If you are a Rachel Maddow fan and follow her show, you would expect this biography to be complimentary. It does live up to that presumption. Though there are no bombshells in the book, it does provide some insight into Maddow’s approach to her work and how it has evolved throughout her (still young) life. If you appreciated the profile of Maddow in the New York Times Magazine, this work provides a bit more detail but is not a critical examination of her life or career. With that in mind, it is an enjoyable read and will likely reinforce the qualities you like best in her.
Born in 1973, on April Fool’s Day, in the town of Castro Valley, her life took many unexpected turns. Castro Valley was a sea of red in the predominantly liberal Bay area. Her parents were conservative Catholics and raised their two children in the faith. Elaine Maddow hailed from Newfoundland. Robert Maddow grew up in Southern California and attended Stanford University, Rachel’s future alma mater. Though his paternal grandfather was Jewish, Robert was raised Protestant and eventually converted to Catholicism.
Learning to read by age three, the parents knew they had an inquisitive, intelligent daughter. One interesting tidbit was Rachel’s fascination with the Schoolhouse Rock videos on Saturday mornings when cartoons were usually the favored viewing. The videos would tackle complicated subjects and distill them into simple, easy-to-learn lessons, much like Maddow’s efforts in the format of her nightly show.
LIFE AT STANFORD & OUT OF THE CLOSET
Athletic in high school, she also liked punk music and cars. As a teenager, she volunteered at an AIDS Services Center in Oakland. This may have spurred her interest in healthcare and public policy, which she would choose as her field of study in college. At Stanford, she came out of the closet. A brilliant student, according to her professors, she later said that she “didn’t feel very welcome at Stanford.” It was certainly not as liberal a campus as many of us might assume. Fellow student (and fellow Rhodes Scholar) Cory Booker states “Rachel has always been about making a contribution. She wanted to change the world.” By loading up on her course-load, she graduated in three years.
While working in the low-paying, non-profit sector for an AIDS advocacy organization, she applied for and was awarded a Marshall Scholarship. That would have been an accomplishment by itself but she was also awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford. Since the Rhodes was more prestigious and paid for living expenses, she chose that route. She was the first out person to ever be awarded the honor, though there were obviously previous, closeted recipients. The Rhodes was intended to be for students pursuing a Master’s degree in their two years of study. However, once admitted, Master’s students can apply for the Ph.D program. She did and was accepted. The subject of her dissertation was “HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons.” As she later stated, “AIDS is the defining thing in my life. It makes me understand the world and my place in it.
NORTHAMPTON.MASS : A PARADISE FOR LESBIANS?
Once her studies were completed, she had to find a place to settle down and write her dissertation. Hating to write, she deliberately looked for the most unappealing setting possible, that would force her to do nothing but the work. Surprisingly, she ended up in Northampton, Massachusetts, a place that would be viewed as paradise to most lesbians. She thought otherwise.
While working, and failing, at the most mundane, odd jobs, she met her partner Susan Mikula. They both say that it was “love at first sight.” Their relationship continues to this day and seems to be mutually nurturing and loving. They are very protective of their privacy.
Her dissertation was finally finished and she was awarded a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford. To make ends meet while working on the dissertation, she worked at local radio stations and discovered she was suited to broadcasting. Air America, a venture that was intended to be the progressive answer to right-wing, conservative, AM radio gabfests, was beset with problems from the start. It did help in bolstering her credentials for future work and set her on a path to much greater acclaim.
FINDING HER CALLING IN BROADCASTING
In her early cable TV work, she was often paired as the foil to conservative colleagues, including Pat Buchanan (“Uncle Pat”) and Tucker Carlson. All speak warmly of one another, which maybe bursts the myth that their personas are as presumed. Maddow is always civil and respects the guests she invites to her show. They might not agree on the issues but she respects thoughtful arguments and a willingness to engage in an elevated debate.
Maddow admits to a lifelong struggle with depression. The one thing that motivates her? Fear of failure. Though she exudes a savvy confidence in her public life, she seems to constantly and tirelessly work to prove her mettle. I found the Broadcast News-like depiction of her workaday world less interesting than the personal stories. Her stature and reputation are well-deserved.
LISA ROGAK 
is the author of numerous books, including And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert. She is the editor of the New York Times bestseller Barack Obama in His Own Words and author of the New York Times bestseller Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart. Rogak lives in New Hampshire.
Published by Macmillans 1/07/20 $28.99
REVIEW: STEPHEN COY
Queerguru Contributor STEPHEN COY has been an avid reader all his (very long) life ? and is finally putting his skills to good use. He lives in Provincetown full time with his husband Jim, having finally given up the bright lights of Boston and now haunts the streets mumbling to himself that no one reads anymore …
Labels: 2019, book review, Rachel Maddow, Stephen Coy
