Front Page Girl

I just completed Front Page Girl a fascinating autobiography of Doris O'Donnell, former writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and some other newspapers. She grew up in a neighborhood not far from my church and stayed local most of her career. The blurb on the front cover states "A memoir brimming with local flavor and political intrigue" and it did not disappoint! The story of Ms. O'Donnell beginning her career in Cleveland and following several national stories is fascinating. The more local stories about the history of organized crime in northeast Ohio were eye opening too.

With the turn of every page I learned more tidbits of Cleveland history I did not have opportunity to pick up anywhere else, such as stories of some of the mayors in the city's history, the race riots in the 1960s, and the history of some of the unions so important to the region.

But most interesting to me were the stories of Ms. O'Donnell's travels abroad. The lengths she would go to in order to get a story are stated matter-of-factly in her book, but the fact that she went to those lengths is what set her apart from her peers during her career. I can't help but agree with her opinions about how news reporting has changed in the last two decades especially.
I am interested in the stories of Cleveland's history. Through reading front Page Girl I discovered two more books to request from my local library. I hope those lead to even more!