Ging Reyes loves real stories of real people

Ging Reyes is ABS-CBN’s head of integrated news and concurrently, managing director of ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC). Ging is responsible for all newsgathering, content and strategic direction of ABS-CBN News. She has over 20 years of solid experience as a broadcast journalist. Prior to her appointment as head of integrated news, she was ABS-CBN’s North America news bureau chief. Aside from news, Ging counts books, films and travels among her obsessions.

I asked Ging to share her favorite books:

Ging has been reading books  — novels, memoirs, classics, thrillers, even trashy ones — for as long as she can remember. But for the purpose of this list, she chose from among her collection of non-fiction books. Here are her all-time favorites, in no particular order:

1. Steve Jobs by Water Isaacson

One of the most revealing and riveting biographies of our time. This book details the rise and fall, and rise again of the man who thought he could change the world and did. Isaacson gave a warts-and-all portrayal of Steve Jobs. Here is the life story of an intense, passionate and competitive leader whose creative genius inspired hard work, innovation and imagination.

2. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

I was profoundly moved by the author’s devotion to his mother and their shared love of reading. Mother and son formed a book club and would review stories, plots and characters at hospital waiting rooms while the former went through treatment for pancreatic cancer. This memoir is both a son’s loving tribute to his mother and an homage to books.

3. Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

One of the most poignant autobiographical works I’ve read.  Obama started writing this memoir before he launched his political career, and I found his account of this part of his life very candid and compelling.  His voice was so powerful and the emotions he conveyed so authentic. From his difficult childhood, to his early brushes with racial discrimination, to his once-in-a-lifetime meeting with his father, Obama translated his experiences and emotions into words with a lyrical quality that captivated me up to the final chapter.

4. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a month before giving a lecture that became the basis for this book. An eye-opening, inspiring read that draws from the author/lecturer’s childhood, experiences as a parent, professor and cancer patient. From someone who was dying, this book was mostly about how to live. It had none of the pomposity or pedantic tone of the lectures we’ve been used to.

5. Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis

Anyone who wants to know about the ugly truth behind America’s current economic woes should read Michael Lewis’ works. Liar’s Poker was my first introduction to the author, who studied Art History but ended up as a bond salesman. Eventually, he would become a financial journalist and a writer. The book is part-autobiography and part-expose, portraying a 1980s Wall Street culture dominated by unscrupulous, money-driven traders and salesmen.

6.Tell Me A Story by Don Hewitt

A fascinating story that every broadcast journalist should read and learn from. Don Hewitt, the creator of the legendary 60 Minutes, is himself a legendary figure in broadcast journalism. He created one of the most enduring brands in television news and worked with the best and the brightest journalists of our time. Hewitt’s experiences, anecdotes and life lessons evoked the beginnings and the glorious era of the television news industry, but he also offered a realistic assessment and forecast of its future.

7. Googled The End of the World as We Know It by Ken Auletta

Ken Auletta has consistently produced excellent journalism though his books, and Googled is no exception. Here, he tells us about the inner workings of the Mountain View, California-based company, its beginnings, ambitions, limitations and its culture of innovation. There have been several other accounts of Google’s success story, but Auletta’s keen analysis and spot-on observations make this the definitive book on the world’s top digital company.

8.The Half Remembered Past by Nelson Navarro

I was quite surprised by how I felt reading this memoir of one of the country’s most prolific writers. It was rich, moving and heartfelt. Nelson’s account of his childhood, separation from his parents, activist years, martial law and life in exile in the United States evoked memories of a bygone era, but the references to present-day realities were just as fascinating.

9. Lean In  by Sheryl Sandberg

Here is a working woman’s candid, eye-opening and inspiring account of what it takes to achieve professional success and personal fulfillment. An influential figure in the business world for several years, Sandberg is COO of Facebook and had also worked at Google and the US Treasury Department. Her book is a must-read for every woman who dreams of reaching the top but is held back by personal and other intervening issues.

10. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom has written many books that became bestsellers, but this remains my favorite. I first read it 17 years ago, and I remember crying after the first Tuesday that Albom spent with his dying professor. This book taught me not to take for granted the people who matter in our lives, to shun the ephemeral and the meaningless, and embrace only what is essential.

The Reading Club recommends two books:

Wings & Wanderlust by Bernie Lopez, an interesting book about traveling “for people in search of themselves, of spiritual renewal and transformation.” The book is available for purchase directly from the author at eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com or text 0927-2394095.

Three Filipina Women by F. Sionil Jose (try some Filipino literature), available in all National Book Store branches and Powerbooks.

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Your comments and suggestions are also welcome at gr.rodis@gmail.com.