Katharine Graham

There's a Book for That: Women Journalists

Inspired by December’s highly anticipated movie, The Post (directed by Stephen Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks) about Washington Post journalists Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee, this week we highlight some of the most important women journalists of our day, in memoir and investigative reporting.

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  Personal History by Katharine GrahamPERSONAL HISTORY by Katharine Graham Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography As seen in the new movie The Post, here is the captivating, inside story of the woman who helmed the Washington Post during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of American media. Graham piloted the Washington Post through the scandals of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate, and tells her story—one that is extraordinary both for the events it encompasses and for the courage, candor, and dignity of its telling.   Dark Money by Jane MayerDARK MONEY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE BILLIONAIRES BEHIND THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT by Jane Mayer In this electrifying narrative history, bestselling author and award-winning investigative reporter Jane Mayer uncovers the powerful group of immensely wealthy ideologues who are shaping the fate of America. Why is America living in an age of profound and widening economic inequality? Why have even modest attempts to address climate change been defeated again and again? Why do hedge-fund billionaires pay a far lower tax rate than middle-class workers? In a riveting and indelible feat of reporting, Jane Mayer illuminates the history of an elite cadre of plutocrats—headed by the Kochs, the Scaifes, the Olins, and the Bradleys—who have bankrolled a systematic plan to fundamentally alter the American political system.   My Life on the Road by Gloria SteinemMY LIFE ON THE ROAD: A MEMOIR by Gloria Steinem From journalist, activist, and international icon Gloria Steinem comes her first book in twenty years, a memoir of a lifetime of listening and learning from people, traveling America and the world. Gloria Steinem had an itinerant childhood. Every fall, her father would pack the family into the car and they would drive across the country, in search of their next adventure. The seeds were planted: Steinem would spend much of her life on the road, as a journalist, organizer, activist, and speaker.   The News Sorority by Sheila WellerTHE NEWS SORORITY by Sheila Weller Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christiane Amanpour--and the (Ongoing, Imperfect, Complicated) Triumph of Women in TV News by Sheila Weller For decades, women battered the walls of the male fortress of television journalism. After fierce struggles, three women—Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, and Christiane Amanpour—broke into the newsroom’s once impenetrable “boys’ club.” These women were not simply pathbreakers, but wildly gifted journalists whose unique talents enabled them to climb to the top of the corporate ladder and transform the way Americans received their news. Drawing on exclusive interviews with their colleagues and intimates from childhood on, The News Sorority crafts a lively and exhilarating narrative.   Thrive by Arianna HuffingtonTHRIVE: THE THIRD METRIC TO REDEFINING SUCCESS AND CREATING A LIFE OF WELL-BEING, WISDOM, AND WONDER by Arianna Huffington In Thrive, Arianna Huffington makes an impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today's world.     Drift by Rachel MaddowDRIFT: THE UNMOORING OF AMERICAN MILITARY POWER by Rachel Maddow Written with bracing wit and intelligence, Rachel Maddow's Drift argues that we've drifted away from America's original ideals and become a nation weirdly at peace with perpetual war.     The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie CouricTHE BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT: LESSONS FROM EXTRAORDINARY LIVES by Katie Couric In this stirring and transformative book Katie Couric distills the wisdom of some of the biggest names in film, politics, sports, literature and more.  Visionaries and leaders like Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Malcolm Gladwell share invaluable, hard-won insights about life, success and happiness—how to take chances, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, and more. Along the way, Katie Couric reflects on her own life, and on the shared wisdom—and occasional missteps—that have guided her from her early days as a desk assistant at ABC to her groundbreaking work as a broadcast journalist.   The Next Big Story by Soledad O'Brien and Rose Marie ArceTHE NEXT BIG STORY: MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE LAND OF POSSIBILITIES by Soledad O'Brien Former top CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien delivers a highly personal look at her biggest reporting moments from Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the devastating Haiti earthquake, and to the historic 2008 U.S. elections and high profile interviews with everyday Americans. Drawing on her own unique background as well as her experiences at the front lines of the most provocative issues in today's society, and from her work on the acclaimed documentaries Black in America and Latino in America, O'Brien offers her candid, clear-eyed take on where we are as a country and where we're going. What emerges is both an inspiring message of hope and a glimpse into the heart and soul of one of America's most straight-talking reporters.   Audition by Barbara WaltersAUDITION: A MEMOIR by Barbara Walters The most important woman in the history of television journalism gives us her inspiring and riveting memoir. After more than fifty years of interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals, murderers, inspirational figures, and celebrities of all kinds, Barbara Walters has turned her gift for examination onto herself to reveal the forces that shaped her extraordinary life.   Are Men Necessary? by Maureen DowdARE MEN NECESSARY?: WHEN SEXES COLLIDE by Maureen Dowd Outspoken, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd tackles the hot-button topic of gender politics in this witty and wide-ranging book. She looks at the state of the sexual union, raising bold questions and examining everything from economics and presidential politics to pop culture and the “why?” of the Y chromosome. In our ever-changing culture where locker room talk has become the talk of the town, Are Men Necessary?   For more information on these and related titles visit Women in Journalism

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