The Next Big Story by Soledad O'Brien Summary
Overview of The Next Big Story
Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien's memoir navigates crisis reporting from Katrina to Chile, weaving personal resilience with global storytelling. How can one reporter's journey through humanity's darkest moments reveal our extraordinary capacity for kindness? A powerful testament to journalism's transformative potential.
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Key takeaways
A Journey Between Worlds: Finding Purpose Through Difference
The night sky in Patagonia unfolds before me as our small car climbs toward Chile. Diverted from Haiti to cover an earthquake, I've flown through multiple cities in twenty-four hours, following that magnetic pull journalists feel toward unfolding crises. This rhythm defines my life - witnessing both beauty and devastation, documenting humanity in crisis. In disaster zones worldwide, I've observed the same pattern: bad things happen until good people intervene. This truth echoes what I learned growing up as a mixed-race child in predominantly white Smithtown, Long Island. My Australian father and Cuban mother ensured I had opportunities despite sometimes being treated as "a creature of bad circumstance." Their determination left me driven to document how people get their chance at life and whether they share their good fortune with others. When I was eleven, a photographer asked, "Forgive me if I'm offending you, but are you black?" His polite-sounding words crushed my confidence. Why would being black be offensive? I am black, also Latina, and half white through my Australian father. This moment began my life of perpetual motion - walking away from uncomfortable comments rather than confronting them. There was the store owner who explained I couldn't be black because "black people were thieves and killers." There was the eighth-grader who asked, "If you're a nigger why don't you have big lips?" Now, after decades as a journalist, I'm still that Smithtown girl but walking toward something rather than away. I force people to consider their words in interviews. I dig into awkward questions that need answers.
The Courage to Cross Boundaries and Create Sanctuary
Finding My Voice and Professional Path
Reporting from America's Margins
Bearing Witness to Global Crises
The Power of Individual Action and Responsibility
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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