Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters
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Book Reviews of Audition: A Memoir
Book Review: Bravo Barbara
Summary: 5 Stars
I have admired and followed Barbara Walters for almost 40 years, so it was a real treat to read her candid and extraordinary autobiography. I recall seeing many of the interviews and Specials described in the book, so it was fascinating to read the behind-the-scenes stories about them. Most of all I enjoyed reading about Barbara's family and personal background. It was a great surprise to me that when she graduated from college she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She just happened to get a job in television which was a brand new medium at the time. Little did she know that she personally would help shape this powerful and pervasive medium. She deserves a gold medal for putting up with rampant, blatant sexism through much of her career. Unwittingly she has served as a role model for working women for over five decades. She would probably say she was just doing her job, but in my opinion, she has changed the world in many positive ways. Thank you BW for all you have done, continue to do and will do in the future. Audition is entertaining, inspiring, fascinating and historical. Highly recommended.Book Review: TV's First Lady
Summary: 5 Stars
Barbara Walters has succeeded in being the pioneer in women's broadcasting in television. Because of her determination in not giving up or giving in when her career was at its' lowest, she picked herself up, dusted off her image and started all over again. She has set the standard for all women in the television broadcasting industry and hopefully in the not too distant future, she will be inaugurated into the Television Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Nobody deserves it more! I'm proud that I have been able to watch Miss Walters bring so much enjoyment to so many viewers for so many years, and may she continue in good health to bring the quality we've all come to expect. "The View" will always be my favorite daytime program and I hope this year, they finally win an Emmy for daytime television excellence. Whoopie Goldberg has done what nobody has been able to do in the past couple of years and it's time "The View" is recognized for the informative and entertaining program Miss Walters has been working so hard to become reality. We all need to take time to "Enjoy The View." What a way to start the day!!Book Review: An Extraordinary Woman and a Fascinating Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I found Barbara Walters' memoir a fascinating read and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a meaty book and not a quick read. She covers a lot of ground, from her beginnings and her early family life to her early career in which she was an unknowing trail-blazer for women in television news to her present day work on The View and on her specials. I particularly enjoyed reading about the people she interviewed over the years, and her personal feelings about those people. We so rarely get a glimpse into the personal feelings of serious journalists so this was a real treat.
To think of how many celebrities, world and news figures Barbara Walters has met over the years, and how many places she has traveled is truly mind blowing.
What I appreciated most about this memoir is Barbara's disarming candor. She tells it like it is and doesn't mince words. The reader finds out exactly what her feelings and opinions are and she doesn't hold back, or at least it doesn't appear that she is. It is a bold work.
This is a truly fascinating read and I highly recommend it.
Book Review: Wow what a Life!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off this is not a book for the faint of heart, it is long. Yet saying that I have to save every page is worth the read. After all the hype on tv and some of the strange "bits" I saw, I was concerned. However, the book when taken in contex (and in order) was a fascinating read of the progression of america as a whole and the television industry in particular. Living through most of the time frame, it gave me a perspective that I did not have prior. What I want you all to remember when you hear the hype...this book is an autobiography of Barbara Walters and being who she is, there is going to be celebrities and a personal life. All of which I found engrossing. Sometimes I think when we follow the lives of celebrities through the snipits of entertainment news programs we forget the human part. This book brings that into a bit more focus, while entertaining the reader. Maybe after you read this book you might watch these programs with a more discerning eye, I know I am.Book Review: Good, Honest Insights for Working Women
Summary: 5 Stars
My mother-in-law gave me this book and I wasn't expecting to particularly like it, as I am not that familiar with Barbara Walter's work (other than a few specials I have watched.) I certainly didn't realize all the barriers she had broken through for women in journalism. But what really drew me into this book was her honesty about being a working mom - the conflicts she often felt between her own career drive and the needs of her daughter, parents, and disabled sister. She owns up to that most difficult of emotions that many of us working moms often feel but frequently deny - GUILT. But at this point in her life, she is philosophical about it, and doesn't come off as self-punishing, or as regretting her decisions. She is grateful for her extraordinary life, and comes off as having done the best she could. I especially appreciated her honesty about the difficulties she had with her daughter as a teenager. I think that chapter alone is worth reading the book.