Barbara Walter's memoir brought back many memories of my own. It was a delightful walk through history with Barbara there with the back story. I admired her success already, but I now have a great admiration of Barbara the woman. Highly recommended. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

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 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. ( )

Help!
Get thee to an editor.
And deflate that huge ego a bit so your head can fit through the door.
Good grief... I expected better than this from Barbara Walters. ( )

Okay book -- a little long. Some parts very fascinating. ( )

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 reading this. ( )

very informative ( )

Well written, often in a conversational style, this book was interesting for all of its 600-plus pages. Walters does a great job examining her background as a source of her drive and ambition. The book takes us through the 7 decades that she has lived, examining her personal and professional lives, in addition to current world events. She has a wonderful ability to summarize a time period, such as Watergate, clearly and succinctly. I was struck by her sense of guilt, particularly with regards to her daughter and the demands of her career. I found it a very thoughtful book - well worth reading. ( )

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 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. ( )

Very entertaining bio of Barbara Walters ( )

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 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. ( )

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) complain that she shouldn't have "named names" (Ed Brooke). Actually reading the book, as opposed to hearing "news speak" reviews, 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. ( )

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. ( )