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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Audition by Barbara Walters
Much has been written and talked about concerning the new autobiography by Barbara Walters, but the hoopla about her affair with a black married man is just a smidgen of the history of this ground-breaking woman. Barbara Walters opened the doors for women in the field of broadcasting, in what was previously an all-male occupation. With the exception of weather girl, women were rarely seen in front of the camera, that is until Walters came on the scene.
In her own style, Walters takes readers on a journey through her life, from the time she was a small girl to her newest cast on The View. She details her sister’s retardation, her father’s ups and downs in the world of entertainment, and her mother’s illness. Nothing is off limits for this woman. She wants all of her life to be, excuse the pun, an open book - that includes both the good and the bad.
Through her decades in broadcast journalism, Walters has had many professional partners and she takes the readers through them all. Her professional relationships with Frank McGee, Harry Reasoner, Hugh Downs and others are all brought to the pages of this very frank book, as well as what went on behind the scenes with the various co-hosts of The View.
She also goes into detail about her personal life, including the difficult years raising her daughter who rebelled, was into drugs, and ran away. Tough love is what this girl needed, and it is exactly what her mother gave her. Today they have a strong bond and loving relationship, all because of the steps Barbara went through to insure the survival of her daughter.
And her three marriages are also up for discussion. She is open about them all.
Besides her personal life and professional relationships, Barbara Walters discusses the many, many celebrity and political interviews she has done over the years. From shuttling around the Middle East between Egypt and Israel at a precarious time, to traveling to Cuba to spend time with Fidel Castro, this woman has interviewed not only movie stars, but the top political leaders of our time. She has had an interesting and fulfilling professional life, and it is all detailed in the pages of the book. Her determination, choices, professionalism, and humor are evident as the pages are turned and the words reveal a candid look at this woman who has been the butt of jokes as well as held on a pedestal.
While she was originally upset by Gilda Radner’s impersonation of her on Saturday Night Live, Walters later saw the humor in it and at one time even asked Radner to do it for her. She might come across as straight and narrow during some of her interviews, but the book reveals another side of this icon.
This is an in-depth and lengthy recount of her incredible life. It’s frank, candid, and heartfelt. To paraphrase Ms. Walters, if you want to know her, you have to know all of her. And this book tells it all!
© 2008 Francine Brokaw
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