When I was in high school, I decided that my university major would one day be journalism. Somewhere along the way, my choice of major changed to human resources… then accounting… then undeclared… and then marketing. But despite my flip-flopping in choice of major, my interest in journalism hasn’t wavered. I love watching news coverage, reading newspapers, and my roster of magazine subscriptions is extensive. While I was in grad school, I signed up for a history of news course from the journalism department as my elective. Despite it not directly relating to my career goals, it was by far my favourite class.
When Lloyd Robertson, Canada’s long-serving and easily most recognizable news anchor, 
released his autobiography, I knew I’d love it. I certainly wasn’t disappointed – Robertson depicts the “story behind the story” and details the coverage of events such as 9/11, the Quebec Referendum, Kennedy assassination, royal weddings, and a myriad of Canadian elections. But Robertson also dives deeper – giving readers insights into the changing face of news (a great throwback to my journalism class), his troubled childhood, and how he learned to balance a skyrocketing career and family. He makes sure to provide some laughs as well – from conversations with Prince Philip to a hair dye snafu to on-air flubs.
If you love news and want to learn more about the man who brought us the stories for so many years, I definitely recommend The Kind of Life It’s Been. And if nothing else, you’ll appreciate that the next time you eat candy at work and get it stuck in your teeth, at least you’re not being broadcast to a national audience.
