Every Life a Story

Natalie Jacobson Reporting

By: Natalie Jacobson

Narrated by: Natalie Jacobson

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Throughout her 40-year career in broadcast television, including 35 as a reporter and anchor on Channel 5 in Boston, Natalie Jacobson told the stories of countless lives. Now she tells her own.

Every Life a Story takes listeners behind the scenes of the extraordinary career of a woman who rose from an immigrant childhood in Chicago to become the first woman to anchor the evening news in Boston.

Natalie was among the most trusted people of greater Boston. Her viewers thought of her as family. Natalie brings listeners on an uplifting journey possible only in America. When faced with "no girls need apply", she saw a challenge, not an obstacle. Her father had set an example of fortitude, educating himself and rising from cab driver to president of Gillette North America.

Generations of viewers recall Natalie and her husband Chet Curtis as “Nat and Chet”, beloved co-anchors of NewsCenter5 on WCVB-TV Boston. referred to them as “the de facto first couple of Boston, very likely the city’s best-known conveyors of news since Paul Revere”. Their lives seemed an open book as trials of sickness, death, pregnancy, birth, parenting, working motherhood, and eventually divorce played out on a very public stage.

Ultimately, this book offers a sharp contrast to today’s divisive media landscape. Believing every life is a story, Natalie feels, “This book is as much your story as it is mine. We reporters were there to give you information that was accurate, information to help you make informed decisions. We invited you to be part of it and you were. I used to hope when you tuned in to our newscast, you took a deep breath and relaxed, feeling you were among friends. You were home. I hope this book brings you the same comfort.”

©2022 Natalie Jacobson (P)2022 Natalie Jacobson

So true everyone has a story and you captured them so well

A wonderful book Natalie, not only did you share such heartfelt stories but your narration was captivating I could have listened for days . You captured the spirit of Boston over the decades .The stories and the people behind the stories . Oh those were the days ..and hoped they would never end !Was sad when it ended . Thank you !

A wonderful trip down memory lane for everyone.

Natalie's book is a wonderful trip down memory lane, capturing the history of news events and WCVB's coverage of them, and bringing them to life. For those of us who lived in the Boston area and watched Chet and Nat every night to get our daily news all those years, this book is a great read. The audio version is even better because it's in her own voice. Very well written and easy to read.

Wonderfully written and voiced

I must say that every chapter took me back to the exact time frame and what I was doing. Being from Needham it was like a trip home. Although Chet and Natalie were a few years my senior, I lived those years and experiences and this was just a reminder to me how much we lost when local news stopped being about what the people needed to know and more about ratings. I still watch WCVB news every day and chronicle every weeknight! I do miss the reassuring voice of a “friend” delivering the unbiased news of the day.

Time well spent!

A wonderful book!

This was such a great stroll down memory lane. And it felt so good to hear the story told by Natalie herself in that very familiar voice! Thank you, Natalie, for sharing your life with us! You have made my life better for being in it for those 35 years! Wishing you all the best!

Excellent book narrated by Natalie herself!

My mom and I read different types of books, and we BOTH throughly enjoyed this book! We are from Boston and grew up with "Chet & Nat". Hearing Natalie narrate this book made a big difference to me. I could hear the sincerity in her voice as she narrated.

Last month, she was at our public library last month (I missed the event), and my friends could not stop talking about how genuine Natalie. This book also showed that same "genuine Natalie"!

I do not know how much non-Boston people will enjoy the book, but it was well written with great narration.

Thanks Natalie….

As a kid who is a lifelong resident of New England and one who got a taste of broadcasting in my younger years, you and the team at Newscenter 5 were a part of the fabric of my life.

I remember the day WCVB signed on the air and one of the first things featured was a Danny Kaye movie.

You along with Chet and the rest of the team were a trusted source for what was happening in our little corner of the world.

The Mt Rushmore of Boston broadcast legends includes you among them.

Thanks for an enjoyable read of your 35 years in the business as well as your personal story. One thing we definitely have in common is the positive upbringing of our parents which made us what we are today.

I too am still looking to use my creative talents and in my retirement started a podcast(who hasn’t ?) I would love to talk shop with you at some point in the future.

Please stay well, enjoy your family and thank you again for being a positive force in broadcast journalism.