Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself

by Luke Russert

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

 

Updated with new afterword from the author.

 

In Look for Me There, Luke Russert traverses terrain both physical and deeply personal. On his journey to some of the world’s most stunning destinations, he visits the internal places of grief, family, faith, ambition, and purpose—with intense self-reflection, honesty, and courage."—Savannah Guthrie, coanchor of Today

“Look for me there,” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents—his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair—Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind.

Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself.

Chronicling the important lessons and historical understandings Luke discovered from his travels, Look for Me There is both the vivid narrative of that journey and the emotional story of a young man taking charge of his life, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and finally grieving his larger-than-life father, who died too young. 

For anyone uncertain about the direction of their life or unsure of how to move forward after a loss, Look for Me There is a poignant reflection that offers encouragement to examine our choices, take risks, and discover our truest selves.

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

Luke Russert is an author and an Emmy Award winning journalist who served as an NBC News correspondent from 2008 to 2016 primarily covering American politics.

After leaving media, Russert embarked on a three year, six continent travel expedition that took him to nearly seventy countries. Published by Harper Horizon, his first book, Look For Me There, is a reflection of his deeply personal internal journey across many diverse external places.

Elin Hilderbrand, the number one New York Times best selling author of "Summer of '69" said of the book, “Luke Russert’s story of heartbreaking loss and hard-earned self-discovery captivates from start to finish. This is the memoir of the year, if not the decade.”

Reviews

[Ellen Ulken]

The title says it all. The writer loses his accomplished father to sudden death. For a time, he follows in his father's footsteps as a capitol hill reporter. But he's unfulfilled. The stress of the job becomes a burden and he quits to travel the world. In the traveling and journaling he works his way through the grief of his father's death, and finds himself and a way forward. This is an honest narrative, and the travel destinations are shared with the reader, who vicariously gets to make many journeys to exotic places. A fine read.

[Nicolette]

Nice memoir. Got a bit maudlin.

[Esther Dushinsky]

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