I am not usually drawn to memoirs, but I listened to Mary Louise Kelly talk about her book on a podcast, and I had to read hers. I was engaged from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. There was so much emotion in how she described her two sons and the last year of high school for the older one, James. She explained how conflicted she felt when she had to miss significant events in her sons’ lives because of her high-powered career. Yet, she also conveys how well her children did despite her intermittent absence from home. I laughed out loud when she described how one of her sons, as a teenager, didn’t even realize she had been gone for a weekend.
The agony was palpable when Kelly discussed the traumatic birth of her second son, Alexander. She always had to be cognizant of priorities, and taking time from her professional responsibilities was always tricky, but in retrospect, the right thing to do, and she did it with few regrets.
I particularly loved her description of her interview with Mike Pompeo. She compared Pompeo’s reaction to a toddler’s tantrum: “You learn not to dignify behavior with a response.
Traveling to war zones and facing danger is part of her responsibility at NPR. When she remarks, “There is no multitasker like a mother in a war zone,” she sums up her skill set for work and her household so beautifully, from dealing with controversy to interviewing a teenager.
Two coincidences occurred while I was spending too much time reading her book. First, I was supposed to prepare for a book discussion I would be leading about These Precious Days by Ann Patchett. Lo and behold, near the end of the book, Mary Louise Kelly mentions that Ann Patchett is her favorite author and describes an interview with her about this book and emphasizes a theme of friendship. The second was that knowing Kelly’s quote from Atul Gawande about the joy that flows when you are good at your work helped me finish the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle that day. These assured me that I needed to be reading this book at this time, and there was something therapeutic about the text from a powerful woman.
I highly recommend this book for all, especially those wondering how much their children need them while they work and what lessons can be demonstrated by choosing ethical paths at work and home. The range of emotions that Kelly describes is amazing. Pride, worry, guilt, and hope prevail in most stories. I was glad she included shame as a feeling that still matters. I also appreciated words of wisdom from some of Kelly’s influencers. I’ll remember her mentions of Winston Churchill saying, “When you’re going through hell, keep going,” and “Never give in.”
