Blink Book Review #4: Going There by Katie Couric

Katie Couric’s memoir, “Going There,” gives readers a delightful and amazingly honest narrative about not only her personal life but also many of the national and international news stories from the 1990s on.

And while that perspective was really fun for a news nerd like me to follow, the best part of this book was hearing Katie Couric read it in the audio format. I listened to this book while driving alone to Mississippi. It felt like Katie was in the car with me just chatting about her experiences, perspective, disappointments, fears and joys.

Of course, we all think famous television personalities live a charmed life with maybe a few blips thrown in. But Katie’s book digs deep into her challenges as a young woman in a profession dominated by an entrenched patriarchy. She honestly recounts her dating mishaps along with the deep love for her first husband who died of cancer and later her courtship and marriage to her second husband. She lays bare the same fears anyone would have when threatened with losing their job – hers just happened to be one of the most visible – and high paid – news jobs in the country.

Katie also delivers some dirt on colleagues and dates – dirt that some readers may find unnecessary or unkind. However, it was real life – her real life – and she writes about it with a surprising candor recounting detailed stories beyond her on-screen world.

If you’re not a fan of audio books, make an exception for this one. Hearing Katie tell her own story makes the book all the more compelling.

Reba Hull Campbell is president of the Medway Group, a big word nerd and avid summertime reader. This is part of her summer reading discipline to get off the screen and back to books in a dozen or so “Blink Book Reviews.” She’s challenging herself to keep them to 300-ish words so readers can skim them in a couple of blinks. Reach Reba at [email protected]. Read previous reviews at Random Connect Points.