Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Enjoyed hearing her life story enough, but it was probably a few hundred pages too long
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
i listened to this one on audio (which was enjoyable) and found that as someone who never really grew up watching the news or having a whole lot of context for news anchors as personalities/celebrities, it was interesting to learn more about couric’s career trajectory, how her work affected her personal life, the challenges she faced as a female in a male-dominated field, and her stories about others in the field who have had public scandals.
I’m trying to remember why I started this audiobook. I guess I wanted to know which reviews to believe, as some painted the book as petty and vengeful and others saw it as a feminist success story. I don’t think it was either. I had heard she insulted Diana Sawyer and couldn’t find one hard word about Sawyer. But her excuse that mentoring other women would have career suicide doesn’t fly either.
I suppose I also read it because I always liked Katie. I wasn’t a morning tv watcher, but I did have it on randomly as I prepared for work on 9/11/01. Katie always reminded me of my cousin Mary Ellen who had as engaging a smile, and she is woven into many memories of world events. I remember when Katie started hosting CBS Evening news and watching only out of a sense of solidarity. And I have subscribed off and on to her Wake Up email and enjoy her Instagram.
I enjoyed the first third of the book most—her childhood and early career steps, her moxie and her courtship.
By the end, I was exhausted and a bit depressed— I love memoirs because I love insights into how others make sense of the world and create a narrative of their life. Katie is smart and enthusiastic, but I found a surprising lack of depth. She thanks her co-writer for getting her to look more closely at her life and dig a little deeper, and that sounds indicative of the life presented here——one lived in the fast lane of fame, wealth and work, with little consideration of the bigger questions. Her daughter is the one to dig beyond the surface of her first husband’s obsession with the Civil War.
The writing of a memoir is always a generous act and Katie shares her successes and mess ups (I appreciated that her interview with Elizabeth Edwards is the one she’d most like a redo of). I wish there’d been fewer outfit descriptions or references to her legs and more reflection on the price of chasing attention and external validation—or having let her boyfriend move in for a few years without even a preparatory conversation with her then-teens. This is summed up with a cheeky “sorry Ellie and Carrie!”
Maybe it matters more that Couric has done so much for cancer research and less that she has never been able to bring herself to be in the room for a loved ones passing —she writes this off to being the baby of the family. In the end, that might be an accurate self-assessment. She reminded me of Amy, the youngest March sister who tours Europe and marries Laurie and makes art, with very little self-examination of her entitlement or the consequences of her actions.
I suppose I also read it because I always liked Katie. I wasn’t a morning tv watcher, but I did have it on randomly as I prepared for work on 9/11/01. Katie always reminded me of my cousin Mary Ellen who had as engaging a smile, and she is woven into many memories of world events. I remember when Katie started hosting CBS Evening news and watching only out of a sense of solidarity. And I have subscribed off and on to her Wake Up email and enjoy her Instagram.
I enjoyed the first third of the book most—her childhood and early career steps, her moxie and her courtship.
By the end, I was exhausted and a bit depressed— I love memoirs because I love insights into how others make sense of the world and create a narrative of their life. Katie is smart and enthusiastic, but I found a surprising lack of depth. She thanks her co-writer for getting her to look more closely at her life and dig a little deeper, and that sounds indicative of the life presented here——one lived in the fast lane of fame, wealth and work, with little consideration of the bigger questions. Her daughter is the one to dig beyond the surface of her first husband’s obsession with the Civil War.
The writing of a memoir is always a generous act and Katie shares her successes and mess ups (I appreciated that her interview with Elizabeth Edwards is the one she’d most like a redo of). I wish there’d been fewer outfit descriptions or references to her legs and more reflection on the price of chasing attention and external validation—or having let her boyfriend move in for a few years without even a preparatory conversation with her then-teens. This is summed up with a cheeky “sorry Ellie and Carrie!”
Maybe it matters more that Couric has done so much for cancer research and less that she has never been able to bring herself to be in the room for a loved ones passing —she writes this off to being the baby of the family. In the end, that might be an accurate self-assessment. She reminded me of Amy, the youngest March sister who tours Europe and marries Laurie and makes art, with very little self-examination of her entitlement or the consequences of her actions.