Audition: A Memoir

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Description
The most important woman in the history of television journalism offers this memoir that is heartbreaking and inspiring, surprising and fun, sometimes startling, and always riveting. Illustrated.

Reviews

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Publishers Weekly (04/28/2008)
Although Walters writes, It was not in my nature to be courageous, to be the first, her compulsively readable memoir proves otherwise. No one lasts on TV for more than 45 years without the ability to make viewers feel comfortable, and Walters's amiable persona perfectly translates to the page. She gives us an entertaining panorama of a full life lived and recounted with humor and bracing honesty. Walters is surprisingly candid: about her older sister's retardation, her father's suicide attempt, her midlife affairs (including ones with John Warnerbefore and after his marriage to Elizabeth Taylorand a very married Edward Brooke, the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction), her daughter's troubled teen years and her acrimonious relationships with coanchors Frank McGee and Harry Reasoner. She vividly recounts her decision to leave NBC's "Today" "Show" after 14 years to become the first female nightly news coanchor, and tells of the firestorm of criticism she endured for accepting that pioneering position and its million-dollar salary. Alternating between tales of her personal struggles, professional achievements and insider anecdotes about the celebrities and world leaders she's interviewed, this mammoth memoir's energy never flags. 32 pages of photos. "(One-day laydown May 6)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal (05/15/2008)
After years of interviewing others, Walters tells her own story. She goes back to her grandparents in New York City, then imparts much about her father, producer and nightclub owner Lou Walters (most famously founder of the Latin Quarter), as well as her homemaker mother and her developmentally disabled sister. Walters uses the theme of "auditioning" as she narrates her move from school to school and then into her career. Eventually, she describes her years in television journalism and her many famous interviews, including every President and First Lady since Richard and Pat Nixon, every major world leader, and countless celebrities. Walters also discusses her three marriages and her daughter, named for her sister. Her juggling of career and familyand the resulting guiltis another major theme. Readers will get the inside scoop on some famous rumors, e.g., regarding Walters's relationships with Roy M. Cohn, Edward W. Brooke, and Fidel Castro; her role in the Iran-Contra affair; and the many cohost changes on "The View". Throughout, she maintains her typically professional, informed, and elegantly casual style, with occasional bits of humor and irony. Although this memoir is quite long, it is sure to delight celebrity and news junkies and Walters's fans. Recommended for all public libraries.Erica L. Foley, Clinton-Macomb P.L., Clinton Twp., MI Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

ISBN: 030726646X | EAN: 9780307266460
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group  | Publication Date: May, 2008

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