[.ca] Audition: A Memoir (ISBN 030726646X)

An Extraordinary Life and Book:
At nine o'clock this morning, I arrived at Barnes and Noble, picked up Audition and sat down to read with a cup of coffee. I read for hours, bought the book and continued reading at home. At over 600 pages, this book cannot be read in a day. However, I have read enough to report that the book is magnificent; extremely well- written, very pleasurable to read and absolutely fascinating. Thankfully, there is also a detailed index. I found myself eying the index and flipping through to certain sections. I enjoyed reading about Walters' experience with the application form and other details at my alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College. Open this book and on the inside jacket is a listing of the hundreds (thousands?) of people who Barbara Walters has interviewed and knows. It's pretty staggering, actually. Born September 25, 1929, Barbara Walters has led an extraordinary life. Walters was first known as a TV morning news anchor and became the first female evening news anchor and many of us know her as the interviewer who can make anyone cry. Walters has spent decades reporting the news and interviewing, extracting juicy details and information out of world leaders, celebrities, heads of state and other VIP's. In Audition, we get to learn about Walter's personal and professional life and her relationships with many of the most famous people in the world. In the prologue, Walters states: "It feels to me that my life has been one long audition--an attempt to make a difference and to be accepted." I was quite moved by her introduction and her feelings about her mentally challenged older sister, Jackie. Walters credits her sister as being the strongest influence in her life and credits her for teaching Walters about compassion and understanding--the traits that have made her such an outstanding interviewer. "I've guarded my sister's privacy for years." Walters writes. "And although she was the central force in my life, she was part of the package that I'm about to unwrap on these pages." Walter's warmth and compassion comes through in this book and you come to care very deeply about her. This book is an inspiration for everyone, but especially for women. Walters even writes that the book is about giving others hope. I see hope and inspiration in these books especially for young women and girls, because it shows that a woman can be highly intelligent, tough and successful and still be a woman. Walters is a role model and this book a gift to the world. From the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

My View:
This is a great read! I feel like I have known so many people better after I've finished reading it. Barbara Walters' writing made me feel I was reading a book written by someone I know instead of a media icon. What a life! How can one woman who has a young daughter have travelled that much, met so many heads of state including dictators, dated so many prominent men,and had such a colourful career. I think it's important that Barbara recorded the sexism she has faced in her career that spanned five decades. It's interesting to know the men who had given her a hard time had either been let go or died of cancer. It made me wonder which is the cause, and which is the effect. Regretably, today sexism remains alive everywhere. To keep it brief, I just want to say "Barbara, thank you for writing this book. It's simply the best."