#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER - An inspiring and riveting memoir from
the most important woman in the history of television journalism.
"A delightful tale of the golden age of television.... Juicy
behind-the scenes details of the celebrities she's interviewed, mixed in
with stories of her own trials and tribulations." --The Washington
Post
After more than fifty years of interviewing heads of state, world
leaders, movie stars, criminals, murderers, inspirational figures, and
celebrities of all kinds, Barbara Walters turns her gift for examination
onto her own extraordinary life.
Walters was the product of a turbulent childhood that featured a
glamorous father who made and lost several fortunes as well as the
companionship of a mentally challenged sister. Feelings of
responsibility for her family played a large part in the choices she
made as she grew up: the friendships she developed, the relationships
she had, the marriages she tried to make work. Ultimately, thanks to her
drive and a decent amount of luck, Walters made it to the top of a
male-dominated industry. She was the first woman cohost of the Today
show, the first female network news coanchor, the host and producer of
countless top-rated Specials, the star of 20/20, and the creator and
cohost of The View. She has not only interviewed the world's most
fascinating figures, she has become a part of their world. These are
just a few of the names that play a key role in her life, career, and
book: Yasir Arafat, Warren Beatty, Menachem Begin, George H. W. Bush,
George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Bill and
Hillary Clinton, Roy Cohn, the Dalai Lama, Princess Diana, Katharine
Hepburn, King Hussein, Angelina Jolie, Henry Kissinger, Monica Lewinsky,
Richard Nixon, Rosie O'Donnell, Christopher Reeve, Anwar Sadat, John
Wayne . . . the list goes on.
Barbara Walters has spent a lifetime auditioning: for her bosses at the
TV networks, for millions of viewers, for the most famous people in the
world, and even for her own daughter, with whom she has had a difficult
but ultimately quite wonderful and moving relationship. This book, in
some ways, is her final audition, as she fully opens up both her private
and public lives. In doing so, she has given us a story that is
heartbreaking and honest, surprising and fun, sometimes startling, and
always fascinating.
