NPR culture editor Rose Friedman dies at 38; children's author David Martin dies
Rose Friedman, the NPR culture editor who co-created the network's Books We Love reading guide, died of cancer at her home in New York City on 17 September. She was 38.
Publishers Marketplace reported the death, while NPR said she died at home in the city.
Friedman joined NPR in 2010. She worked as an editor and reporter on the arts desk, the team that covers books, music, film, television and other cultural news for the American public broadcaster. That work involved assigning stories, editing copy and reporting on cultural life for a national radio and online audience.
She later became culture editor. In that post she directed coverage as well as contributing her own reporting and editing. She also helped lead NPR's America 250 series, a reporting project built around the 250th anniversary of the United States.
For book readers, one lasting point of contact with her work is Books We Love. Friedman co-created the guide, which collects short staff recommendations to help readers find titles beyond the usual bestseller charts. It is free to browse online, and it is organised to be searched by genre, theme and mood. Libraries, bookshops and general readers use it as a seasonal reference when looking for what to read next.
The publishing trade also marked the death of children's author David Martin on 12 September. Martin originated Candlewick Press's Brand New Readers series, short books with simple language designed to help young children take their first steps as independent readers. His own titles included Balloons and the Piggy and Dad books, stories written with plain words and repetition for very young readers.
Friedman spent a decade and a half helping to define NPR's arts and culture coverage, as one obituary put it. The description reflects the length of her tenure, from her arrival in 2010 through her work as an editor, reporter and culture editor.
For readers, this means the loss of an editor who worked largely behind the scenes. Assigning, editing and shaping guides rarely carry a byline. Her influence reached the shelf through the books that were covered, recommended and kept in view.
