Waiting for the Monsoon

By: Rod Nordland

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A legendary New York Times war correspondent delivers his unforgettable final dispatch: a deeply moving meditation on life inspired by his sudden battle with terminal brain cancer.

For thirty years, Rod Nordland shadowed death. As one of his generation's preeminent war correspondents, he reported in over 150 countries, many of which were in violent upheaval, and was no stranger to witnessing tragedy. But in summer 2019, during the height of India’s erratic monsoon season, Nordland was suddenly faced with a tragedy of his own: he collapsed in the middle of a morning jog, was rushed to the hospital, and diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor.

After decades chasing conflicts across the globe, Nordland, now confined to a hospital bed, found the strength to face more personal conflicts. He reconnected with his estranged children and became closer with them than he ever thought possible. He repaired a friendship with a best friend that had been broken for twenty years. The arrogance and certitude that dominated his every action was replaced by a lucid sense of humility and generosity that persisted even after he left the hospital. Norland’s tragedy became, in his own words, “a gift that has enriched my life.”

Waiting for the Monsoon is the exemplary story of confronting death with both eyes open, and of the human capacity to persevere even in the most difficult of times. With tremendous clarity, grace, and courage, Nordland has delivered a powerful final assignment, revealing how facing the unknown can transform experience and change our relationship to the world around us.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Rod Nordland (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

A life well lived and importance of family.

Good depth into the of war correspondent. Appreciate the open and honest review of the early life trauma effects throughout his life. Helped me understand the true meaning of life and my values.

Hope… even when there is nothing to be hopeful about…

It dawned on me, how I too could have told my story but didn’t… Maybe someday I will find the courage to do so.

Black humor with terminal cancer

This is so well written about his life before and after his life with a brain tumor. As a former caregiver for a brain tumor patient, who succumbed to this nasty disease and I relate to the life after diagnosis. This led me to being an advisory board member of a brain tumor charity (End Brain Cancer initiative) so that can others deal with this disease the best way possible. Making them aware of all the possible treatment options and providing education to patients and caregivers. Rod Nordland was made aware of his options and will hopefully live longer than the 7% that make it 5 years.

I wanted to like it

I really stuck with this book because I so wanted to like it. But all in all, it fell a bit left of the mark for me. It felt a bit like two books jammed together- the first two thirds of the book is a memoir of being a war correspondent, which I was initially excited about. I felt like this was going to be a rich foundation for what I knew was going to be a final act of grappling with one’s own mortality after a lifetime of watching the world grapple with mortality and conflict and inequity. However, I found that the stories and experiences recounted did little to set up the third act. In fact I found it almost superfluous to the author’s central idea. You know how you can tell when someone is telling you a story meant to craft your view of them? Like on a first date, someone tells you the “good parts” story? This book is kind of like that. I found parts of it to be egocentric and self-aggrandizing. The worst parts of which read as self-indulgent: someone who just couldn’t resist telling you how great they are or this great story they like to tell at parties.

The final third (less than that) of the book (roughly 2 hours worth) focuses on the author’s cancer battle. Again I didn’t feel that true vulnerability was achieved here— it read more as someone desperate to downplay the gravity of their circumstances and convince everyone else and themselves that they really are okay out of fear of being pitied.

The biggest disappointment for me was the ratio of telling: showing. I did not feel like I was along for the journey with this author as they wrestled with some of life’s most challenging and authentic moments. It was the literary equivalent of being trapped across a bar from an old rich white guy who thinks he’s the most interesting man in the world and is giving you the best night of your life.

Unnecessarily offensive

His comments about Trump were unnecessary perhaps the tumor or his youth experience similar to mine are still screwing you up, These comments are device adding to the rhetoric that fuels the internal war in the USA leaving up to an internal war Did the Old Testament really teach you this ? I am not a trump lover