This book was a timely reminder that just because we watch someone on the screen and think we know them, we don't. We don't know their whole story, what makes them tick, what their hopes and fears are. Author Susan Page has done extensive research and over 150 interviews to create this look at one of the most successful journalists ever, male or female. As such, I found the Barbara Walters within both inspiring and, well, a depressing icon. You'll come away from this book with both admiration and sadness, most likely. Admiration at what she was able to accomplish long before women were accepted in many roles, but a sadness at not just what she had to do to gain that role but a deep sadness at what she had to sacrifice to get there.
I'm not going to detail the book as it should be read as a whole, from the dysfunctional (her word choice, not mine) childhood, with a largely absent father and unhappy, frustrated mother, to hanging out in night clubs operated by her father where people like not just Frank Sinatra and other entertainers like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were regulars but people like Al Capone. It's really not at all surprising she was meticulous preparing for and seemed to handle interviews with even the likes of Putin when you realize the people she grew up around. In fact, her family's dynamics may have colored her own fractured relationships, even with her own daughter. Her news career is well documented but I had no clue of the turmoil her promotion caused or the disdain and jealous atmosphere she worked in. Let's face it, she got those showcase interviews when others would have practically killed to have gotten them. Then, at a time many would be retiring, she created the still popular talk show "The View". She asked for and got many things others wouldn't have dared ask for. She was definitely a pioneer and role model, albeit a flawed one.
As for her profession, well, it's intriguing to see how it all came about. Lots of celebrity name dropping included, including the reaction of Harry Reasoner when told he'd be sharing an anchor desk with her. Her climb, of course, inspired many, from Oprah, who wanted to grow up to be her, to many females now well known in the media. You'll get the highs, lows, and everything in-between as you read, even to not-so-clandestine love affairs. The question "Was she really happy?" kept coming back to me, however, and I'm rather glad that while painting us this in-depth look at Walters and what made her tick that the author largely leaves that conclusion up to readers. She was a woman with secrets, that's for sure.
My thanks to #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchuster for this sneak peek at a book that gave me a much better understanding of what made Barbara Walters the woman she was, for better or worse.
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