Personal History

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Summary: Great writing by an interesting woman.
Review: I couldn't stop reading this book. Ms. Graham took us through so many historic times of the twentieth century, that as a history teacher I appreciated seeing from someone elses perspective. It is always enjoyable to see how the truly wealthy manage the problems that the rest of us think are only ours. She has certainly had more than her share of challenges in life, and to see her positiveness is proof all of us can "make it through" to another day. I have already mentioned this book to many friends and will continue to do so. Thank you, Ms. Graham for being forthright and honest. Your readers have appreciated it!

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Summary: An Amazing Read!
Review: Katharine Graham is a great reporter even when it comes to telling her own story. She did not sensationallize anything; there was no need to. She simply did what she does best. She put on her reporter cap and told her story. When you are blessed with the clean writing style and old-world manners that Mrs. Graham has, and when you have been on the inside track of the important political situations in the past 50 years, you obviously don't need to sensationalize anything. I also found it inspiring that despite her wealth, she had the ambition to not only continue the work of her late father and husband on the Washington Post, but to take the paper to an even higher level. I believe this book will become more important each year, especially from the political history standpoint.

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Summary: Best Book Published This Year
Review: I saw Mrs. Graham for the first time being interviewed by Barbara Walters earlier this year. I found her story absolutely mesmerizing and had to get Personal History to find out for myself if my perceptions were real or imagined. I'm very pleased to say that they were very real. Mrs. Graham is a fascinating woman whose quiet dignity and grace hovered over every page. I actually took the time to write to her and tell her so. She was gracious enough to reply with a lovely letter. I also had a chance to meet her earlier in the year and have become an ardent admirer. As a young woman on the cusp of being a Baby Boomer and Generation X-er, it if often very difficult to find true American heroines who make you want to take time for a second look. Mrs. Graham did that for me and I've recommended her memoirs to many of my female friends in hopes that they,too, will appreciate the richness of her story as a woman trying to cope effectively with the sweeping changes of female roles throughout the 20th Century. This is a work that I will treasure and re-read many times before the end of my life. I highly recommend it!

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Summary: An earnest and successful person
Review: Katharine Graham has written a wonderful book. Personal History is a gripping work and presented several levels of interest for me. I salute her writing style. Even though the outcome of most of the major happenings are well known to everyone, her manner of presentation keeps the reader's attention as though we can hardly wait to see what is on the next page. History readers have to be pleased with the rich manner in which she presents so many key issues of our time. Her love for family tugged at my heartstrings. Don't we all have tremendous ups and downs with those we love? Some of the more wrenching aspects we will never fully understand, perhaps until we meet a Higher Power. (And I hope not too soon, for any of us!). And she is far too modest about her newspaper. Long before my professional life brought me to this area in 1969, I had heard and read several references that the Washington Post is regarded as one of the top three newspapers in the United States. On a personal note, I admire Ms. Graham as I do Ms. Anna Pettys, a newspaper and business icon in Colorado during the time frame 1940 through 1970. As a working teenager, I was fortunate to be employed on the same street as Ms. Pettys and her many businesses, in Sterling, CO. And as Personal History does for Katharine Graham, a chapter in Great Dames of the Plains presented Anna Pettys as a pioneer, full of courage and strength. In closing, now when I look at the Post's masthead, I can visualize the people who have the responsibility for bringing it to us. And being able to feel as if I have met many of them. Thank you, Ms. Graham. She is a distinguished person of great strength, and best of all, a good human!

Rating:
Summary: An author who is more interesting than her book
Review: I looked forward to reading this because I thought Katharine Graham has led an interesting live. The reviews were outstanding. After reading the book, I am of the opinion that the reviewers reviewed Katherine Graham's life, not her book. If ever a good editor was needed, it was during the first third of this book. I ended up where I began - interesting life. Can't wait for the biography. Ms. Graham did not bring herself to life. I could never picture her in her house or at the dinner table. I felt she kept us at something more than arm's length. And while she shared some very personal events, I never felt the emotional impact

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Summary: An Intimate Who's Who of 20th Century US History!
Review: Not snobby or "blue blood" (as Robert Redford once decribed Mrs. Graham), here is a woman who has seen almost every important political development of the 20th century. She candidly describes her husband's struggle with manic-depressive illness, and the shock of his unexpected suicide. More of a shock to her was the inheritance of a big washington paper -- the Washington Post -- which she decided to keep in the family and run herself. An intimate look as she matured into a publisher, ceo and a feminist during the late 1960's -- all while rubbing shoulders with the likes of JFK, LBJ, RFK and Truman Capote. Perhaps most interesting is her version of the publication of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate: she understood all that was at risk and was willing to push forward -- knowing that she could lose the company, go to jail, or that the system of government with which we live could fail. Excellent reading!

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Summary: Well-written,inspirational, women's lib, & political history
Review: Mrs. Graham's autobigography reads like a novel. It's hard to put down. For anyone who has marvelled at her strength and wondered how she managed, she gives the answer: guts. Inspirational for anyone facing tough cicumstances to know that feelings of inadequacy don't count, actions do. The role of women changed dramatically during her life and this book cronicles those changes well. Her honesty is touching. Her stories of polictical intrigue provide insight into the political process and this book highlights the turning point in our relationship with our leaders. Well done

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable read by a remarkable woman. Truly inspiring.
Review: I devoured this book. Katharine Graham's writing is always evenhanded. Her odyssey of self discovery after her husband's death is an amazing story, riveting and inspiring. I cannot recommend it enough. When you're through with this book, you'll feel like you're her personal friend

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Summary: A time to reflect
Review: My interest in this book was awakened by the excerpts I read in the Washington Post. I found the author's evolution from a passive daughter and wife to strong, independent woman surprisingly well written. I expected an interesting story, but did not know it would be so well told. This book will always have special meaning for me because my sister and I read aloud from it to my mother, who recently died. She was on a respirator and so we could not converse. This book gave us a connection; something we could share. We each enjoyed the unfolding of the life of a woman who was of my mother's age. And Ms. Graham's reflections on her life provided a natural opening to reflect on our own lives. Beautifully written.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome, powerful book.Both history book and autobiography.
Review: Awesome, powerful, emotion packed book. Combined history of the United States from the late 1800's and autobiography of Katherine Graham. After reading the book, you'll be filled with respect and awe for Katherine Graham. Hers is a life you want to read about, but wouldn't want to live. The book is no tear jerker, still it is packed with emotion. Ms Graham ably conveys her intense involvement in every facet of her life, and draws you in