Re Michele Mandel

Should the Toronto Sun be bold enough to revive its "five reasons to read the Sun" commercials, Michele Mandel should be named along with Mike Strobel, Mark Bonokoski, Andy Donato and a sports writer, or op-ed columnist, of your choice.

OK, so Michele can't hold a tune long enough to win a T-shirt, but oh how the veteran columnist can make her copy sing. Just Google her name and you will find a long list of columns written from the heart. Start with her recent Sun columns.

Michele has matured like a fine wine since her early days at the keyboards in the 1980s and her Dying to Be Thin column Friday speaks volumes for her journalistic talents.

Dubbed by some media as the Sun's Sob Sister, that would be a badge of honour for most tabloid columnists. To touch the hearts of readers, you need to write from the heart and that she does.

Michele, an award-winning columnist, has travelled the world on assignments for the Sun. She writes about sports, about soldiers, about the down and out, all with equal passion.

Viewed by some as just another pretty face in the Sun newsroom in the 1980s, Michele quickly blossomed into a respected, talented colleague.

Marriage and motherhood contributed to her depth as a writer.

So Michele is not much of a singer. That's OK with us. The good news for readers is she is still at the Sun writing columns from the heart.