Bob McDonald's memoir, about overcoming doubt and facing fears, will be released in September 2024
CBC Books | Posted: May 8, 2024 4:17 PM | Last Updated: August 9
Just Say Yes follows the Quirks and Quarks host's trajectory from university dropout to science reporter
CBC's Quirks and Quarks host Bob McDonald is releasing a memoir, Just Say Yes, that follows his adventures over the course of his career.
Starting in a small town with a boy from a low-income family, Just Say Yes explores how McDonald ended up travelling the world, hosting Quirks and Quarks, becoming an officer of the Order of Canada and even having an asteroid named in his honour.
"Saying yes has changed my life many times over," said McDonald in a press release. "Even though I did not have much of a formal education, I stepped through windows of opportunity towards jobs and adventures I really wanted."
"Thanks to the encouragement of mentors, I fought the fear and finished what I started. It not only built a career as a national science journalist, but led to sailing the open ocean, crossing the continent by motorcycle and journeys literally around the globe.
"I want to show that if a kid from a small-town low-income family can do it, anyone can."
I want to show that if a kid from a small-town low-income family can do it, anyone can. - Bob McDonald
McDonald has been the host of CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC's News Network and a science correspondent for CBC TV's The National.
He has written multiple books including Measuring the Earth with a Stick, which was shortlisted for the Canadian Science Writers Association Book Award and The Future Is Now, about the achievable greener future.
Just Say Yes will be published on Sept. 14, 2024.