Tough, smart, funny…and she loves horses, doesn’t she?

Julie Blacklow’s memoir, Fearless: Diary of a Badass Reporter will delight those who want to live vicariously – smack in the middle of the life of a strong writer and committed journalist who faced down whatever fears and threats came her way. It is honest, clear-headed, sometimes hilarious; a road map for a life of talent, with a big ego and an even bigger heart. She discusses many of the major stories of her career in Seattle television news, but for each one there are dozens more smaller stories that changed lives.

(Full disclosure: Blacklow and a camera man squeezed into a small medical suite with me decades ago to chronicle the treatment of a lump in my left breast. When the news was good she produced one of the few breast-cancer screening stories at the time that had a happy ending, and motivated scores of women — including some who had never been checked — to get mammograms that month.)

Her book sheds light on what it takes to be this kind of tireless contributor. A good book for anyone who wants to think more deeply about doing meaningful work, and those who have a dream of how they would like to “retire” after that work. Blacklow covers both with style and heart.