Katie: The Real Story

By Edward Klein

Book Overview

For the past twenty-five years-first as the blithe spirit of the Today show, then as the only woman ever to anchor a network news program solo-Katie Couric has been a familiar visitor in the homes of millions. Yet, despite all her public exposure, no one-until now-has been able to penetrate the secrets behind her closely guarded personal life and her struggles in the cutthroat world of television news. In this probing portrait of America's news queen, bestselling author Edward Klein rips away the mask that has hidden the many faces of Katie Couric: the strong, independent woman and the needy wife and lover; the grieving widow famed for her kindness to others and the fiercely competitive diva; the consummate television interviewer and the stumbling network anchor. Drawing on scores of interviews with people who have never spoken openly about Couric before, Katie: The Real Story absorbingly chronicles Katie's rise to the top-from her early days at CNN and local television stations (where she was told she'd never succeed) to her phenomenal fifteen-year run on Today. For the first time, Klein reveals the critical role Katie's father played in her risky decision to leave Today for the hallowed anchor chair once occupied by Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. As Klein makes clear, Katie's road to stardom has been paved with rocky personal relationships: a turbulent marriage to Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer; testy associations with Today cohosts Bryant Gumbel and Matt Lauer; and several star-crossed love affairs, including one with a man seventeen years her junior. Katie: The Real Story is a candid portrait of a folksy charmer, loving single mother, cunning businesswoman, feminist icon, and notorious diva. Neither a whitewash nor a hatchet job, it's a truthful, unflinching look at a remarkable woman and the media kingdom she's sought to rule.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307353508
• ISBN13: 9780307353504
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Very interesting, fast paced read.

I found this to be a very compelling story about a tireless and ruthless career woman. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, although ultimately it is a good study in how lonely life can be when one puts one's career above all else. This is a fast and easy read.

Katie Couric: Profile of Female Privilege.

That women are oppressed is one of our nation's greatest, and most cherished, beliefs. It also happens to be a myth. In contemporary America, to be a female is to live like a Spartan among helots. Edward Klein's new biography, Katie: The Real Story, elucidates the nature of CBS's grand dame of journalism, Katie Couric, while also documenting the way in which being a woman in our society opens widely the door of privilege. Of course, the text itself tells only half the story. The media's bizarre reaction to this work is the other half, and provides compelling proof of our culture's bias in favor of the fairer sex. In light of the heated journalistic response, the first thing that struck me about this work was the sobriety of Mr. Klein's narrative. The author's interjections and opinions are seldom heard. The biographer allows, for the most part, those who know Ms. Couric to describe her and to reveal her psychology...which is how it should be. In fact, the narrator impressed this reviewer as being apolitical. He outlined his subject's well-known leftist inclinations, but never once refuted her assumptions. Mr. Klein was previously employed by Newsweek and The New York Times which suggests that he may well share Ms. Couric's leftward perspective, but that no partisan viewpoint was discernible in these pages is a testament to his fairness and objectivity. It is baffling why so many commentators were offended by Mr. Klein's depiction of Ms. Couric. Do we actually expect celebrities to be a mirror image of their PR polished personas? I grant that the Katie we meet in The Real Story is not an admirable person, yet Klein's portrayal of her is logically sound. Ms. Couric displays personality traits which accurately correlate with the course of her development. A former colleague noted that she was "one of the most ambitious women I've ever met." In the context of her history, the assessment seems indisputable. Destiny paired Ms. Couric's first rate ambitions with second rate talent. That is not so uncommon, but, despite marginal looks and an unserious mind, she managed to reach the top of journalism's status hierarchy. Without a reckless drive to succeed such an ascent would have been impossible. While on The Today Show she duped millions of American women into thinking she was just like them even though her displays of perkiness and empathy were probably just an act. In one sense, however, Ms. Couric is just like them as her life was imbued with privileges known to few men. She termed her early position as a desk assistant at ABC as "the most humiliating job I ever had." The reason? She had to answer phones, make coffee, and create ham sandwiches. The horror! Only the word privilege can describe a person who regards the performance of mundane tasks as being acts of oppression. On another occasion, she felt debased after a network executive made comments about her breasts. What is left unsaid in the account is whether she intentionally dis

Interesting viewpoint.

Working in the print media for 11+ years I found it interesting to read the possible (if true) behind the scenes look at TV journalism. I've had enough experience working for a major newspaper to know, much of this does and can happen for those who will do anything it takes to get to where they want in their career, no matter who gets sacrificed along the way. I have always been a Katie fan, even though I am extremely conservative. This book does leave you wondering who the real Katie really might be. There were many quotes from both sides..Katie fans, and not Katie fans which I would imagine have to be true if they are named and quoted. I think a lot of what was written was exactly what viewers were seeing for themselves.

Shows us the REAL Couric

Thanks to Mr. Klein, we get to see the real woman behind the "cutsey" facade.

skhuts

Thanks Ed for telling the truth..........that's what journalism is all about. I wonder if the negative reviewers even bothered to read your book. Perhaps they protest too much!! All your books are fabulous,and it's obvious that you do lots of research and homework. You ought to write one about Oprah next. Keep up the wonderful work!!! I love it when writers rip off the fake veils around these famous and infamous people who come across as being something they are not. Finally the truth about 'perfect, perky Katie.'