try to do the most good. 

By Anand Giridharadas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Winners Take All as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*The International Bestseller*

'Superb, hugely enjoyable ... a spirited examination of the hubris and hypocrisy of the super-rich who claim they are helping the world' Aditya Chakrabortty, Guardian

What explains the spreading backlash against the global elite? In this revelatory investigation, Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, showing how the elite follow a 'win-win' logic, fighting for equality and justice any way they can - except ways that threaten their position at the top.

But why should our gravest problems be solved by consultancies, technology companies and corporate-sponsored charities instead of public institutions…


Book cover of NPR: The Trials and Triumphs of National Public Radio
Book cover of Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio
Book cover of Talk: NPR's Susan Stamberg Considers All Things

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