Going There shines through Couric's insider peeks at the media world, playful insights about famous people and behind-the-scenes dynamics, and her vulnerability about difficult periods in her own life.
I listened to Katie Couric's memoir Going There, in which she traces her media career from its modest beginnings to her present-day fame; she mentions a few dalliances with notable figures in her youth; and she explores her steady determination and how it led her through the zigzags of her life.
She takes us through falling in love with her first husband Jay Molner, having their two daughters while she and Molner were frantically building their careers, and the horrible loss of Jay to advanced colorectal cancer before she and he had been married a decade.
Couric is candid about the emotional turmoil surrounding her grave loss--and her hope and emotions related to trying to find love again.
She also shares context around pivotal career moments spanning decades, including key interviews and decisions, her work friendship with Matt Lauer, and her healthy professional competitiveness with Diane Sawyer and other women in the news.
The behind-the-scenes looks at professional decisions and network dynamics were particularly interesting. I also loved the casual name-dropping of famous people in Couric's circle. I did find the personal, passing sharing of others' intimate details jarring, however (regarding lascivious moments with Larry King, Neil Simon, etc.).
There is somewhat of an exploration of power and sexual abuse within some of Couric's professional environments, and she expresses her horror about the infamous revelations that came to light regarding years of Matt Lauer's horrifying behavior. This isn't the crux of Couric's memoir, and I imagine it was difficult to manage how to address this topic without being able to give it the page time and attention it deserves, but this felt awkward, maybe fittingly so.
Going There shines most brightly though Couric's insider looks at important media moments, her playful insights, and the vulnerability she shares about difficult periods in her own life and moving forward after tragedy and disappointment.
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