In Alisyn Camerota’s debut memoir Combat Love we go on her journey from rebellion to Emmy Award-winning journalist and travel through the dynamics of her complex mother/daughter relationship while seeking a place to call home
Samantha Yanks: Congratulations on your second book, and the debut of your personal memoir Combat Love. Tell us what inspired you to write this book?
AC: For decades I’d been walking around with a lot of unresolved issues and loose ends about my younger self. Being able to capture the turbulence with words on a page really helped me make sense of it all and feel at peace.
SY: Set the stage for us a bit. Where did you grow up and can you give us a glimpse into your childhood?
AC: I grew up at the center of the universe (well, to me, anyway): Monmouth Country, New Jersey, during the unparented ’80s. My friends and I were a free-range pack of wolves, heading into the city to go to clubs like CBGB and see our favorite bands.
SY: You certainly had an adventurous youth, growing up near New York City. The club and punk scene of the 80s became your home in a way. And you truly left home when you were 16. What lead to that decision?
AC: I’ve always had a strong independent streak, but I really started fending for myself at around 10 after my parents divorced and my mom went back to school. One big theme in the book is the intensity of mother-daughter relationships. What do we do when the desires of a mother and daughter are in direct conflict? By 16, I felt I could no longer travel on my mother’s path. I had to carve one for myself.
SY: Your memoir’s central theme is seeking that elusive place we call home. What was the journey searching for that like for you?
AC: Long and tear-soaked. I searched for the stability and foundation of a home for two decades before I was able to create one.
SY: The mother/daughter dynamic is one you explore poignantly. Let us in a bit on what your own relationship with your mother was like.
AC: Well, that answer is what drives much of the book. I’m proud to say we were able to resolve our issues and have an excellent relationship today.
SY: You are one of the most recognizable CNN anchors, a two-time Emmy Award-winner, an author and a mother. Your memoir explores sacrifice. How has that come into play for you?
AC: I think the question for all of us is, what are we willing to sacrifice to fulfill our dreams? I know a lot of women who have sacrificed their own dreams to be there for their families. I admire that. I’m relieved I didn’t have to make that choice.
SY: And to close, may I say it’s so wonderful to reconnect with you after your recent cover story in Westport, Weston & Wilton Magazine with your friends Emily Liebert, Lindsay Czarniak and Stéphanie Szostak. Is that type of support system akin to family for you?
AC: Oh yes! That’s a big theme in Combat Love – the healing power of female friends (and ALL friends). The girlfriends I had from teenagehood through college, and to this day, continue to be my surrogate sisters and tremendous sources of strength.
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