Prominent Australian-American broadcaster and journalist Savannah Guthrie appeared at Off-Square Books on the rainy evening of Friday, Feb. 16 to sign copies of her new book, “Mostly What God Does.”
“To have you come here and support me just fills my heart and my soul. I can’t wait to sign your books,” Guthrie said. “I hope you like it, I hope it makes you laugh, I hope it makes you cry here and there a little bit, but mostly thank you for being here. I really, really appreciate it.”
Best known for her role as a co-anchor of the NBC News morning show “Today,” Guthrie now adds a faith-centered book to her impressive resume, on which she is already a New York Times bestselling author. In her spiritual memoir, the journalist dives into six foundational aspects of God’s character and communication with people.
In these six pillars, Guthrie explains her relationship with God from a Christian perspective. Tapping into her experiences as a mother, daughter, wife and friend, Guthrie shares how her faith and struggles got her to where she is today.
Although she shares personal stories throughout the book, Guthrie emphasized that it is not merely a memoir; she also wants to spread the message of God’s love through her writing.
The signing amassed a large turnout. Lyn Roberts, general manager of Square Books, detailed the impact of Guthrie’s appearance at the establishment.
“She’s selling a lot of books, it’s very exciting,” Roberts said. “The book is actually not even officially released yet. We got permission to sell it early because she was going to be here.”
Roberts offered a few words on what drew people to the event.
“She means a lot to a lot of different people in the community. (There were) over 150 people in line there,” Roberts said. “And the neat thing that I just heard from her publicist is all her book signings, she’s only signing at independent bookstores. She’s not signing it at any chain bookstores or any place like that, so we appreciate her support.”
Oxford residents shared their love for Guthrie and supported her new release.
“(Guthrie) was coming to Mississippi for the first time and coming to Oxford, so I had to come,” Oxford resident and Executive Director of Visit Oxford Kinney Ferris said. “Honestly, I did not know about the book at first. Prior to the Square Books announcement, I somehow missed that she had written a book, and so I knew a little bit about her story just from being a fan of hers.”
People came from outside of Oxford for the event, as well. Rachel Bond from Flowood, Miss., shared why she took a trip to come see Guthrie.
“I’m a former broadcast journalist, so I am a huge fan of Savannah Guthrie,” Bond said. “She’s a mom. She’s an attorney. She’s just everything that I feel like I aspire to be. And I’m super interested in hearing more about her faith and her book.”
“Mostly What God Does” is available for purchase today.
