Rating: 
Summary: Wordy
Review: An autobiography of the former publisher and owner of the Washington Post, this book covered not only the author's life, but crucial events spanning the majority of the 20th century (of which she happened to be a part). What I appreciated was Ms. Graham's abstention from self-pity or bitterness regarding her husband, Philip. Reading between the lines of this courtesy, however, it is evident that, for all his accomplishments in politics and publishing, he was an egomaniacal, emotionally abusive and seriously disturbed man. It was the 'personal' part of her 'history' that kept me reading, for I found the book to be too wordy and often tiresome. Full speeches, for example, did not have to be quoted in their entirety. The biblical so-and-so begat so-and so bored me even though the children Ms. Graham "begat" are hardly mentioned. A certain name-dropping weakness pervades throughout the telling-even though the names are being dropped by one who is a name unto herself. I preferred her own revealing, and often amusing, anecdotes. For the learning pleasure, I am glad that I read PERSONAL HISTORY. But for pure reading pleasure, I was disappointed. Surely Ms. Graham deserves some sort of medal or kudos for all she has accomplished. A Pulitzer Prize for this book, however, was not warranted.
Rating: 
Summary: Helped me view historical incidents differently
Review: 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 [able to]
spend time on matters and with people that you enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: From the opening page, I was hooked. Graham chronicles most of the 20th century from the unique perspective of her family and her own life. It was a life of privilege but not necessariy an easy one. The research that went into book was remarkable. Each paragraph reads like a diary entry of people, places and conversations. It is just gossipy enough to really be deliciously personal as well as very funny at times. She seems to have met every important person alive from 1930 forward and has fascinating relationships with many - including the many powerful men and women who shaped the course of history and the world we live in today. Graham became self aware enough to see her faults and strengths and her the book is a tribute to a woman who grew with her times and circumstances into an example for women and men alike. She is often brutally honest, but in a nice way, revealing her unique style of interacting with others. It was like reading a novel. It is dense, fascinating reading. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing story of a remarkable woman
Review: I could not put this book down. Katharine Graham had me hooked. She is unpretentious and very opened about her life and her perspective on the people and the events around her. Her life takes many interesting and unexpected turns that she tells with great detail. Granted, often too much detail is given; but that does not diminish the greatness of her tale. This is a great study of the development of a woman's character from naive childhood through powerful adulthood. I have read reviews that criticize the way she lived her life or the things she didn't tell in her book. But this is her "Personal History" and she displays her experiences as she would. I put down the book feeling as though I knew her.
Rating:
Summary: She did live an amazing life
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Resiliency and Emotional Toughness of the Self-Taught CEO
Review: Ms. Katharine Graham's autobiography explores many dimensions of life that will appeal to readers: lifestyles of the rich and famous with her celebrity and society friends; an inside look at one of America's most powerful and famous families in the 20th century; overcoming the personal tragedy of being married to a brilliant, manic-depressive cheater who was nasty to her; a history of the rise of the Washington Post from a minor D.C. paper to the top ranks of international journalism; becoming the head of a family that had been dominated by strong personalities who had put her in a supporting role; seeing the interactions of the press with presidents up close; and learning to be a female publisher and CEO on the job with almost no prior experience. If you are like me, you will find the sections of the book about her growing up as Andre Meyer's daughter, Watergate, the strike with the pressman's union at the Post, and her relationship with Warren Buffett to be the most interesting parts of the book. If, like me, you decide that you find Ms. Graham appealing, it will probably be because of her willingness to do the right thing, even when very painful and dangerous to her, and her loyalty to others . . . even when that loyalty may not have been earned. Even to her enemies, she held out olive branches to keep lines of communication open . . . which were often rejected. Although the book is candid about her own failings (having been too sheltered as a child and wife, making lots of mistakes in picking and working with people at the Washington Post Company, and being too accepting of male chauvinism) and family members who are deceased (especially her father, mother, and husband), she pulls back from any significant observations about many of her friends and acquaintances who are still living. You will see these people primarily from the perspective of having been lunch and dinner companions and guests. A curtain of privacy is also pulled over long sections of her life. For example, you will find out the names of the people and the yacht that she disappeared on for several weeks, but nothing about what occurred. On the other hand, CEO autobiographies usually toot the horn of the CEO. The closest this one comes to tooting is quoting Warren Buffett in pointing out that Washington Post Company stock grew more than double the rate of any other similar company during the time when she was CEO. Actually, even that observation is modest. As measured by stock-price performance, Ms. Graham is one of the great CEOs of the 20th century. She has also left behind a legacy of commitment to a free press from the Pentagon Papers publication and the Watergate exposures that will stand as a beacon for future publishers. In either case, she could have lost the bulk of her wealth and influence had things turned out differently. Most CEOs would be reluctant to take those kinds of risks in the public interest. Certainly, there was no financial windfall to taking these courses. It was simply the right thing to do. Thank you, Ms. Graham! Have you ever been in a situation where you were supposed to know how to do something, but had no clue? Throughout her business career, Ms. Graham was placed in that awkward situation. Towards the end of the book, she reveals that she wished that she had attended Harvard Business School. Throughout her business career, Ms. Graham reveals here feeling like a fraud and not knowing what questions to ask. But in business, it's usually more important what you do than what you know. And she kept moving forward until she found a method that worked. That kind of perseverance takes great moral courage, and I was impressed to realize just how much more difficult her accomplishments were to achieve than they seemed to outsiders. Where should you be taking a more active role in choosing your life's direction? Where should you be more understanding of friends and family members? Where should you keep the lines of communications open? Where should you draw the line at accommodation?
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting life... but not for 600+ pages!
Review: The interesting life of an interesting woman that could hold the readers' interest better if it were half the length!
Kay Graham manages to overcome many of her life's obstacles -- and privileges -- to become a powerful and effective leader. She doesn't always make sound choices; she clings to her corrosive and philandering husband through thick and thin, and she overturns her Republican father's desire to create an unbiased-newspaper by making The Post a mouthpiece for the Democrats. But it is her mistakes that make Graham most interesting and accessible to readers. Her journey is rich and varied, but not so much that it warrants more than 600 pages. Definitely, many chapters deserve only the lightest of skimming.
Rating:
Summary: She gives lessons in modesty
Review: There are bizillions of books under the category "Inspirational". This one is certainly not filed under that heading, yet it is one of the most inspiring stories i have ever found. In the days of my long commute to and from work, i listened to a lot of books on tape. This was one, albeit abridged. After the recent death of Katharine Graham, i decided to read the book (unabridged). In my opinion, this is one of the all-time greatest memoirs ever written. The Pulitzer judges should receive a prize themselves for awarding the honor to this book. The TV series "Dallas" was a smashing success right off the bat. Why? I remember the first soap opera to be shown on Spain's public TV: "The Rich Also Cry". That title explains it all! Yes, the rich and famous have their share of problems and heartaches like the average Joe. Part of the incredible success Personal History has had is due to this very fact. Katharine Graham was born in a privileged family, pampered and wealthy, yet she grew up miserable. She tells about her cold mother and her indifferent father, and does it in a very matter-of-fact way, not asking for sympathy. One thing leads to another, so dull Katharine had to marry flamboyant (and manic-depressive) Phil Graham. I was very moved when listening to the audio version, because forty years after the fact, she cries when narrating the suicide of her husband. Even though he was difficult and treated her very badly, she is still in love with him. From being a "doormat wife", in her own words, she was thrown by circumstances into managing one of the most important newspapers in the world. Of course, that is today. When she came aboard The Washington Post, it was an irrelevant paper that very few people cared for. Katharine did something very important: she surrounded herself of very talented people who advised her in all aspects of the job. Thanks to that, The Washington post then reached the levels of respect and admiration that it enjoys today. Nonetheless, she was alone at the top, making the tough calls nobody else had to make. What i find most amazing about these memoirs is how she went from being a doormat to being the most powerful human being in the world. She did not have extraordinary skills. In fact, throughout the book it becomes apparent that she was shy, lacked confidence, and that's even after her successes. All those shortcomings did not prevent her from making crucial, unpopular choices. It was her decision to go ahead with the Watergate articles that brought down the presidency of the US. She knocked down the most powerful man on Earth. That takes some balls! Pretty good for a "sissy girl". In summary, poignant, very well written memoirs. Get the audio book just to enjoy her beautiful voice. Read the book for awesome insight in the world of politics and the media.
Rating:
Summary: TOO Abridged.
Review: This abridgement contains two tapes, and runs three hours. The book is 642 pages. You do the math. This version, unfortunately, only skims the surface, and I cannot recommend it. It covers five or six major events in Ms. Graham's life, but leaves you wondering about the details. I would suggest that an abridgement of this length, even read by the author, is probably not the way to experience this story. By the way, her reading style is very flat, and not very involving. She gets emotional once (understandably), while describing the traumatic death of her husband, but by and large her reading adds nothing of value to the audiobook.
I can't comment on the longer audiobook, or the quality of the text version, but I would not recommend this version.
Rating:
Summary: What an Incredible Story!!!
Review: 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.
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