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Personal History
Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
An extraordinarily frank, honest, and generous book by one of America's most famous and admired women, Personal History is, as its title suggests, a book composed of both personal memoir and history.
It is the story of Graham's parents: the multimillionaire father who left private business and government service to buy and rest...more
An extraordinarily frank, honest, and generous book by one of America's most famous and admired women, Personal History is, as its title suggests, a book composed of both personal memoir and history.
It is the story of Graham's parents: the multimillionaire father who left private business and government service to buy and rest...more
Paperback, 642 pages
Published
February 9th 2011
by Vintage
(first published 1980)
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I don't always like biographies - they can be very self serving and trite. But I was blown away by this woman. Frankly, I didn't know much about her or her story of taking over the Washington Post upon the death of her husband - a job she really had been preparing for her whole life, if she knew it or not. Katherine Graham is a amazing, strong and wise woman, and she tells her tale in a very honest way, sharing her flaws, her mistakes and her regrets as lessons for the rest of us. She had a ...more
Another book club book -- I wouldn't have picked it up to read it on my own, but I'm glad I read (most of) it. It was interesting as a social commentary, though there wasn't much personal emotion in it -- strange for an autobiography.
There was too much name-dropping and detail to make this an enjoyable read. It was also hard to sympathize with her at all when she talked about how hard it was to live with just a maid but not a cook, or how she had only one dress as a child (which sh...more
There was too much name-dropping and detail to make this an enjoyable read. It was also hard to sympathize with her at all when she talked about how hard it was to live with just a maid but not a cook, or how she had only one dress as a child (which sh...more
I can’t even remember where I found this book. Was it in the used book section of the Brookline Public Library? Quite possibly. In any case, I was on a bio roll.
This book traces Katherine Graham’s life through many distinct stages: her childhood, her marriage to Phil Graham, her emergence as a powerful woman in a man’s world after her husband’s death, and the international persona she became (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001).
When I began reading, I knew only the sketchiest of d...more
This book traces Katherine Graham’s life through many distinct stages: her childhood, her marriage to Phil Graham, her emergence as a powerful woman in a man’s world after her husband’s death, and the international persona she became (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001).
When I began reading, I knew only the sketchiest of d...more
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An interesting and historic story...
I've had this book since early 1998. I started it and was flabbergasted to learn that Katherine Grahams' parents lived in my hometown (Alameda, CA) for a short spell. Then, I put the book to the side and never finished it. I finally put my foot down and completed the book from 6/24/01-7/4/01. It's a great book to finish on the 4th of July with all of the Presidential gossip salt n' peppered throughout the book. I found the stories about her parents...more
I've had this book since early 1998. I started it and was flabbergasted to learn that Katherine Grahams' parents lived in my hometown (Alameda, CA) for a short spell. Then, I put the book to the side and never finished it. I finally put my foot down and completed the book from 6/24/01-7/4/01. It's a great book to finish on the 4th of July with all of the Presidential gossip salt n' peppered throughout the book. I found the stories about her parents...more
I read every word of this very long book and I think I'm glad I did. For one thing, Katharine Graham was in the inner circle of the inner circle of events that have defined my life, and I wanted to know the names of people, for instance, involved in Watergate just because I should. Now I don't remember them again, but for a brief shining moment I was an informed citizen. The book is brave and honest and in the constant name dropping, reveals an important take on the major players of the time...more
I'm so happy I read this book, and it tied in nicely after reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Mrs. Graham was frightfully honest and this is one of the only times that I can say it was truly necessary to the book. I was turned off at first by her description of her grandmother being "the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen" (or something like that...) because oh, please, hasn't everyone said that about their grandmother in her heyday? And if this is ...more
Mrs. Graham was frightfully honest and this is one of the only times that I can say it was truly necessary to the book. I was turned off at first by her description of her grandmother being "the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen" (or something like that...) because oh, please, hasn't everyone said that about their grandmother in her heyday? And if this is ...more
I picked this book up at my local second-hand shop. I'm not a huge autobiography reader, but as a former reporter, I was intrigued by the fact that this told the story of pioneering woman in the newspaper business. I was of course familiar with Watergate, but not with the Meyer/Graham family, so most of the material was very fresh to me. The story of her parents early days in California and New York is very unique and yet so universal to the American experience. The story of how her father cam...more
This book really held my interest from start to finish. Graham has great self-understanding and perspective on her life, and was very honest about her late husband's mental illness, the things that she both admired and resented about her parents, and her own insecurities as an untrained businesswoman in a world that was still completely dominated by men. As a woman in the business world, I completely identified with her. I especially loved the scene where she had to decide whether or not to p...more
I got this book on the recommendation of an ABA list of "best books" chosen by lawyers.
After much thought, I have decided to abandon this book with over 400 more pages to go. I stopped on page 200. The beginning of the book was rather interesting in its description of growing up a very rich girl in the '20s and '30s, a period that I know little about, which made it intriguing. I like Katharine's voice and it was fascinating to see into the lives of the very rich.
Thi...more
After much thought, I have decided to abandon this book with over 400 more pages to go. I stopped on page 200. The beginning of the book was rather interesting in its description of growing up a very rich girl in the '20s and '30s, a period that I know little about, which made it intriguing. I like Katharine's voice and it was fascinating to see into the lives of the very rich.
Thi...more
I loved this autobiography. I learned so much about the course of women's history in America by her tale of struggling to rise to her father's expectations, her relationship with her husband (who committed suicide), and her delicate handling of publisher of the Washington Post. Beautifully written.
At one point Katharine Graham was pronounced the 19th most important person on the planet. Clearly this could be corroborated by the company she kept. Graham was friends with industry moguls and many US presidents and leaders of countries across the globe. As owner of the Post and Newsweek and many other papers, TV stations and other media she was a power to be contended with. She was at the helm when the Pentagon papers were published and later when the Post broke the Watergate debacle. This b...more
Don't let the size of this book daunt you; it is both interesting and readable, a very human story. Although I got the idea that perhaps I was only hearing one side of the story sometimes, well how could it be otherwise. I think that Katharine Graham tried to play fair and honest as possible in telling her life story and the story of the Washington Post. She is a very tenacious woman. She took on fights with some very powerful and intelligent people and she never gave up, nor did she lose mo...more
This book was over six hundred pages and I enjoyed them all. While Katharine Graham's autobiography is ostensibly her own history, it's also the history of our country. Beginning with her father, Eugene Meyer, and his close dealings with the Hoover Administration and going all the way through her own birds-eye view of various presidents, including Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and, most fascinating of all, Nixon.
Graham's life was supposed to be much different. Married to Ph...more
Graham's life was supposed to be much different. Married to Ph...more
Another riveting book which was hard to put down. Katherine Graham is an astonishing person who in spite of her gender training, broke through the glass ceiling everytime she had to. Lovely read.
I found this a wonderful book that began with the author as a wealthy, obedient wife who took over the Washington Post upon the death of her husband and pushed it and herself to the top tier of journalism excellence. It covers the Pentagon Papers, Watergate and the nearly disastrous Local 6 union conflict along with inside glimpses of Presidential personalities and stumbling blocks along the way. An entertaining look at some recent American history, the book is an easy read and a surprising pa...more
I love good, non-sensational biographies, and this understandably long autobiography is simply great. The author, while having had a privileged childhood, endured her share of sadness and difficult challenges before truly rising to the helm of the acclaimed newspaper giant The Washington Post. The now late Ms. Graham does not disappoint one bit (especially for fans of journalism's history during the last century) in this book that's such a fascinating read from so many perspectives; indeed, she ...more
A very long read, but well worth the time! I mostly knew of Katherine Graham from Watergate era books. Personal History really illuminates how she rose to meet and conquer the challenges presented to her throughout her life with grace, intelligence, dignity, and ingenuity. No wonder she commanded such respect from so many! She was a true trailblazer. She witnessed and participated in so many events during her lifetime. She also experienced tragedy and failure, yet managed to adapt and rein...more
Another book club selection, this was written pretty well for an autobiography, and should have been considering the author. And while Ms. Graham's life was very interesting, she knew many historical figures, I found myself bored by the end. Maybe it should have been titled, "Poor Little Rich Girl." From a historical perspective, totally fascinating the many public figures and members of Americana that she knew and was friends with. Her life was very public, and tragic, but I had a h...more
Now that I've watched "All the President's Men" with Redford and Hoffman at least 30 times, I can read Katharine's Graham memoir with a renewed interest in Watergate. She recounts many specific moments of the unfolding of that story and Woodward and Bernstein's intense reporting.
Pretty amazing story of a woman at the top of a publishing empire and how honest she is regarding her missteps and mistakes along the way. A great read if you're into the history of newspaper journal...more
Pretty amazing story of a woman at the top of a publishing empire and how honest she is regarding her missteps and mistakes along the way. A great read if you're into the history of newspaper journal...more
Katherine Graham's autobiography is not just a story of a girl born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth. Katherine Meyer Graham grew up the privileged daughter of Eugene Meyer. She was very close to her father and after he bought The Washington Post in 1933, paid very close attention to the ups and downs of his new venture. She married Philip Graham, who eventually became the publisher of The Washington Post. After his death, Katherine Graham inherited the position and became the head ...more
As the publisher of the Washington Post for about 30 years, she was in a unique position to know everyone of importance. Like the Clinton tapes, a glimpse into the political world. Despite her enormous success and responsibilities, she was a person of little self-confidence and was typical of women of her generation, i.e., a servant to the man in her life with little identity of her own. She rose to the occasion to save her family's newspaper when her husband committed suicide after betraying...more
Personal History is the life story of Katharine Graham, whose family owns the Washington Post. She was the Publisher and President of the Washington Post Companies from the 60's through the 80's. The book is really divided into three sections. The first deals with her life before she became involved in the Washington Post. This is principally the story of her life growing up, and then with her husband of 20+ years. He dealt with Manic Depressive Disorder during much of his life and it eventuall...more
Last year I read Warren Buffet's memoir and he spoke endlessly of Katharine Graham. I figured she'd be an interesting person to read about - and she was.
Graham survived the curse of living in extraordinary times. I found it endearing that she was so worried about whether she was up to the task - any task (dressing herself, picking out furniture, running The Washington Post). Admittedly, she grew up at a time when women raised the children and decorated the houses, so she didn't have ...more
Graham survived the curse of living in extraordinary times. I found it endearing that she was so worried about whether she was up to the task - any task (dressing herself, picking out furniture, running The Washington Post). Admittedly, she grew up at a time when women raised the children and decorated the houses, so she didn't have ...more
I was interested in Katharine Graham's memoir because of her unique place in history as the respected owner, president, and chairman of The Washington Post during a time when few women held such positions of responsibility (well, and the book also won the Pulitzer Prize). Little did I know that because of her well-connected parents, her life story would read like a "Who's Who" for the 20th century from the opening chapter. But that's not what makes this a singular story – Graham's basi...more
If for nothing else, I would highly recommend this book for its fascinating account of the battle to publish the Pentagon Papers, a serious attempt by the President at prior restraint of the press. As for the rest of this tome, only Katharine Graham can own horses, travel extensively in Europe, attend exclusive schools and clubs and yet describe her childhood as deprived. What originally seems forthright and shockingly candid usually devolves into a pity party that Graham hosts for herself. S...more
This book had incredible potential. It could have easily been one of the most fascinating American autobiographies ever written. Instead, though I plowed my way through the whole thing, it was tepid, vapid, and bordered on dull.
Katherine Graham was born into the Washington elite. She met and socialized with every major political figure during her lifetime. She counted Lyndon Johnson, John and Jackie Kennedy, and Truman Capote among her close personal friends. Her husband, who grew up ...more
Katherine Graham was born into the Washington elite. She met and socialized with every major political figure during her lifetime. She counted Lyndon Johnson, John and Jackie Kennedy, and Truman Capote among her close personal friends. Her husband, who grew up ...more
I finally finished it. This book took me forever and not just because I got busy halfway into the 625 odd pages. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, but anywho...Katharine Graham writes the extensive history of her family and its involvement with the Washington Post. Her father purchases the paper in the 1930s and later her husband, Phil Graham, takes it over. Graham lives in a man's world for sure and points out an infinite number of times how common it was during her young married life t...more
This book mostly seems to be an apologia written for her children about the facts of the suicide of their father and her husband, Phil. The rest of it is an apologia for her helm and stewardship of the Washington Post, and her position vis-a-vis feminism.
No doubt her husband suffered, from being afflicted at a time of "poorer" understanding of the vicissitude of mental health. I regret to say this whole arena of life is not much better understood or supported in thi...more
This book was really hard to keep reading for the first two hundred pages or so. It gets better, but I wouldn't say I loved it. Everyone kept telling me it was good, so I kept reading, and I guess I'm not sorry I did. I learned a lot about DC history, and as someone who grew up in the DC Metro area that was sometimes interesting.
Graham is incredibly unsure of herself, especially in the beginning which gets really old. It's nice to see her become slightly more sure of herself. I ...more
Graham is incredibly unsure of herself, especially in the beginning which gets really old. It's nice to see her become slightly more sure of herself. I ...more
Fascinating look at the wealthy and powerful in Washington DC, as well as Graham's own well-connected family in the Northeast. This is Washington of behind the scenes political bargaining (Kennedy and Johnson campaign), of powerful friends and their social events, and, of course, of Washington Post and Watergate. Graham fleshes out that famous chapter of Post history, as well as the difficulty she had in inheriting her position as publisher after her husband's suicide.
In some ways a ...more
In some ways a ...more
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Katharine Meyer Graham was an American publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period, the Watergate coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Her memoir, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
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