[.ca] Personal History (ISBN 0739312529)

From Amazon.com:
In lieu of an unrevealing Famous-People-I-Have-Known autobiography, the owner of the Washington Post has chosen to be remarkably candid about the insecurities prompted by remote parents and a difficult marriage to the charismatic, manic-depressive Phil Graham, who ran the newspaper her father acquired. Katharine's account of her years as subservient daughter and wife is so painful that by the time she finally asserts herself at the Post following Phil's suicide in 1963 (more than halfway through the book), readers will want to cheer. After that, Watergate is practically an anticlimax.

What an Incredible Story!!!:
This book just absolutely blew me away! It's a long book, some 600 pages, but it truly is one that the reader can hardly bear to put down. Katharine Graham is widely recognized for her association with Watergate, but this book goes oh so much further in truly revealing what an incredible woman she truly was. In truth, it reveals a person of such incredible humility and impeccable character. Perhaps what amazed me the most about the book (I, like most, expected the frequent references to "who's who" in American history--she just happenned to rub shoulders with all of them) was her glaring honesty in talking about herself in retrospect--her self esteem, her marriage, her abilities as a manger, and her track record as a mother. Katharine Graham was courageous enough, and indeed showed her brilliance, in truly opening up about what she faced growing up in a sheltered, priveleged upbringing. She was honest about her mother, her relationship with her father, and her insecurity in dealing with men in her early years. The Watergate sequence of the book can't be glossed over--she saved American journalism--but the reader is so drawn into the development of her as a confident, commanding individual and her growth as a manager, that Watergate does not consume the book. In fact, she devotes perhaps equal time to the labor issues that bogged the business down in the 1970's. Her humility is evident throughout the book. The references to power and greatness are inevitable; after all, how many Americans can have claimed to have lunched at Albert Einstein's house, been close friends with Teddy Roosevelt's daughter, and have summered with Nancy Reagan? Despite the references, she is impeccably honest in her assesment of people--a refreshing trait. This is truly a remarkable read for anyone who truly wants to discover what makes a true leader.

Impersonal personal history:
I thought I would be giving 5 stars for an award winning book but after reading, it just fell short. There was too much name-dropping, one has to be very familiar with the power scene of Washington at her time to really appreciate who was who and their significance. That itself made the book very unapproachable to readers who do not move in her circle, non-American, the younger generation etc. A lot of time she just mentioned the names and expected the readers to know who they were or connect to her earlier mentions (it would really be a pain to constantly check the index and refer back to the earlier pages!) This book read like an account of achievement of her father, her husband and herself. Honestly, Katharine came across as someone fairly stupid (though kind), I couldn't help to wonder if she was who she was simply because of her birth, marriage and being there at the right time. For a personal history, it came across as fairly impersonal.

Helped me view historical incidents differently:
Enjoyed the taped version of PERSONAL HISTORY by Katharine Graham . . . this is the story of how she struggled to make the WASHINGTON PRESS a success . . . her recollections of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate helped me see these incidents from a different perspective . . . but I was most moved by her account of Phil Graham, her husband and lifelong partner in the newspaper business . . . his plunge into manic-depression and eventual suicide were made even more touching by his wife's excellent job of narration. I also liked what Katharine Graham had to say at the book's conclusion about there being "some positives about being old" . . . namely: Worry, if not gone, no longer haunts you in the middle of the night; and You are free or freer to turn down the things that bore you and \oable to\c spend time on matters and with people that you enjoy.

Fascinating:
This is a very personal autobiography of Katharine Graham, one of the most influential women of the Twentieth Century. Graham begins her story with the tale of how her parents met at an art exhibition, and relates the events of her early childhood. She explains how her father came to purchase the Washington Post, and how she alone amongst her siblings was truly drawn to the paper from her teenage years. She goes on to describe dating and eventually marrying Phil Graham, and how her father came to pass the management of the newspaper on to him. Later, she details Graham's descent into mental illness leading to his suicide, and how it finally fell onto her shoulders to lead the paper. Her most fascinating stories, however, come from her tenure as publisher of the Post, covering the turbulent period from the release of the Pentagon Papers, to the uncovering of the Watergate scandal and to the lengthy pressmen's strike against the Post in the 1970s. The story is indeed a personal one, in which Graham documents events from her own point of view. As I read this book, I was constantly aware that Graham may have chosen to leave out some details and emphasize others in order to show herself in the best light. But since this is an autobiography, such a subjective account is perfectly reasonable. This is history as Graham would have it told.

A BUTTERFLY SPREADS HER WINGS:
Today I finished Personal History by Katharine Graham, longtime publisher of the Washington Post. It's interesting, because Kay Graham is such a legendary figure in Washington, lauded for having stuck it out as the only woman in a man's world (business executives in the 60s/70s/80s). But yet, she is not the steadfast person that everyone believes her to be. She has to deal with a husband with manic depression, and his eventual suicide. Her one son volunteers for Vietnam, the other gets arrested for protesting it. She basically suddenly finds herself CEO after Phil (Graham's) death, and almost drowns under the pressure, but somehow manages to stick it through. Even when she does the right thing, she often second guesses herself and is extremely sensitive to criticism. The book seems to unfold as a butterfly emerges from a cocoon; at first she can hide behind her father and then her husband, but eventually must learn to make things fly on her own. Towards the end it gets more business-y, with some CEO jargon and discussions about the Post company. I thought it was kind of boring how she seemed to name every single person she ever hired or fired. But some parts are really interesting. Especially the bits about her childhood, the Pentagon Papers, and Watergate. I would really recommend this book as a good read. Kay Graham is like Forrest Gump- she's done a little of everything.