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Waiting for the Monsoon
In the tradition of When Breath Becomes Air, the New York Times's legendary war correspondent delivers his unforgettable final dispatch: a deeply moving meditation on life inspired by his sudden battle with terminal brain cancer.
Rod Nordland shadowed death for thirty years as one of his generation's preeminent war correspondents, include posts as bureau chief in Kabul and Baghdad. Then on July 5, 2019, he collapsed in the middle of a morning jog in Delhi's beautiful Lodhi Gardens. He was taken to the local hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain tumor that turned out to be terminal cancer.
Confined to a hospital bed after so many vagabond years spent chasing the next conflict across the globe, Nordland discovered a curious side effect: he was gifted the chance to stop, reflect, and reconnect with those he loved but had been apart from for decades.
In the months that passed after his stint in the hospital, he no longer flinched at love and intimacy but exalted in its balm and power. He and his children made peace and enjoyed a closeness he had once thought impossible. He repaired a friendship broken twenty years earlier after decades as the best of friends. Gone was the old arrogance, the certitude that dominated his every action, the combination of which--overweening arrogance and self-confidence--likely helped make him a successful foreign correspondent but denied him the opportunity of becoming so much more.
Nordland writes, "Friends and family members and editors have often raised their eyebrows at my frequent assertions that my tumor was the best thing that ever happened to me, a gift that has enriched my life ever since."
Nordland's account of those first days in the hospital, published in the New York Times two months after his diagnosis, was widely shared and praised by readers for its honesty and beautiful writing. Now he expands on this piece, sharing the lessons he's learned over the last few years. Deeply moving and inspiring, Waiting for the Monsoon is a remarkable story about the human capacity to persevere even in the most difficult of times.
Rod Nordland shadowed death for thirty years as one of his generation's preeminent war correspondents, include posts as bureau chief in Kabul and Baghdad. Then on July 5, 2019, he collapsed in the middle of a morning jog in Delhi's beautiful Lodhi Gardens. He was taken to the local hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain tumor that turned out to be terminal cancer.
Confined to a hospital bed after so many vagabond years spent chasing the next conflict across the globe, Nordland discovered a curious side effect: he was gifted the chance to stop, reflect, and reconnect with those he loved but had been apart from for decades.
In the months that passed after his stint in the hospital, he no longer flinched at love and intimacy but exalted in its balm and power. He and his children made peace and enjoyed a closeness he had once thought impossible. He repaired a friendship broken twenty years earlier after decades as the best of friends. Gone was the old arrogance, the certitude that dominated his every action, the combination of which--overweening arrogance and self-confidence--likely helped make him a successful foreign correspondent but denied him the opportunity of becoming so much more.
Nordland writes, "Friends and family members and editors have often raised their eyebrows at my frequent assertions that my tumor was the best thing that ever happened to me, a gift that has enriched my life ever since."
Nordland's account of those first days in the hospital, published in the New York Times two months after his diagnosis, was widely shared and praised by readers for its honesty and beautiful writing. Now he expands on this piece, sharing the lessons he's learned over the last few years. Deeply moving and inspiring, Waiting for the Monsoon is a remarkable story about the human capacity to persevere even in the most difficult of times.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2024
67 people are currently reading
3385 people want to read
About the author
Rod Nordland
3 books29 followersRod Nordland was an American journalist and writer. He was a war correspondent for Newsweek, The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 16, 2024
A foreign correspondent, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, looks back at a remarkable life of overcoming adversity and reporting from war zones. Nordland has already outlived his surgeon's prognosis by more than three years, taking advantage of what he calls his "Second Life" to cultivate gratitude and healthy habits, and, of course, to write this. Growing up in poverty with a physically abusive father encouraged self-sufficiency. Much of the book is given over to stories from the field. Nordland thrived on excitement, and conveys the thrill and danger to readers. Part II, "After the Monsoon," marks an inevitable change of pace as the author considers the setbacks of the past few years. Overall, I was more interested in his upbringing and cancer journey than in his wartime experience, but others will feel differently. By virtually anyone's standards, though, he has lived a fascinating life, full of hardship but consistently hopeful. (More of a 3.5, really.)
See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my related article on terminal illness memoirs.)
See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my related article on terminal illness memoirs.)
June 10, 2024
This isn't the kind of book I'd usually read, but I saw an interview with the author and ordered it and I'm glad I did. Rod Nordland, a long-time foreign correspondent for, variously, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsweek, and the New York Times, covered a lot of war zones in his life. Then, he unexpectedly had a major seizure while in India, only to learn that he had Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor with a mean survival time of 15 mos.
Nordland's literal war stories (I was shot at! I drove through the bushes! I literally ran and hid!) are very interesting, which made this book a quick read. In a sense, he was living on borrowed time throughout much of his career, and he takes an egotist's pleasure in describing his near-misses. In contrast, his "Second Life," since the tumor's discovery, consists in his family's willingness to forgive him for being absent and egotistical during those years as a war correspondent and is a bit maudlin.
Two issues keep this from being a five-star read:
1. Every chapter has at least one, and sometimes more than one, excerpt from Nordland's past journalism. In my opinion, these just pad out the narrative. I might be less impressed with his journalistic chops than he is.
2. Some things are repeated numerous times, showing the extent to which Nordland needed a much more present copy editor. Like, how many times (at least four) is he going to tell us that his current partner is six feet tall? Yes, we know.
Nordland's literal war stories (I was shot at! I drove through the bushes! I literally ran and hid!) are very interesting, which made this book a quick read. In a sense, he was living on borrowed time throughout much of his career, and he takes an egotist's pleasure in describing his near-misses. In contrast, his "Second Life," since the tumor's discovery, consists in his family's willingness to forgive him for being absent and egotistical during those years as a war correspondent and is a bit maudlin.
Two issues keep this from being a five-star read:
1. Every chapter has at least one, and sometimes more than one, excerpt from Nordland's past journalism. In my opinion, these just pad out the narrative. I might be less impressed with his journalistic chops than he is.
2. Some things are repeated numerous times, showing the extent to which Nordland needed a much more present copy editor. Like, how many times (at least four) is he going to tell us that his current partner is six feet tall? Yes, we know.
August 14, 2024
I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found Nordland's memoir to be less of the cancer memoir I was anticipating, and more a memoir of a veteran war correspondent. Still, I enjoyed the beginning of the book, particularly the stories of Nordland's hard-scrabble childhood with an abusive father. I also initially enjoyed his war stories, however, about half-way through the book I found that they were beginning to feel a bit repetitive and found that Nordland himself was beginning to irritate me a bit. I have the utmost respect for journalists who put themselves in harm's way in order to share the truths of heinous wars and war crimes. That said, Nordland does sometimes come off as an egotist with an intermittent hero complex, and he appears to have an accompanying sense of denial over the dangers he faced. I do acknowledge, though, especially never having read a memoir of a war correspondent before, that these may be necessary attributes in order to do the job - similar to how most neurosurgeons can seem cocky. I imagine it takes a particular type of person to willingly enter a war zone with minimal protections.
Finally, in about the last quarter of the memoir, Nordland revisits his cancer, treatments, and the effects on his life and those closest to him (after briefly 0pening the book with the story of his initial diagnosis). If I'm honest, I most enjoyed reading about the negative impacts of his cancer since he spends so much time and so many pages insisting that his cancer was truly a gift. There are also strange asides in the book, such as one chapter where Nordland discusses the items he likes to travel with. Nordland is a clear and organized writer, though, even if I found the ultimate result a bit uneven.
I found Nordland's memoir to be less of the cancer memoir I was anticipating, and more a memoir of a veteran war correspondent. Still, I enjoyed the beginning of the book, particularly the stories of Nordland's hard-scrabble childhood with an abusive father. I also initially enjoyed his war stories, however, about half-way through the book I found that they were beginning to feel a bit repetitive and found that Nordland himself was beginning to irritate me a bit. I have the utmost respect for journalists who put themselves in harm's way in order to share the truths of heinous wars and war crimes. That said, Nordland does sometimes come off as an egotist with an intermittent hero complex, and he appears to have an accompanying sense of denial over the dangers he faced. I do acknowledge, though, especially never having read a memoir of a war correspondent before, that these may be necessary attributes in order to do the job - similar to how most neurosurgeons can seem cocky. I imagine it takes a particular type of person to willingly enter a war zone with minimal protections.
Finally, in about the last quarter of the memoir, Nordland revisits his cancer, treatments, and the effects on his life and those closest to him (after briefly 0pening the book with the story of his initial diagnosis). If I'm honest, I most enjoyed reading about the negative impacts of his cancer since he spends so much time and so many pages insisting that his cancer was truly a gift. There are also strange asides in the book, such as one chapter where Nordland discusses the items he likes to travel with. Nordland is a clear and organized writer, though, even if I found the ultimate result a bit uneven.
August 7, 2025
A beautiful brave book. My husband worked for Newsweek and the NYT and while he never met Nordland, we would talk about him sometimes so he has been a real character to me for a long time. I did read his story about his diagnosis and the murder of crows in the Times and I read the story about the Afghani Romeo and Juliet and both were wonderful. The memoir tells about his terrible upbringing and his entry into journalism and becoming a foreign correspondent. And finally it is a cancer memoir. I highly recommend it.
January 12, 2024
Waiting for the Monsoon is the autobiography of Rod Nordland from his surprising childhood to his recent glioblastoma diagnosis, but it's mainly focused on his experience as an international war correspondent, which clearly gave him a lot of pride and fulfillment. This book is filled with unbelievable tales from Nordland's travels, like little untold articles about his perspectives and adventures behind the scenes of the stories he's published. His diagnosis has changed how he views his life and relationships and he presents this matter of factly, with optimism, realism, and grace, without leaving out the highs and lows, celebrations and laments of the amazing life he's lived. Through the blending of these two lives, pre and post diagnosis, Nordland shares his own unique perspective of life.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads advanced printing giveaway.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads advanced printing giveaway.
January 23, 2024
I received this UP from the Goodreads Giveaway program on 12/19/2023. I always like books written by journalists they always have great stories and tell them so well. To be honest I had never heard of Mr. Nordland before but his life and adventures were worth reading. Defiantly an amazing story well worth reading. I was educated on the way conflict news reporting works and you have to respect a person who would go to such dangerous lengths to get the story and tell it so clearly and concisely. If you only read one memoir this year make it this one you won't be disappointed.
April 4, 2024
A diagnosis of glioblastoma – a virulent, incurable brain cancer that is guaranteed to eventually kill – will buckle the knees of most people. After all, this lethal cancer infamously ended the lives of Senator John McCain and Beau Biden and, mysteriously, as many as 6 Philadelphia Phillies. But when Rod Nordland, an award winning foreign war correspondent, was diagnosed with the disease in the summer of 2019, his trademark spunk took over and, as he explains in his latest book, “Waiting for the Monsoon,” his Second Life began built on gratitude, love, and hope.
Nordland’s book takes us through the formation of his defiant spirit. If the ability to live well in the face of a mortal threat is the ability to live with uncertainty, Nordland learned to do that very early. His book shares how he grew up with an abusive, predatory father, but a kind and devoted mother. When the siege between his parents finally ended, teenaged Nordland had experienced more injustice, physical violence, terror and turbulence, hunger and poverty than any child should. His upbringing not only explains why he became one of the trouble-making tough kids in and out of school but also how he became ruggedized for his future career and primed for his eventual confrontation with brain cancer.
Fueled by anger at the injustices of his youth and his compassion for the vulnerable, Nordland found writing for a living was a way to hold reprehensible characters accountable. Before his diagnosis, “Waiting for the Monsoon” chronicles his important, historical work writing news stories for Newsweek, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The book recounts his sometimes breath-stopping escapades dodging journalist-hating governments, bullets and rocket fire while covering conflicts and their human consequences in places like Afghanistan, Sarajevo and dozens of hot spots in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The book is punctuated with some of his memorable news articles; it also includes some eye-opening backstories we rarely see.
“Waiting for the Monsoon” follows Norland’s book “The Lovers: Afghanistan’s Romeo and Juliet, the True Story of How They Defied Their Families and Escaped an Honor Killing”, - the story of an Afghani couple’s forbidden, life-risking love. The 2016 publication of “The Lovers” coincides with a change in Nordland’s own romantic fortunes and recounts his meeting of Leila, his kindred spirit, a caring woman with considerable literary talent who would be there when the bottom fell out of his life.
“Waiting for the Monsoon” was written 2 years after Nordland’s doctor-forecasted shelf life had expired. The book remembers his sudden collapse, his diagnosis of glioblastoma (GBM) and dealing with some of its nasty co-conspirators: seizures, blood clots, “chemo brain”, and medication-induced emotional outbursts. He describes the extensive rehab process to cajole stubborn neural networks, angered by necessary surgical and radiation assaults, to direct again simple, everyday acts such as buttoning shirts, typing, and even walking with balance.
The book is chock full of history, insights for thumbing one’s nose at GBM, plus comments about the meaning of life grounded in a new found clarity and realism. A riveting read, “Waiting for the Monsoon” is written by a man, a fugitive from a preeminent disease that now stalks him, who describes his extraordinary life and its struggles as brutal fact, not a cry for pity. Instead, for anyone who knows Nordland, admires his work, or wants to understand how the human spirit is able to transcend a mortal threat and rise resilient, this book is a gift and an occasion to stand up and cheer as Nordland takes a victory lap.
- Channah Piscioneri, editor of “The Brain Tumor Guide for the Newly Diagnosed” and brain cancer patient advocate.
Nordland’s book takes us through the formation of his defiant spirit. If the ability to live well in the face of a mortal threat is the ability to live with uncertainty, Nordland learned to do that very early. His book shares how he grew up with an abusive, predatory father, but a kind and devoted mother. When the siege between his parents finally ended, teenaged Nordland had experienced more injustice, physical violence, terror and turbulence, hunger and poverty than any child should. His upbringing not only explains why he became one of the trouble-making tough kids in and out of school but also how he became ruggedized for his future career and primed for his eventual confrontation with brain cancer.
Fueled by anger at the injustices of his youth and his compassion for the vulnerable, Nordland found writing for a living was a way to hold reprehensible characters accountable. Before his diagnosis, “Waiting for the Monsoon” chronicles his important, historical work writing news stories for Newsweek, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The book recounts his sometimes breath-stopping escapades dodging journalist-hating governments, bullets and rocket fire while covering conflicts and their human consequences in places like Afghanistan, Sarajevo and dozens of hot spots in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The book is punctuated with some of his memorable news articles; it also includes some eye-opening backstories we rarely see.
“Waiting for the Monsoon” follows Norland’s book “The Lovers: Afghanistan’s Romeo and Juliet, the True Story of How They Defied Their Families and Escaped an Honor Killing”, - the story of an Afghani couple’s forbidden, life-risking love. The 2016 publication of “The Lovers” coincides with a change in Nordland’s own romantic fortunes and recounts his meeting of Leila, his kindred spirit, a caring woman with considerable literary talent who would be there when the bottom fell out of his life.
“Waiting for the Monsoon” was written 2 years after Nordland’s doctor-forecasted shelf life had expired. The book remembers his sudden collapse, his diagnosis of glioblastoma (GBM) and dealing with some of its nasty co-conspirators: seizures, blood clots, “chemo brain”, and medication-induced emotional outbursts. He describes the extensive rehab process to cajole stubborn neural networks, angered by necessary surgical and radiation assaults, to direct again simple, everyday acts such as buttoning shirts, typing, and even walking with balance.
The book is chock full of history, insights for thumbing one’s nose at GBM, plus comments about the meaning of life grounded in a new found clarity and realism. A riveting read, “Waiting for the Monsoon” is written by a man, a fugitive from a preeminent disease that now stalks him, who describes his extraordinary life and its struggles as brutal fact, not a cry for pity. Instead, for anyone who knows Nordland, admires his work, or wants to understand how the human spirit is able to transcend a mortal threat and rise resilient, this book is a gift and an occasion to stand up and cheer as Nordland takes a victory lap.
- Channah Piscioneri, editor of “The Brain Tumor Guide for the Newly Diagnosed” and brain cancer patient advocate.
March 6, 2024
In June of 2019, Pulitzer Prize winning foreign correspondent Rod Nordland was in New Delhi to experience first-hand the “the southwest monsoon, the greatest accumulation of fresh water in the atmosphere anywhere on the planet.” On July 5, he was jogging in Delhi’s Lodhi Gardens when, he writes, “a malignant brain tumor, as yet undiagnosed, struck me down and left me thrashing on the ground.” Nordland was intent on remaining positive, recalling: “I was taken for dead by a mortuary crew, who toe-tagged me with the following ID: ‘Unknown Caucasian male, age 47 and a half.’ Nothing could have cheered me up more. It was only days until my 70th birthday. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘I could learn to love this tumor.’”
His tumor was a glioblastoma multiforme stage 4, the most aggressive of brain tumors, with a life expectancy post diagnosis of fourteen months. Nordland had reported from 150 countries, most of them going through violent upheavals, and he ran the war-zone news bureaus in six of them. He had repeatedly faced down his own death. But his grim diagnosis caused him to lean into the phenomenon of the Second Life, appreciating even more his First Life prior to the terminal diagnosis.
Nordland’s memoir unfolds linerally, starting with his family in Philadelphia — a violent father who routinely beat his mother and a “devoted” mother “determined to protect her children.” Nordland’s mother left her husband, taking with her their six children, divorced him, and found menial work to support her family. His father was repeatedly arrested, convicted and termed a “predatory pedophile” who died in an Idaho prison. Nordland bore the burden of his parentage by “gravitat[ing] toward stories about vulnerable people, especially women and children—since they will always be the most vulnerable in any society—being exploited or mistreated by powerful men or powerful social norms.”
After having to repeat the eleventh grade, Nordland became the type of overachiever “parents dream of.” He attended Penn State on a full scholarship, shifted his focus from biochemistry to journalism and, after graduating college, started a job as a staff reporter on a major metro daily. His big break occurred when his newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the Three Mile island disaster. That lead to a posting to Bangkok, Thailand to cover “everything east of Afghanistan,” and a life of “wandering around different foreign countries, where I didn’t speak the language or know the culture but managed to find stories.”
Each chapter of his stirring memoir begins with an “interlude,” a dispatch Nordland sent from around the globe, followed by his recollections of stints reporting from far flung locales — Darfur to Zimbabwe, Cambodia to Syria, and Bahrain to Sarajevo. The second part of the memoir focuses on Nordland’s effort to fight back against his health crisis and to embrace his Second Life. He reconnects with his former wife and their three children, with whom he had been estranged since the divorce. Years into his diagnosis, with no new cancer and occasional, manageable seizures, Nordland writes with gratitude for the time he has remaining and provides a clear-eyed perspective on his own mortality. Thank you Mariner Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this moving and inspiring memoir.
His tumor was a glioblastoma multiforme stage 4, the most aggressive of brain tumors, with a life expectancy post diagnosis of fourteen months. Nordland had reported from 150 countries, most of them going through violent upheavals, and he ran the war-zone news bureaus in six of them. He had repeatedly faced down his own death. But his grim diagnosis caused him to lean into the phenomenon of the Second Life, appreciating even more his First Life prior to the terminal diagnosis.
Nordland’s memoir unfolds linerally, starting with his family in Philadelphia — a violent father who routinely beat his mother and a “devoted” mother “determined to protect her children.” Nordland’s mother left her husband, taking with her their six children, divorced him, and found menial work to support her family. His father was repeatedly arrested, convicted and termed a “predatory pedophile” who died in an Idaho prison. Nordland bore the burden of his parentage by “gravitat[ing] toward stories about vulnerable people, especially women and children—since they will always be the most vulnerable in any society—being exploited or mistreated by powerful men or powerful social norms.”
After having to repeat the eleventh grade, Nordland became the type of overachiever “parents dream of.” He attended Penn State on a full scholarship, shifted his focus from biochemistry to journalism and, after graduating college, started a job as a staff reporter on a major metro daily. His big break occurred when his newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the Three Mile island disaster. That lead to a posting to Bangkok, Thailand to cover “everything east of Afghanistan,” and a life of “wandering around different foreign countries, where I didn’t speak the language or know the culture but managed to find stories.”
Each chapter of his stirring memoir begins with an “interlude,” a dispatch Nordland sent from around the globe, followed by his recollections of stints reporting from far flung locales — Darfur to Zimbabwe, Cambodia to Syria, and Bahrain to Sarajevo. The second part of the memoir focuses on Nordland’s effort to fight back against his health crisis and to embrace his Second Life. He reconnects with his former wife and their three children, with whom he had been estranged since the divorce. Years into his diagnosis, with no new cancer and occasional, manageable seizures, Nordland writes with gratitude for the time he has remaining and provides a clear-eyed perspective on his own mortality. Thank you Mariner Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this moving and inspiring memoir.
May 12, 2024
I heard the author interviewed on Fresh Air (NPR) and I was interested in the depth of experience in life and death that the author showed. He spent 30+ years as a war correspondent in more than 150 countries, among them Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. He worked for Newsweek, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and earned awards as a correspondent. He had a difficult childhood at the hands of an abusive father in semi-rural San Bernadino county CA. His father sexually abused his niece and was eventually convicted of abuse. His mother was a forgiving soul, blaming herself for her husband's angry abuse. In the 50s abuse was condoned by the authorities, and after leaving his mother, his father re-married and had five more children, eventually convicted of abusing them.
The author managed to channel his rage into school, work and science. He became an overachiever, and "zigged when others zagged" after school working as staff reporter for the Inquirer paper.
The author wrote a piece for the New York Times in Sept. 2019 from his bedside at Weill Cornell Med Center's ICU. It became the basis for this book. The Indian subcontinent heats up in early summer, with 110 degree days. Forces build and the people wait for the rain. Then one day it comes, a bursting as if from a celestial womb. In the prologue, the author goes on to describe his seizure and fortunate circumstances that brought him to the hospital, and recovery to write this book.
Most of the book covers his life as a foreign correspondant. The Part II, "After the Monsoon" covers his glioblastoma and recovery. Both sections were wonderfully written, and rich with little insights which he sprinkles throughout the chapters as short snippets of wisdom.
In the end, he decides that what we all want from life is to call ourselves beloved, and feel that we are wanted.
The author managed to channel his rage into school, work and science. He became an overachiever, and "zigged when others zagged" after school working as staff reporter for the Inquirer paper.
The author wrote a piece for the New York Times in Sept. 2019 from his bedside at Weill Cornell Med Center's ICU. It became the basis for this book. The Indian subcontinent heats up in early summer, with 110 degree days. Forces build and the people wait for the rain. Then one day it comes, a bursting as if from a celestial womb. In the prologue, the author goes on to describe his seizure and fortunate circumstances that brought him to the hospital, and recovery to write this book.
Most of the book covers his life as a foreign correspondant. The Part II, "After the Monsoon" covers his glioblastoma and recovery. Both sections were wonderfully written, and rich with little insights which he sprinkles throughout the chapters as short snippets of wisdom.
In the end, he decides that what we all want from life is to call ourselves beloved, and feel that we are wanted.
March 8, 2024
Rod Nordland, an accomplished Pulitzer Prize winning foreign correspondent, has crafted a memoir of both gratitude and fortitude. He traveled to over 150 countries including those struck with ongoing wars, internal strife, natural disasters, and famine. His road to the story was never an easy one, but always a rewarding one. Rod’s focus has always been the human side of the story, not battles or their logistics. So, it was surprising to him, approaching 70, that he would be the focus of his own story – an aggressive brain tumor, with a poor prognosis. His memoir tracks his disease and his accomplishments. His fortitude comes from his rough upbringing with a loving mother and siblings, but a father with criminality and abuse. From an early age, he sets his course to overcome and receives help from mentors who can see his potential in achieving and succeeding, professionally and personally. His gratitude unexpectedly comes from his disease. He realizes that the bonds he has formed as a journalist, colleague, friend, father, family member and with a new late-in-life lover, will support and see him through his ordeals to come. To them he is more than his illness – he is a man in full, ready to share his journey from the scientists and physicians who help him navigate the effects of the disease that is intent on limiting him. Emotional, informative, inspiring – highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.
April 1, 2024
I checked this book out of the library after listening to the author's interview with Terry Gross on NPR. He has been a life long foreign correspondent for several respected news organizations, covering war zones around the world. Of primary interest to me was his diagnosis of glioblastoma about 5 years ago, as a good friend of mine was diagnosed with the same about a year ago.
As might be expected from a person earning their living thru the written word, the book is very well written and compelling. The stories he tells about his years in conflict zones is really interesting, as well as the years of his youth and growing up with a devoted mother and abusive father. But the crux of the book is his reaction to his diagnosis that he has been given a second life and how that has enriched his relationships with family and friends.
Mr. Norland is definitely one of the lucky ones, as only 6 percent of people diagnosed with the disease survive 5 years. And unlike other cancers, even those that survive that long cannot breath a sigh of relief as this type of cancer can come back at any time. He notes that Ted Kennedy, John McCain and Beau Biden all were victims of the disease as well. I learned a lot about GBM from this book, and a lot about how a patient's attitude can make a huge difference.
As might be expected from a person earning their living thru the written word, the book is very well written and compelling. The stories he tells about his years in conflict zones is really interesting, as well as the years of his youth and growing up with a devoted mother and abusive father. But the crux of the book is his reaction to his diagnosis that he has been given a second life and how that has enriched his relationships with family and friends.
Mr. Norland is definitely one of the lucky ones, as only 6 percent of people diagnosed with the disease survive 5 years. And unlike other cancers, even those that survive that long cannot breath a sigh of relief as this type of cancer can come back at any time. He notes that Ted Kennedy, John McCain and Beau Biden all were victims of the disease as well. I learned a lot about GBM from this book, and a lot about how a patient's attitude can make a huge difference.
May 22, 2024
Some people seem to live gigantic lives. Such is Rod Nordland, whose decades-long career as a war correspondent for some of the biggest names in publishing. He routinely moved from one danger zone to the next with the same aplomb as most of us do in a 30-minute commute to our offices. And for almost 70 years, he managed to survive some spine-tingling episodes but none was as frightening as one he experienced in 2019 when he lost consciousness during a run (for exercise) in New Delhi. After a harrowing trip to a local hospital and a move to Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the worst, most aggressive of brain tumors. Such cruel irony to dodge death on a daily basis only to come face-to-face with it when you are just turning 70 years of age. Rod thinks of his first life (pre brain tumor) and second life (post brain tumor) as I think is common for anyone who comes through such trauma. His book weaves us seamlessly between these lives as he takes us on his medical journey interspersed with excerpts from his journalism career. It is an exhilarating, thought-provoking, sobering ride.
July 2, 2024
Rod’s lived a fuller life than many as a foreign correspondent for over 30 years. He goes to war torn territories, and while many are fleeing, he inserts himself right in the action. An important job, though at the cost of some personal afflictions. Ultimately, it is a brain tumor that ends up being the greatest detriment to his health and career.
As somebody who wouldn’t dare take on his job, I found his recounts fascinating. And as a seasoned writer he tells his story powerfully.
As somebody who wouldn’t dare take on his job, I found his recounts fascinating. And as a seasoned writer he tells his story powerfully.
January 22, 2024
Nordland's ability to express his experiences succiently allows the reader a glimpse into his most interesting life. The importance of relationships and maintaining them throughout one's life makes a very rich life. Sad, funny, inspirational and educational all at the same time as one reads this extraordinary book. Kudos to Nordland and many more good days ahead.
A very, very good read.
A very, very good read.
March 21, 2024
I loved this book. So interesting to hear about Rod’s experiences as a war correspondent and his journey with cancer. I think he is a terrific writer and was definitely inspired by his book. I hope he does a a signing in Arizona ..hint..hint
November 18, 2024
First off, it was well written. It’s a wonderfully sad story, full of testimonies and analogies that he’s gained and we can use. His life is very interesting, but the Second life is the one that makes it worth telling
December 9, 2024
A refection of his life, the author takes us through his experiences from childhood, as a foreign correspondent, and with GBM cancer. There are interesting stories here; however, it doesn’t flow well, in my opinion. It is almost a boring read which is weird considering the opportunities the author had with the material.
March 25, 2024
Very well written, poignant topic, remarkable jorney with GBM, that is woven with stories from many years as a war correspondent.
April 10, 2024
Written with such love and poignanacy. He is walking towards death with grace and dignity. Very courageous
April 12, 2024
This book was a recapitulation of a war correspondent’s many adventures at the expense of a meaningful family life. This book seemed an attempt at redemption. The author’s reckoning with his brain tumor and the realizations it has brought of what is important were well written and provocative. I wish him many more years of health to enjoy what he didn’t realize he had until glioblastoma opened his eyes.
May 15, 2024
Thank you, Mr Nordland, for sharing your profound and uplifting story.
June 1, 2024
I loved the story of his life. This is not something I would have typically chosen but I am very glad I read it. I learned a bunch and it prompted a lot of personal reflection and thought.
June 28, 2024
I was mildly entertained. But he comes off as arrogant, and I was expecting him to be a bit more introspective considering his diagnosis.
April 22, 2024
I wasn't familiar with Rod Nordland's name before this, though I'm sure I've encountered his writing for Newsweek and the NY Times as a foreign correspondent for several decades. This memoir, of his days working in some of the most dangerous places on earth, and then confronting his own mortality when he's diagnosed with brain cancer, and the powerful relationships that helped him through it all, makes for a very compelling and inspiring read.
April 26, 2024
Can attest that a dx of cancer makes you "better, somehow stronger, funnier, even kinder, more tolerant". This book makes me really sad but also hopeful. Hope he defies the odds.
July 6, 2024
I read Nordland's The Lovers and heard him interviewed on Fresh Air. What a story.
August 8, 2024
Fabulous I went back and reread all the sections that included Roger’s relationship with his love his significant other so I’m upgrading this to a solid five star read storytelling by an incredibly brave forensic corespondent. Opens us up to a vital underground world of reporting difficult to imagine and that many take for granted. He also openly and proudly shared his very personal journey with a lethal brain tumor diagnosis offering alternate perspectives and inspiration for others. Well done. Added disclaimer: this is my first book review, and I was trying to be objective reflecting an overall view for all readers. I would’ve added one more star and maybe I still should for Rod’s perspective on his glioblastoma brain tumor journey. I was diagnosed with the same in September 2023. My tumor is also in the right lobe and Rod’s details on overcoming the GBM’s effects on the left side of his body gave given me great inspiration. Like Rod, I am a fighter that has no plans of going quietly into the GBM night.
September 2, 2024
this book was amazing. the way he write about his travels and lessons from working as a foreign correspondent are super interesting. His battle with GBM is inspiring and heartbreaking.
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July 10, 2025A memoir, to be more than a mere diary, needs a focus. The focus of this war correspondent’s memoir, Waiting for the Monsoon, presents itself in the extreme heat of India while the population of the area is “waiting for the monsoon,” the annual gush of rain that cools temperatures and waters the crops. In this scorching heat, the author goes for a run and collapses with a seizure.
Fortunately, a good Samaritan, a stranger, rescues him, gets an ambulance, and stays with him as he is rushed to a hospital. A cherished colleague arranges transport from India to New York and admission to the best hospital in the world for treating the author’s brain tumor, a stage 4 glioblastoma.
The diagnosis is terminal, with a timeline, give or take, of 15 months even after 99.9 percent of the big tumor and its tentacles have been removed. It wasn’t the kind of cancer that metastasizes; it was the kind that spontaneously recurs. The havoc it wreaks on one’s health, along with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and the vacant space left where it has been removed, take their toll.
My cousin in Philadelphia dealt with ups and downs from the same diagnosis before his death. The son of our dear friend also gave his mother spells of hope a few times before succumbing to the inevitable. Ted Kennedy and John McCain died from this cancer.
Rod Nordland wanted to make the most of whatever time he had left. He received help from world-class medical care and therapies. Meanwhile, he suffered from “chemo brain” fog and memory problems. He struggled to figure out how to button a shirt and how to put on a pair of pants. Nevertheless, he stayed stubbornly optimistic and used humor to laugh his way through the difficulties.
As if he didn’t have enough problems with terminal cancer, Nordland tried to ride a bike in Manhattan and promptly got sideswiped by a messenger coming headlong at him on an electric bike —a hit and run, resulting in broken ribs and fractured vertebrae. Then there was the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, which sentenced him to solitary confinement in his small apartment, which nearly drove him crazy.
Nordland, the war correspondent, the creative writer, uses the “monsoon” of the title as a metaphor for the “second life” that comes to those who recognize their inevitable and imminent mortality. He makes the most of the time he has left. He reconciles with his alienated grown children. He finds peace with his ex-wife even in the presence of his fiancée. He enjoys the company of friends he has made throughout the decades of his long, distinguished career.
Which is the other story in the book. True tales of daring, close calls, and eye-popping adventures, as can be told only by a war reporter with 50 years of experience as a journalist, make up most of the substance of Waiting for the Monsoon. He leads us into his career by painting the portrait of his background: a despicable father, who is a pedophile (eventually sentenced to life in prison), a spectacularly devoted mother, and his outrageous adolescence redeemed by a prescient English teacher.
Halfway through Penn State, he discovers his passion for journalism. After college, he works his way up with the Philadelphia Inquirer. From police reporter to foreign war correspondent, Nordland develops his skills and his knack for finding compelling stories. As newspapers lose resources for his sort of work, he signs on with Newsweek, which keeps him moving through war zones, into dangerous and horrendous surroundings. His final employer, to his good fortune, is the New York Times.
Throughout the pages of this book, the author inserts short examples of his news articles, usually in tune with what he is remembering from his career, or with what he is experiencing with his illness. Remarkably, although he had lost his ability to type on a keyboard, he handwrote the manuscript of this book and then dictated it for transcription.
Last night, as I read the final pages, I was struck by his realization that I might google his obituary. In fact, this morning, I did just that. He died on June 22, 2025, two weeks before I started reading his story. Like any of us who may be lucky enough to anticipate our end, he said he would die “waiting for the monsoon,” a surprise and relief from the scorching heat of this life. Believe me, this book will hold your attention and give you plenty to think about.
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