Status
Available
Publication
Knopf (2008), Edition: 1, 624 pages
Description
After more than forty years of interviewing celebrities of all kinds, the most important woman in the history of television journalism has turned her gift for examination onto herself to reveal the forces that shaped her extraordinary life. Her father's risk-taking lifestyle gave Barbara her first taste of glamour, but Lou Walters didn't just make fortunes--he also lost them. Barbara's roller-coaster childhood played a large part in the choices she made as she grew up: the friendships, the marriages she tried to make work. Ultimately, her drive, with a decent amount of luck, got her a career in television. Barbara has spent a lifetime auditioning: for the networks, for the viewers, for the most famous people in the world, and even for her own daughter, with whom she has had a difficult relationship. This book is her final audition, as she opens up both her private and public lives.--From publisher description.… (more)
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member SigmundFraud
over written but an interesting read. I never cared for Barbara Walters but this made me feel more sympathetic. I do think she may have erred in her priorities. It seems like it was career first and Jackie, her child second. Those are choices one makes but it seems like she now has regrets.
LibraryThing member librarygeek33
The fact that I read 624 pages of a memoir gets this book 3 automatic stars. The fourth star was earned by her extraordinary life and the quality of the writing (why was I surprised by this, duh...she's a "journalist" - and a really good one - after all). I've heard people (all right, my mother)
Show More
complain that she shouldn't have "named names" (Ed Brooke). Actually reading the book reveals her "warts and all" portrayal of herself, which I feel gives her license to tell it like it was. It can't be easy to truthfully open up your life to the world. The sense of honesty that runs throughout is the factor that rates the extra 1/2 star and gives me a new appreciation for the "icon" that I thought I knew. Show Less
LibraryThing member NemesisClaws
B. Walters is very brutally honest when it comes to her family, but at the same time, she's also a bit evasive on other things. Just about every man in her life was "kind, gentle, etc"...blah, blah, blah. One rather gets the impression that there was nary a fight in her personal life, which we know
Overall, I'm impressed though that she's very delicate when she could've rip a few folks into two. Very much a graceful and dignified lady. Clearly shows that her rise to top was a bit accidential at first, but slowly built up steam along the way.
Show More
isn't reality. Her mother, father, and sister is what perhaps bothers me the most in this book. It's like they basically gave up on living life, even when they were rich. Sure was a lot of denial and avoidance in that family. Overall, I'm impressed though that she's very delicate when she could've rip a few folks into two. Very much a graceful and dignified lady. Clearly shows that her rise to top was a bit accidential at first, but slowly built up steam along the way.
Show Less
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
Listening to Walters narrate her autobiography was a great value-added to this audio book. The abridged version omitted some celebrated subplots (i.e. the affair with the congressman). But the book provides some excellent behind-the-scenes peeks at shows like NBC's "Today," ABC's "20/20" and "The
Show More
View." Walters' globe-trotting reflections in the middle of the book become yawners in a shot time. But she gets back on track relatively fast. For folks interested in journalism and broadcasting, this is a must-read from a television icon. Show Less
LibraryThing member sroot
I really enjoyed this book. Barbara shares the ups and downs of her life in a personal, friend-to-friend manner. She tells the high spots of her life and interviews, but doesn't shy away from the difficult times and her struggles. I have even more respect for her as a person and a journalist after
Show More
reading this. Show Less
LibraryThing member mahallett
i was never a big fan. but i didn't realize how hard it was to be a woman tv journalist and how many firsts she had. i enjoyed her sense of humour, often at herself. she is very careful who she speaks badly of, no one in her personal life gets any flack but maybe that's best. she was always very
Show More
busy and famous and i'm sure that wasn't easy for her daughter. but they seem to get on very well together and she seems proud of her. all in all much, much better than i expected. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheLoisLevel
It started off well, but I got bored with chapter after chapter of all the interviews...there really was no story after Walters joined "20/20"...no stories about herself, that is. I would read the first half or so then just skip to the interviews that interest you.
LibraryThing member psferris
Fun, informative read very much in the voice of the author. So many autobiographies do not reflect the personality of the subject (mainly because they were actually penned by ghost writers) but Barbara Walter's personality flows from each page of this delightful book.
LibraryThing member breezygrl44
I had no idea that Barbara Walters had such a tough childhood. She always seems so together but this book made me see her in a whole different light, no different than you or me. She really is damn good at what she does for a living. Guess that childhood prepared her for the tough world of TV.
LibraryThing member GaryMiller
Just finished her memoirs. She does a show once a year called "Ten Most Fascinating People". She deserves to be one of those people. Very fascinating book. No long review this time.
Except for a couple of observations. She admits in her book about a long time and very secretive love affair with
She does explain her side of the story about the various controversies surrounding the View.
She talks about the many interviews she has done over the years, including the ones she enjoyed the most and hated the most.
She and her parents were Jewish, but not practicing Jews.
She talks about her father, who was in the entertainment industry, and a sister who was developmentally disabled. She spoke about how her parents and sister made an impact on her life.
She talks about her three miscarriages and three unsuccessful marriages. She did adopt a child, who cause her much grief in her teen years, but later became a valuable member of society.
Except for a couple of observations. She admits in her book about a long time and very secretive love affair with
Show More
former Sen. Edward Brooke, while he was still married. She talks about it and analyzes it from what would happen to their careers if it ever came out. There was no analyzes about whether this was right or wrong. Certainly I am no one to judge. But then later in the book, she speaks of other people who were engaging in the same kind of activity and she thought it horrible. That was sorta weird.She does explain her side of the story about the various controversies surrounding the View.
She talks about the many interviews she has done over the years, including the ones she enjoyed the most and hated the most.
She and her parents were Jewish, but not practicing Jews.
She talks about her father, who was in the entertainment industry, and a sister who was developmentally disabled. She spoke about how her parents and sister made an impact on her life.
She talks about her three miscarriages and three unsuccessful marriages. She did adopt a child, who cause her much grief in her teen years, but later became a valuable member of society.
Show Less
LibraryThing member readyreader
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. I have a great respect for this woman who overcame the "good old boy" network in the broadcasting industry. I wouldn't have made some of the choices she made in her life, but I do admire her. I especially enjoyed the last part of the book when she talked about her
Show More
various interviews and her perspective of the world and what was happening at some very momentous times in our recent history. She is a very classy lady! Show Less
LibraryThing member moonshineandrosefire
After more than 40 years interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals and murderers, inspirational figures and celebrities of all kinds, the most influential woman in the history of television journalism finally writes her memoir. Barbara Walters's perception of the world was
Barbara learned early about the damage that such an existence can do to relationships - between husband and wife as well as between parent and child. Throughout her roller-coaster ride of a childhood, Barbara had a constant companion, her mentally-challenged sister, Jackie. True, Jackie taught her younger sister much about patience and compassion, however Barbara also writes honestly about the resentment she often felt having a sister who was so "different" and the guilt that still haunts her.
All of this - the financial responsibility for her family, the fear, the love - played a large part in the choices Barbara 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, as well as a decent amount of luck, she began a career in television. And what a career it has been! Against incredible odds, Barbara has made it to the top of a male-dominated industry. She is a true trail-blazer within the industry, becoming the most trusted television journalist of all time. She has not only interviewed the world's most fascinating figures, she has become a part of their world.
I really enjoyed this book! After having it on my bookshelf unread for almost three years, I finally took the plunge and read it. At 579 pages, I was somewhat daunted to begin reading, despite really wanting to read this book almost from the moment it was published! Overall, it was an incredibly interesting and engaging book for me to read, even though there were one or two chapters that were slow reading. I must say that Barbara Walters has lived an incredibly exciting life and has done much to be admired for by her peers. Ultimately, I give Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters an A+!
Show More
formed from a very early age. Her father, Lou Walters, was the owner and creative mind behind the legendary Latin Quarter nightclub, and it was his risk-taking lifestyle that gave Barbara her first taste of glamour. It also made her aware of the ups and downs, the insecurities, and even the tragedies that can occur when someone is willing to take such great risks, for Lou Walters not only made several fortunes - he also lost them. Barbara learned early about the damage that such an existence can do to relationships - between husband and wife as well as between parent and child. Throughout her roller-coaster ride of a childhood, Barbara had a constant companion, her mentally-challenged sister, Jackie. True, Jackie taught her younger sister much about patience and compassion, however Barbara also writes honestly about the resentment she often felt having a sister who was so "different" and the guilt that still haunts her.
All of this - the financial responsibility for her family, the fear, the love - played a large part in the choices Barbara 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, as well as a decent amount of luck, she began a career in television. And what a career it has been! Against incredible odds, Barbara has made it to the top of a male-dominated industry. She is a true trail-blazer within the industry, becoming the most trusted television journalist of all time. She has not only interviewed the world's most fascinating figures, she has become a part of their world.
I really enjoyed this book! After having it on my bookshelf unread for almost three years, I finally took the plunge and read it. At 579 pages, I was somewhat daunted to begin reading, despite really wanting to read this book almost from the moment it was published! Overall, it was an incredibly interesting and engaging book for me to read, even though there were one or two chapters that were slow reading. I must say that Barbara Walters has lived an incredibly exciting life and has done much to be admired for by her peers. Ultimately, I give Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters an A+!
Show Less
LibraryThing member astrologerjenny
Here we have the memoir of an over-achiever, for sure. Walters is not a scintillating writer, but it’s still an interesting memoir, because she’s experienced so much history firsthand. She’s not afraid to reveal times when she felt inadequate, and there are a lot of them.
She persevered in
Walters explores the psychological reasons for this with great honesty. We learn about her childhood, her marriages, her stormy relationship with her daughter. She doesn’t reveal anything very steamy, and most of the characters in this book, from family members to celebrities, come across as nice, sometimes just mildly nice and sometimes really nice. If she didn’t like them, she doesn’t dwell on them. She retains her professional objectivity no matter what’s going on. She comes across as a very nice woman.
She persevered in
Show More
spite of the fact that nobody really took much account of her at first. She was just a girl on TV, basically someone to pour the coffee, and she had to work incredibly hard to be taken even slightly seriously. The title refers to the fact that Walters always felt that she was auditioning, that she never felt all that secure in her job. Walters explores the psychological reasons for this with great honesty. We learn about her childhood, her marriages, her stormy relationship with her daughter. She doesn’t reveal anything very steamy, and most of the characters in this book, from family members to celebrities, come across as nice, sometimes just mildly nice and sometimes really nice. If she didn’t like them, she doesn’t dwell on them. She retains her professional objectivity no matter what’s going on. She comes across as a very nice woman.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wordsforfun
27-Apr-2013: A coworker gave me this book to read years ago. I finally made the time to read it. It is a long read (~600 pages), but worth it in the end. Ms. Walters has had a very interesting life.
One issue I had with the book (beyond it length) was her "voice". The book is in first person and
One issue I had with the book (beyond it length) was her "voice". The book is in first person and
Show More
"sounds" like she sounds live. There are times I find her voice grating. It isn't a sound problem, it is a tone problem for me. At the same time, she is one accomplished lady, so I feel a bit silly criticizing this aspect of the story. Still, for me, it is part of the reason it took me so long to read the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member olegalCA
Before reading this, all I knew about Barbara Walters was that she was famous for making celebrities cry and she was on "The View" sometimes. Now I appreciate her so much more for the way that she opened doors for women in the field of journalism. Insights into her personal life are interesting too
Show More
- unlucky at love and family but one beautiful daughter seems to make up for all of that. I really, really enjoyed this book and it was perfect to read as the 2008 presidential election wound down. Show Less
LibraryThing member yukon92
This book was quite interesting.... Barbara Walters shared a lot about her life - including her family and husbands, as well as her professional career!
Subjects
Awards
Delete Key Award (finalist — 2009)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008-05-06
Physical description
624 p.; 6.65 inches
ISBN
030726646X / 9780307266460