Review: 'A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio'

It took me forever to finish "A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio" and for good reason. 

Bob Edwards' autiobiography is a self-indulgent blast at a few key enemies, mixed with sporadic insight into the growth of public radio and audio storytelling. 

Edwards is the host of Sirius-XM's "The Bob Edwards Show" who grew to some level of fame as the host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition." His firing from NPR and frequent run-ins with management there dominate this autobiography, and those themes make for frustrating reading.

As a manager myself, I know few supervisors fire or discipline employees out of the blue, let alone fire a person without explanation. Yet, Edwards would lead you to believe that his conflicts with "suits" came as complete blindsides or as retribution for doing moral and honorable work as a crusading journalist. 

I'm not saying that didn't happen in Edwards' case, but his presentation is so one-sided you're left wondering what pieces of the story remain untold. Autobiographies are by their nature one-sided, but a reader might expect more from a first-person story from a journalist trained in delivering all relevant sides of a story. 

"A Voice in the Box" is interesting in spots, particularly in describing the growth of NPR and how the network differs from its competition. But early chapters seem rushed and a lecturey tone and venom toward his critics n the last half of the book get tiresome. For a personality who plays up a folksy demeanor, he carries a weighty ego and holier-than-thou attitude toward what makes for good journalism and good friendships. 

Thankfully I didn't have to pay for "A Voice in the Box." As an XM subscriber, I had access to a free e-book version, and since I downloaded it onto my iPod Touch, read it only when stuck in lines or otherwise looking to fill time. This is just one reason it took me eight months to finish.The second is this isn't a very good book.