Audition: A Memoir | 
| Author: Barbara Walters
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $10.99
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Rating:  211 reviews
Sales Rank: 224
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 624
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 2.2
ISBN: 030726646X
Dewey Decimal Number: 070.92
EAN: 9780307266460
ASIN: 030726646X
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Great Buy!! Like New Book...5 Star Seller!!
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Product Description
Young people starting out in television sometimes say to me: “I want to be you.” My stock reply is always: “Then you have to take the whole package.”
And now, at last, the most important woman in the history of television journalism gives us that “whole package,” in her inspiring and riveting memoir. After more than forty years of interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals, murderers, inspirational figures, and celebrities of all kinds, Barbara Walters has turned her gift for examination onto herself to reveal the forces that shaped her extraordinary life.
Barbara Walters’s perception of the world was formed at 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 great risks, for Lou Walters didn’t just make 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. Through her roller-coaster ride of a childhood, Barbara had a close companion, her mentally challenged sister, Jackie. True, Jackie taught her younger sister much about patience and compassion, but 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 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, combined with a decent amount of luck, she began a career in television. And what a career it has been! Against great odds, Barbara has 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 just 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 Barbara’s life, career, and book: Yasir Arafat, Warren Beatty, Menachem Begin, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, 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 and 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 206 more reviews...
Barbara Walter's Memoir: Audition August 7, 2008
putt (Beach Lake, PA)
I just started the book, but it is an easy read and flowing along. Barbara doesn't jump around and she is detailed oriented.
 A complete history of a great life August 6, 2008
Kel (Charlotte, NC USA)
This was one of those books I got totally lost in. I would read it in the Y and before I knew it, I was on the bike for 7 miles and it felt like only 1.
Barbara Walters was like a fixture on our shelf in our living room as a kid. Always there, but I didn't pay much attention to her. Looking back, I remember that fixture and I am reliving my childhood and all the memories of my family and the history of our time during the 60's and 70's.
Yes, Barbara does a little bragging about her success in TV, as she should. However, she is also a very honest and down to earth celebrity. Although she felt comfortable in front of the camera, she did not always feel comfortable in her own skin, especially in her personal life. She felt a lot of guilt when it came to her family. Especially with her father and sister, Jackie.
I admire her for her success as a woman. She paved the way for the opportunities that women have today. I also admire her for her candidness. She does not hold back in this book. She tells you the celebrities she liked to interview and those she did not. She was very honest about her professional relationships with her colleagues like Harry Reasoner, Frank McGee, Star Jones and Rosie O'Donnell.
This book is a very thorough look at her life from beginning till now. It is a complete history of her life with humor sprinkled through out each chapter. I am so glad I read this book. It makes me want to learn more about her, watch "The View", listen to her new radio show that is replaying her "Specials" and google every name mentioned in her book. I also feel like I have completed a history lesson. A lesson through the eyes of one of the best female journalists of our time.To the woman who traveled everywhere, met almost every important person there was to meet and achieved more than ever imagined, thank you for setting an example for the woman of today. Bravo!!
Much Better Than My Expectations! August 6, 2008
H. McGinnes (El Paso, Texas)
I purchased this book with some hesitation as I had viewed all the media reports and thought that I had heard everything interesting from the book already (the affair with the African American senator, the drama surrounding the View, etc.). Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when I really couldn't put the book down! I found Ms. Walters' early life to be fascinating and her story truly a remarkable one. What I really enjoyed, however, were her discusssions regarding all of the people she has interviewed. She gives the inside story behind the interview and what the people were really like. I will never look at Fidel Castro the same again! It really was a perfect balance between her personal life and career--and, always, I appreciated her honesty. I would definitely recommend this book!
Great Read! August 4, 2008
Jennifer Elrifai (Greenwood Lake, NY USA)
This was an amazing book, even with a full time job and two small children I read in 1-2 weeks. It is extremely well written and informative on both her personal and professional life. She has had an amazing life personally and publicly. My mom is reading now!
Thanks Barbara for sharing!
Engaging.. August 3, 2008
beryl (Seattle, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I didn't know much about Barbara Walters until I read this book. Quite frankly, I don't even like the View.
But I couldn't put the book down! She's had an extraordinary life and the book is well-written, fresh and entertaining. The most interesting parts for me were in the beginning; growing up & how she got her start in broadcasting.. the challenges she's had to face.
I love biographies and this is one of the better ones I've read. I highly recommend you give it a try.
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