Author Talk: Paul Grondahl

Award-winning journalist and biographer Paul Grondahl will trace the life of Andy Rooney. In his newly published biography, “Andy Rooney: A Lucky Life,” Grondahl details how a smart-aleck Albany boy and academic failure at Albany Academy came of age as a Stars and Stripes reporter during World War II and became the nation’s most popular commentator, with 20 million viewers waiting until the end of 60 Minutes each Sunday to hear “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” and the beloved curmudgeon’s cranky musings.

Grondahl, who lives in Guilderland and was named the Carol J. Hamblin Notable Author of the Year by the Guilderland Public Library in 2004, will pepper his talk with Rooney’s witticisms and Everyman sensibility, present rare photographs, and offer revelations never made public before. Peter Osnos, founder of PublicAffairs Books and Rooney’s editor, called Grondahl’s book “the biography Andy Rooney deserved. A great read.”

A Q&A and book signing will follow the discussion. Registration is encouraged for proper headcount but is not required. The presentation begins promptly at 6 PM; doors open 15 minutes before. The Q&A and book signing will be from 7 to 7:30 PM.