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Storyteller: A Foreign Correspondent's Memoir
Zoe Daniel is the ABC’s fifteenth South East Asia Correspondent, and one of only a handful of women to combine one of the most dangerous jobs in the world with one of the most demanding - motherhood.
From the political unrest in Bangkok and the bittersweet story of conjoined twins in India, to a tragic plane crash in Laos and the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Storyteller is a frank and brave memoir, as much about the events that capture our attention as it is about a personal story of the universal juggle of work, ambition and family amid the unpredictability of life and the predictability of the 24/7 media cycle.
Storyteller is a timely reminder of the bravery and audacity of the men and women who bring us the news - the journalists, the local ‘fixers’, the cameramen - but above all it is a tribute to ordinary people who find themselves eyewitnesses to the extraordinary.
From the political unrest in Bangkok and the bittersweet story of conjoined twins in India, to a tragic plane crash in Laos and the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Storyteller is a frank and brave memoir, as much about the events that capture our attention as it is about a personal story of the universal juggle of work, ambition and family amid the unpredictability of life and the predictability of the 24/7 media cycle.
Storyteller is a timely reminder of the bravery and audacity of the men and women who bring us the news - the journalists, the local ‘fixers’, the cameramen - but above all it is a tribute to ordinary people who find themselves eyewitnesses to the extraordinary.
292 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
10 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this read. Well written, easy flow, great words, feel like you could be there with her. If you live in the region a definite must. Interesting insight and review of past history and current affairs. I was so touched by how she brought a piece of herself and her kids to some of the people she met--leaving clothing, cards, jewelry. Very down to earth, accessible woman--you feel like she could be your sister or neighbor. I loved that she talked about the impact of doing the stories and the dissonance of going home to a different reality than the stories she had written about. The only reason I gave it a four and not a five is that I would have liked to see a little more emotional depth to it. Highly recommended.
June 17, 2021
The whole time I was reading this book I kept thinking I would HATE to do what she was doing - but it’s so impressive. To be so driven by the importance of journalism for democracy, ensuring Australia knows what’s going on in other countries. Leading her to travel constantly, trading time with her family to be around a lot of trauma & sadness. A great insight into the intense life of a foreign correspondent. 3.5
August 24, 2014
I read Storyteller with a heightened sense of awareness this week because of the death of James Foley, a death which has reinforced my admiration for the courage of journalists who venture into dangerous places. Zoe Daniel’s remarkable memoir bristles with perilous events, yet somehow she managed to combine her career as a foreign correspondent with motherhood. It’s an extraordinary story.
Zoe Daniel is a familiar face to those of us who regularly watch the ABC. We’ve seen her reporting on conflicts in Sierra Leone; we’ve seen her compassionate yet compelling reports about the famines in Somalia and Darfur. When the opportunity to become the ABC’s foreign correspondent in Southeast Asia arose, she jumped at the chance, but there were new pitfalls to confront on her first assignment. She wasn’t a mother when she was the ABC’s foreign correspondent in Africa in 2005-6. When she arrived in Bangkok in 2010 to take up her dream job, she had two small children with her. In no time at all the political crisis in Thailand erupted into violence on the streets, and no sooner had they settled into their rented house, her husband had to get the children out of the country to safety.
It’s hard to imagine this calm and authoritative journalist bursting into tears because of a spoiled birthday cake, but it’s the frankness of this memoir that makes it so authentic. Because like all of us combining career and motherhood, Daniel had ambitions to be a good mother too. Being a good mother these days means mastering complicated cakes from the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book, in a country where some of the ingredients can’t be bought and the quest for alternatives leaves her hot and bothered even before the baking starts. The kids are in her face wanting to help with the decorating, and the cake falls apart. Not a major tragedy, not compared with the terrible events she witnesses, but it shows how hard it is to maintain a ‘normal’ life amid the stresses of a demanding and dangerous job. (Remember how vividly Charlotte Wood captured that psychological disconnect for her foreign correspondent character in the novel The Children?)
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/08/24/st...
Zoe Daniel is a familiar face to those of us who regularly watch the ABC. We’ve seen her reporting on conflicts in Sierra Leone; we’ve seen her compassionate yet compelling reports about the famines in Somalia and Darfur. When the opportunity to become the ABC’s foreign correspondent in Southeast Asia arose, she jumped at the chance, but there were new pitfalls to confront on her first assignment. She wasn’t a mother when she was the ABC’s foreign correspondent in Africa in 2005-6. When she arrived in Bangkok in 2010 to take up her dream job, she had two small children with her. In no time at all the political crisis in Thailand erupted into violence on the streets, and no sooner had they settled into their rented house, her husband had to get the children out of the country to safety.
It’s hard to imagine this calm and authoritative journalist bursting into tears because of a spoiled birthday cake, but it’s the frankness of this memoir that makes it so authentic. Because like all of us combining career and motherhood, Daniel had ambitions to be a good mother too. Being a good mother these days means mastering complicated cakes from the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book, in a country where some of the ingredients can’t be bought and the quest for alternatives leaves her hot and bothered even before the baking starts. The kids are in her face wanting to help with the decorating, and the cake falls apart. Not a major tragedy, not compared with the terrible events she witnesses, but it shows how hard it is to maintain a ‘normal’ life amid the stresses of a demanding and dangerous job. (Remember how vividly Charlotte Wood captured that psychological disconnect for her foreign correspondent character in the novel The Children?)
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/08/24/st...
June 22, 2014
This debut book from the ABC's Zoe Daniel focuses on the tough demands of balancing her life as a foreign correspondent in SE Asia whilst raising two young children.
Her writing style is pretty humdrum and her accounts of some pretty hair-raising experiences, such as the 2010 Red Shirts protest in Thailand, aren't that exciting. It felt like I was reading a journal.
Interspersed among her journalistic assignments are trips back to Australia and time spent with family. The book becomes a bit predictable like this.
To her credit, the last few chapters of the book which involve her agonsing attempts to conceive a third child are well written and much more compelling than what comes before.
There aren't that many foreign correspondents who are also mothers.
Her writing style is pretty humdrum and her accounts of some pretty hair-raising experiences, such as the 2010 Red Shirts protest in Thailand, aren't that exciting. It felt like I was reading a journal.
Interspersed among her journalistic assignments are trips back to Australia and time spent with family. The book becomes a bit predictable like this.
To her credit, the last few chapters of the book which involve her agonsing attempts to conceive a third child are well written and much more compelling than what comes before.
There aren't that many foreign correspondents who are also mothers.
September 30, 2020
Excellent book! Crazy tales of Zoe Daniel’s life as a foreign correspondent in South East Asia for the ABC keep one enthralled and hanging onto the cliffhangers of political events as if they were great fictional adventures.
Her writing style is easy and relatable. It makes it easy to follow her as a woman in a foreign and often tumultuous land, but her insider knowledge and journalist insights give way to little stories and side notes that you won’t find on any news broadcast.
An interesting, unique and palatable story from someone who has lived a more fascinating life than most, being a part of history in several nations has allowed her to write a biography that most would love.
Her writing style is easy and relatable. It makes it easy to follow her as a woman in a foreign and often tumultuous land, but her insider knowledge and journalist insights give way to little stories and side notes that you won’t find on any news broadcast.
An interesting, unique and palatable story from someone who has lived a more fascinating life than most, being a part of history in several nations has allowed her to write a biography that most would love.
August 16, 2021
In this memoir Zoe Daniel tells us the ebbs and flows of being a mother of young children as well as being a foreign correspondent. She is very passionate about her work but also has ambitions to be a good mother while moving to an unknown country every few years.
The book is well written, easy to read and she makes you feel like you are there with her. Zoe balances well between writing about personal stories and news stories. She lets herself be emotional and frank when she tells us how tough it is to come home after the hard reality of what she sees at work.
How does she and her husband make it all work? I don't know. I would love to meet her one day.
The book is well written, easy to read and she makes you feel like you are there with her. Zoe balances well between writing about personal stories and news stories. She lets herself be emotional and frank when she tells us how tough it is to come home after the hard reality of what she sees at work.
How does she and her husband make it all work? I don't know. I would love to meet her one day.
December 13, 2018
Hands down, my favourite book of 2018. Zoe Daniel is such a gifted writer, and I love that her Australian-ness shows through even in the tensest moments. This book was just such a joy, I couldn't put it down, but I would often find myself drifting off as I read it, immersed in the scenes she was describing. I hope she continues to write follow up books after her posting in DC.
One of my favourite memoirs, ever, without a doubt.
One of my favourite memoirs, ever, without a doubt.
December 19, 2021
I enjoyed reading Zoe’s stories from Africa and South East Asia. They were very real for me as I had lived in Thailand between 2007 and 2012 and cycled in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in many of the places she was reporting from. There many authentic stories of balancing work life decisions in a dual career family. Will be of interest to those who have spent time in South East Asia particularly, and those fascinated by what it’s like to be a foreign correspondent.
December 21, 2017
Review of her time as South East Asia correspondant
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2024
It didn't grab me as such, but it's an interesting lifestyle nonetheless.
September 11, 2016
I enjoyed this book. It's an easy read that I finished in 4 days. It's well written; with both a decent pace and beautiful thorough descriptions of people, places and events. It was also well balanced with personal stories and news stories. I actually learned a lot about the Southeast Asia events which have appeared on Australian television over the last decade. I now have a far better appreciation and respect for Foreign Correspondents. Thanks Zoe Daniel for sharing your story.
March 16, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed reading about some of the "news" stories from Thailand (and its neighbours) over the last 3-4 years from the perspective of Australian foreign correspondent, Zoe Daniels.
Definitely recommend this book to people who have lived or are still living in Bangkok, as well as anyone who wonders what life as a foreign correspondent is like.
Definitely recommend this book to people who have lived or are still living in Bangkok, as well as anyone who wonders what life as a foreign correspondent is like.
July 8, 2015
Fantastically written with a genuine feel of anxiety where necessary. Zoe Daniel has proven herself as an inspiring and exciting documentarian with a natural flow to her style that has solid pace and effortless professionalism. A brilliant read.
August 3, 2014
Interesting look at the stressful life of a Foreign Correspondent who is also a mom of young children.
April 21, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed this insight into a correspondent 's life. I found it hard to put down and was on awe of how strong the author was in dealing with the work/family balance. A fantastic read!
December 30, 2015
Sharing behind the scene stories of news remembered, against the balance of home and personal grit.
September 6, 2016
A normal book about journalist's life. Narrative is ok but not very attractive. Zoe lives a colorful life but I am not interested with politic and tragedies.
January 24, 2017
Amazing woman and supportive family. How does she do it? Cant wait to meet you one day Zoe. Please keep an eye on Donald
August 27, 2020
This book is a fabulous insight into the life of a female foreign correspondent with two small children.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews