Rose Friedman, an editor and reporter who helped shape NPR's arts and cultural coverage, died on September 17. She was 38. Friedman was one of the co-creators of the Books We Love reading guide and, most recently, helped lead NPR's America 250 series.
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| Rose Friedman (photo: Beth Novey/NPR) |
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She joined the organization in 2010 as an editorial assistant at NPR Books, where she "became deeply sourced in the publishing industry and seemed to have read everything," NPR noted. Friedman edited book reviews and features like This Week's Must Read. She also wrote many appreciations of influential book people, including Herman Wouk and Sonny Mehta. For the Book Concierge (later renamed Books We Love), she "helped pore over hundreds of titles nominated by NPR staff and critics, and whittle them down into a robust reader's guide."
"She was voracious," said author Meg Wolitzer, who worked with Friedman on a number of NPR reviews and features. "What a gifted, delightful, brilliant, deeply kind person. And I would say a true enthusiast. I got so much working with Rose."
"She had so much integrity," said Theo Balcomb, a former supervising editor for All Things Considered and now a senior editor at the Atlantic. The two had met early in their careers at NPR and became close friends. "She would care more about 'Was this true?' or as holistic as we could get than, 'Is it buzzy?' She had a strong sense of purpose."
NPR wrote: "We will miss her wisdom, generosity, infectious humor and, above all, her voice."