Talk to Me

By: John Kenney

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

By the author of the New York Times best seller Love Poems for Married People and the Thurber Prize-winner Truth in Advertising comes a wry yet tenderhearted look at how one man's public fall from grace leads him back to his family and back to the man he used to be.

It's a story that Ted Grayson has reported time and time again in his job as a network TV anchor: the public downfall of those at the top. He just never imagined that it would happen to him. After his profanity-laced tirade is caught on camera, his reputation and career are destroyed, leaving him without a script for the first time in years.

While American viewers may have loved and trusted Ted for decades, his family certainly didn't: His years of constant travel and his big-screen persona have frayed all of his important relationships. At the time of his meltdown, Ted is estranged from his wife, Claire, and his adult daughter, Franny, a writer for a popular website. Franny views her father's disgrace with curiosity and perhaps a bit of smug satisfaction, but when her boss suggests that she confront Ted in an interview, she has to decide whether to use his loss as her career gain. And for Ted, this may be a chance to take a hard look at what got him to this place, and to try to find his way back before it's too late.

Talk to Me is a sharply observed, darkly funny, and ultimately warm story about a man who wakes up too late to the mess he's made of his life...and about our capacity for forgiveness and empathy.

©2019 John Kenney (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Entertainment Weekly, New & Notable

New York Post, Best Book of the Week

One of Southern Living's Best New Books of Winter 2019

“A widely respected network TV anchor falls from grace when a vicious tirade is caught on camera, leaving him to revive his professional reputation—and sense of purpose.”—Entertainment Weekly

"With a publicly decimated career and a neglected family in his wake, ex-TV anchor Ted Grayson finds himself taking a hard look at the life he's led and the ways in which he can build a better life in this perceptive new book by John Kenney.”—Southern Living

“Chronicle[s] our messy, modern lives.”—Los Angeles Times

Love this author

A must read!
Written as a novel, it’s testimony to the power of social media and how destructive it can be.
Robert Petkoff is a terrific narrator and brings this interesting and informative book to life.

Great

I liked the story a lot but I thought the narrator really made it. he was great.

Complex and Fascinating

This is the first book in awhile that I felt had complex, fascinating characters and could keep the momentum of the story through the entire work. Highly recommend!

Well worth reading and listening to

It’s a keeper for me. Narration was spot on, and the story was moving. If you like redemption stories this is one of the better ones.

Fabulous Story Telling

Loved this story and it’s timely commentary on how society and media have changed over time. It’s honest, funny, moving and heart breaking at times. The narrator is also perfect, tells the story with authority and authenticity.