Long, but always interesting read
Kerry O’Brien, A Memoir
AUTHOR: Kerry O’Brien PUBLISHER: Allen & Unwin RRP: $44.99 hardback REVIEWER: Tobi Loftus
WHEN I first picked up Kerry O’Brien’s memoir I thought oh gosh, this is a big book.
At almost 900 pages long, a moment of dread at how big the book was given its subject matter, isn’t an unexpected reaction.
What was slightly unexpected was how interesting and insightful I found the book.
Kerry O’Brien has been a giant in Australian journalism for decades.
From his humble beginnings as a TV journalist in Brisbane to the face of Australian current affairs as the host of The
7. 30 Report and Four Corners, there would be few people in the country who do not know who O’Brien is.
Memoirs can have a habit of being too selfserving, but O’Brien manages to keep it engaging throughout the entire book.
O’Brien writes about his interviews and stories in a way that provides a first glance look at historic events.
Whether it be transcripts of interviews he did with survivors of the Port Arthur Massacre, covering a United States presidential campaign and the Reagan presidency, covering monumental events in Australian politics, O’Brien effectively transports you back to that time, providing a deep insight into the back story of the event and what it was like to be there in the room.
There is one chapter where he beautifully compares interviewing three giants of the late 20th century, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Contrasting these interviews and the impacts these three people had on this planet was a masterful stroke by O’Brien.
The book is not only about the stories he covered, and the people he interviewed, but it’s also a commentary on the changing nature of the journalism industry and a life lesson for journalists.
Kerry O’Brien, A Memoir isn’t an easy read, but it is an interesting one. Through sharing his stories on being at the forefront of history, I know I certainly took away a lot.
And on a personal note, as a young journalist only at the beginning of my career, I learnt a hell of a lot from the giant of Australian journalism himself.
‘‘ THERE WOULD BE FEW PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY WHO DO NOT KNOW WHO O’BRIEN IS