When News Breaks - by Carol Lin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

CNN anchor Carol Lin is at the height of her career after becoming the first network journalist to break the news of the 9/11 attacks.

A month later, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a Taliban sniper along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, a stark reminder of the sacrifices she made to succeed in a white-centric, male-dominated journalism career. For Lin, breaking news and the defining split second when lives change is a drug-and a love that her traditional Chinese mother warned would never love her back.

But when devastating news breaks apart her own life, Lin is forced to question a career that demands everything, a marriage marked by infidelity and cancer, and the sacrifices required to become the mother her daughter needs her to be. Told with fierce wit and candor, When News Breaks is the story of a woman who has been places and seen things but still has to discover who she really is behind the headlines.

Review Quotes

"Carol Lin's chronicle of breaking news, complicated love, and life-changing tragedy stands apart. By turns raw, humorous and poignant, Lin's story resonates, revealing layers of emotion with charm and candor, and leading you to reflect on the arc of your own life against the touchstone of hers." - Claire Chao, author of Remembering Shanghai

"Carol Lin writes a memoir of ambition and loss with unflinching honesty and remarkable clarity. Powerful, exhilarating, and wholly human. A writer who has walked through fire and returned with a story only she could tell." - Farah Naz Rishi, author of Sorry for the Inconvenience

"I knew I would read the story of an accomplished journalist, but I also read the story of a rather remarkable woman... relatable to all women navigating the constant push-pull of our professional and personal lives. I couldn't put it down."- Rachel Burchfield, Forbes Magazine

"When News Breaks is a testament to Lin's resilience. It shows us how telling the stories of the world can lead to stories of our own. This is a story only Lin can tell, but it is one that all of us should read." - Joselin Linder, author of The Family Gene

"More than a journalist's memoir, it's a raw map of the heart, written with the same fearlessness the author once carried into warzones." - Jason Bellini, international correspondent, Scripps News

"When News Breaks is heartful and harrowing. A riveting story of love, career, family, adventure, and grief intersecting with major world and life events, told from Carol Lin's unique and courageous perspective." - Meredith Artley, former Editor-in-Chief of CNN Digital Worldwide

"Storytelling at its finest. A must-read for anyone wanting to explore the things that matter most in life." - Meghan French Dunbar, author of This Isn't Working

"As if a good friend was giving me a ringside seat to major events in history and her own life. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the world." - Malia Mattoch McManus, author of Dragonfruit

"Riveting... Offers readers an impactful narrative as richly textured and memorable as the lives that it chronicles." - Irene Dunlap, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

"The greatest indulgence I've enjoyed in years." - Diane M. Simard, author of Unlikely Gifts Unwrapped