Hi all:
I bring you the review of another one of the books from Rosie’s Book Review Team. This is a short non-fiction book, but one that packs a lot of information and meaning into its pages, and quite a few bread recipes as well.
Some of you are aware that I have been collaborating at a local radio station for a while (Sants 3 Ràdio), and this has given me a chance to get to know people, learn more about what goes on in the neighbourhood, and also to learn a lot about radio, and meet quite a few journalists and journalist students. This is a radio run mostly thanks to volunteers, so not everybody is a journalist (I am not), but as I collaborate regularly in the news programme, the issue of what is journalism (and what should be) is quite close to my heart. So I had a personal interest in reading this book (I like bread as well, but I am not much of a baker), but I don’t think the personal connection is a requisite to enjoy it.
Kneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news by Tony Ganzer
“Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required.”
By the time a photographer spotted these words on a shirt at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in November 2016, it had long been clear that a growing number of Americans had not-so-subtle reservations about journalists. In an age that some demonize the media as an “enemy of the people,” it’s time for a heart-to-heart about what journalism is, and what it could be.
And while we break down the news business, let’s also bake some bread.
In Kneading Journalism, award-winning international journalist Tony Ganzer provides an insider’s view of the Fourth Estate through compelling personal narratives and keen insights. Essays transport the reader from a bread riot before the French Revolution, to the inside of Germany’s public media and bread industries, to the streets of post-revolutionary Cairo, all while exploring the who, what, and why of journalism.
Kneading Journalism provides readers bite-sized thoughts on journalism and society, and basic bread recipes for any level of baker.
Before we can break bread, we need to bake bread.
About the author:
Tony Ganzer has spent decades as an award-winning journalist and international communications professional in the U.S. and Europe. He is a former correspondent for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, and worked as a public radio host and reporter for major outlets in Germany and the U.S., reporting on asylum seekers, heads of state, and many others. His work has been featured by National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC, Deutsche Welle, and PRI. He holds an M.A. in International Relations and World Order from the University of Leicester, and an M.B.A. from Youngstown State University. He earned his B.S. in Journalism from the University of Idaho. He was awarded the Robert Bosch Foundation fellowship for young American leaders, the Arthur F. Burns journalism fellowship, and was named a next generation leader by the German Marshall Fund. He likes bread baking, playing guitar, and exploring stories through his Faith Full Podcast. He speaks fluent German, and some French on a good day.
My review:
I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (author, check here if you are interested in getting your book reviewed) and thank her and the author for this opportunity.
This non-fiction book is a labour of love, as are the bread recipes included in it. In this book, its author, Tony Ganzer, a journalist who has worked in different media (newspapers, radio) and different countries, shares some of his reflections on journalism, its history, and its current state. The book contains 7 essays/articles, some of them previously published, and interspersed between them we also find recipes to bake a variety of bread, because, as he so succinctly puts it: ‘If we want to take a critical and nuanced view of journalism and how we want to be informed, and break bread together, we should first bake the bread.’
Ganzer invites readers to a journey whereby they can share in some of his professional experiences throughout the years, and also in how this has shaped his opinions of what journalism is and isn’t, and why it seems to be the target of so many attacks these days. The articles discuss things like the importance of the concept of ‘the kitchen table’ and what a kitchen table conversation should look like (and why everybody thinks it is important to achieve that tone in their articles and/or speeches); the connection between bread and rebellions (the French Revolution is mentioned, although the article made me think of other historical examples); the importance of journalism education and how it can be of use to all of us; the difference between journalists and not journalists; media, Machiavelli and power; he also recalls his experience in Egypt and reflects upon the use of bread and other common necessities to control the population; the search for meaning in one’s profession and life; and he closes the book with an article called ‘Leaving daily news’. Although the book is a memoir of sorts, it is not full of personal information and lengthy disquisitions about his own life and circumstances, so readers who are looking for a book on journalism but prefer to avoid any confessional-type of content don’t need to worry too much on that account. The author refers to his faith and his family in passing, but this is not elaborated in the text, and it is only added to offer context.
This is a deeply personal and passionate book, one born of deep thought and reflection, and beautifully and compellingly written. The author, who shortly after gaining his degree in journalism started working at a bakery, is also passionate about bread, and his recipes and his reflections about the role of bread in different societies and civilisations (I had never heard of bread sommeliers before I read this book and didn’t know Germans were so fond of bread) are also enlightening.
Apart from the essays and the recipes, the book also includes some drawings —which visually capture some of the main points in the articles—, a section of acknowledgements, and a detailed bibliography, ordered by chapter, so any readers who feel intrigued by any of the references can carry on exploring the topics in more detail.
I recommend this short book to readers interested in journalism, its evolution, and its connection with society, and also to anybody who loves baking and bread. I look forward to reading more books by this author and discovering where he is going next.
As a brief sample of his writing, I leave you with his opinion of what journalism should be:
The core of what journalism should be, in my view, is a craft of true-life storytelling that holds to a standard of ethics and uses a particular set of methods and skills in service to the public good — have an eye on government, figure things out, explain and identify trends, introduce a character, place, or event that illustrates life in a particular area, etc. The common thread is that the work is always in service to the news consumer and the community.
Thanks to Rosie and the members of the team for their ongoing support, thanks to the author for his book, and thanks to all of you for reading, commenting, liking, sharing… For being there. Don’t forget to keep smiling! ♥
Oh, and don’t worry. I’ve closed the comments because I have another funny week and I might not be able to answer timely, but do check the book, and thanks for visiting!
Just Olga 