4.5 stars

Barbara Walters was a ground-breaking American broadcast journalist and television personality. For this biography of Walters, journalist Susan Page conducted 150 interviews, did extensive archival research, and consulted Barbara's 2008 memoir 'Audition.'

Barbara Walters, born in 1929, is well known for her long and eventful career. Among many other things, Barbara was a cohost of the Today show; was the first woman to co-anchor the ABC Evening News; was a co-anchor of 20/20; created The View; hosted Oscar night specials; and interviewed the year's '10 Most Fascinating People' from 1993 to 2015. None of it came easy. Barbara came up before the women's movement, and her male colleagues - like Harry Reasoner and Walter Cronkite - viewed her with disdain and pulled for her to fail.

Over the course of her career, Barbara interviewed every sitting POTUS and FLOTUS from Nixon to Obama, as well as a smorgasbord of other newsmakers, including heads of state; Hollywood celebrities; presidential advisers; athletes; criminals; despots; and many more. Interestingly, Barbara was able to develop an on-air rapport with notorious figures like Fidel Castro and Muammar Qaddafi and fearlessly posed questions to other dictators and killers.

Walters came by her passion for the limelight from her father Lou Walters, a Jewish immigrant from London who became an entertainment magnate. In the roaring twenties, Lou started his show business career by booking acts - singers, dancers, comedians, jugglers, magicians, musicians, acrobats, etc. - for speakeasies, cabarets, vaudeville halls and the like. In time Lou opened his own nightclubs, including the 'Latin Quarter' clubs in New York, Boston, and South Florida.

Becauses of Lou's peripatetic work he moved his family - wife Dena and daughters Jackie and Barbara - from place to place, back and forth, over and over again.

Lou's career had ups and downs and he was a compulsive gambler, which resulted in the impresario making and losing fortunes time and time again. Thus the Walters family might live in a mansion one day, and a dreary crowded apartment the next. As an adult, Barbara often bailed out her dad, and took care of her mother and sister as needed.

Due to her father's work, Barbara grew up in nightclubs, watching glitzy shows and meeting gangsters who frequented the venues. Author Susan Page speculates this is what later made Barbara comfortable with men like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, notorious lawyer Roy Cohn, and other persons of that ilk.

As a child, Barbara's personal life was difficult, because her father strayed, her parents argued, her sister had special needs, and Barbara was frequently yanked from one school to another - which made it hard to make friends.

In time, Barbara graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and began her news career in the publicity department of an NBC affiliate. Barbara then moved on to produce a half-hour TV program, called 'The Eloise McElhone Show', which featured cooking lessons, fashion tips, exercise demonstrations, and so on.

Author Susan Page thoroughly documents the progress of Barbara's career, step by arduous step. Barbara had a hard climb against formidable odds that included sexual harassment; purposeful male roadblocks; policies that dictated only one woman in the newsroom; intense rivalry with other journalists; Barbara's slight speech impediment (which was the source of much merriment on SNL skits); and other obstacles.

Barbara was ambitious and relentless, however, and fought hard to get the best interviews, often purposely undercutting and outmaneuvering her colleages, and even 'stealing' interviews when she could. Once Barbara hid in a bathroom at Camp David when her fellow newspeople boarded a bus to leave; Barbara was hoping to corner Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Defense MInister Ezer Weizman for interviews.

In Barbara's private life she had many romantic relationships and was married three times, to Robert Katz, Lee Guber, and Merv Adelson. Barbara tended to be attracted to assertive men and risk-takers like her father, which may have been a factor in her abbreviated unions. Barbara and her second husband Lee Guber adopted a daughter named Jacqueline (Jackie), a troubled girl with whom Barbara had a fractious relationship. Like many successful people, Barbara was inclined to put her career ahead of her personal affairs, and was she was willing to pay the price.

Barbara paved the way for many women journalists, who laud Barbara for breaking the glass ceiling. Norah O'Donnell said "She inspired me." Katic Couric recalls, "For me, to see someone like that made me imagine the possibilities." Pat Mitchell remembers Barbara telling her, "Don't listen to anyone who gives you reasons you will fail. Just prove them wrong." Deborah Roberts observed, "She was a generous mentor-by-example." And long-time rival Diane Sawyer noted, "She was so brilliant. She had such a wonderful idea for creating a signature, just writing it aross the sky."

Susan Page's biography is thorough, informative, and VERY gossipy. I was interested to learn that Barbara had a long-term affair with married African-American Senator Edward William Brooke III; that she sent her daughter Jackie to a program in Idaho for troubled teens; that she secretly conveyed a message from Iranian arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar to President Reagan; that she vacationed with Judith Sheindlin (Judge Judy) on Shendlin's private yacht; that she sat in the front row of Oscar de la Renta fashion shows with Vogue's Anna Wintour; that she regularly luncheoned with powerhouse women in New York media for gossip and laughs; that when Gilda Radner (who parodied Barbara on SNL) died, Barbara sent a sympathy note signed 'Baba Wawa'; that when male anchors gave Barbara a hard time, actor John Wayne sent her a telegram reading, 'Don't let the bastards get you down'; that lawyer Roy Cohn was secretly homosexual and Barbara was his 'beard'; and much more.

When Barbara died in 2022, at age ninety-three, her remains were cremated and buried next to her mother, father, and sister. Barbara's marker reads, "No regrets. I had a great life."

I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Susan Page, and Simon & Shuster for a copy of the book.

The ‘No Regrets’ inscription on her tombstone matched accurately depicted the iconic Barbara Walters. While her life was spent pushing boundaries, she sacrificed family in the pursuit of fame.

Before reading the book, I idolized her ‘rule-breaker’ attitude and respected that she forged her own path in a male-dominated industry.

The fact that she was willing to put others down to succeed, I don’t respect, I've experienced firsthand women willing to throw others under the bus to succeed. I don’t respect that attitude and reading the novel, I no longer hold her in high esteem. That being said, I credit #Netgalley and the publisher for providing glimpses of the real woman behind the myth.

Barbara Walters would be honored with this inspiring book by Susan Page, best-selling author of biographies. It’s well written with highlights from 150 interviews.

Page outlined Walter’s battles as a female in the 60s work field. She had to break through the barriers with men dominating the roles covering the news. She was a fierce competitor and worked diligently over time to make connections for hard-to-get interviews. She managed to win a $1 million five-year contract with ABC News co-anchoring the evening news with Harry Reasoner in 1976.

The book showed how her career took off over the years in amazing ways with powerful interviews of politicians, celebrities and even murderers. She had no fear of sitting down with Fidel Castro, Yasir Arafat and Menachem Begin with her carefully prepared set of questions.

However, the question for her was: can a woman have it all? While Walters had a strong career with a high salary, there was another side of her life. She had to rescue her father from his debt and help her anxious mother with a sister that was disabled. She had three failed marriages and an adopted daughter that was constantly having problems of sorts. Life wasn’t easy for her at home and yet she seemed to always prevail especially while delivering the news.

Anyone who reads this book will get a comprehensive view of one lady who dedicated her life to pave the way for female journalists. It’s engaging from the first page with details of her remarkable career. It shows a friendly side of Walters in the news room and at events but also reveals how intense she was when getting the story.

Her life always appeared like a picture of the wonder woman yet the book exposes the many challenges she had to endure. Gilda Radner famously made fun of her on Saturday Night Live. At the end, she had “no regrets.”

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of April 23, 2024.

Susan Page does an outstanding job with her biography of Barbara Walters in The Rulebreaker. It is an incredible page-turner that spans Barbara's childhood, phenomenal career, her health decline, and passing on December 30, 2022.

Barbara paved the path for many women journalists and was unapologetic about her drive, ambition, strategies, and scrappy tactics to "get" the interview. Page stated that Barbara turned "the get" into a contact sport without any rules. Barbara's career began when being ambitious was unladylike. She did not play by the rules and shattered barriers in order to advance her career.

Her style of interviewing was unique and humanized many celebrities, politicians, as well as murderers and criminals. Barbara thoroughly prepared for all interviews and often had 200+ notecards with questions on them that she refined and resorted many, many times before the actual interview. She treated interviews like a three act play and ensured on a tantalizing beginning and a memorable ending. Her interview with Monica Lewinsky is used as a case study in law schools as an example of effective direct examination.

Barbara's personal life included three marriages, three divorces, and the adoption of a daughter, Jackie, who was named after Barbara's disabled sister. Throughout Barbara's life, she felt responsible for the financial responsibilities of her parents and her sister.

Two memorable passages in the book:

* Katie Couric stated that Barbara was rattling cages before women were allowed in the zoo.

* Gilda Radner played Baba Wawa on Saturday Night Live and Barbara was not a fan of this caricature of herself. When Radner passed away, Barbara sent a sympathy card to Radner's husband, Gene Wilder, and signed it Baba Wawa.

It's a poignant, in-depth portrayal of a legend.

Fascinating woman. I learned much more than I had known about her. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Barbara Walters is a fascinating and legendary figure who shattered the glass ceiling for women in journalism and broadcasting - at a cost. The research and access to those close to Ms. Walters that Susan Page had has produced an incredibly thorough look at a complicated leader in her field. I highly recommend The Rulebreaker.

Thank you to Susan Page, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I grew up watching Barbara Walters. This book is an intriguing look at an American icon and how she got to be one.

A fast read and a good story. Well written and a great escape for a lazy weekend curled up on the couch.

Remarkably well-researched and engaging bio of one of the very first, and most famous, female broadcast journalists. Barbara Walters was the first woman to be co-anchor of a nightly news broadcast at a time when it was thought that an audience would only want to listen to men read the news. And she made headlines as being the very first woman to be compensated on the level of her male colleagues (naturally she was demonized for this, not congratulated). The amount of sexism she had to endure—including having this sexism shoved in her face in front of millions on TV, on a nightly basis—was staggering and would have sent most women (myself included) running to the women's loo for a good, hard cry.

The book delves into the extraordinary childhood that formed the basis for her dogged ambition. Her father, Lou, was very well known in the vaudeville and nightclub circuit as the founder of several famous entertainment venues, most notably The Latin Quarter in NYC. Barbara grew up in that show biz environment, but also watched as her family was repeatedly rich, then lost everything, then rich, then poor again. There was never a sense of safety or continuity to their finances. One day, penthouse living, the next, practically Skid Row. Meanwhile, Barbara had a younger sister, Jacqueline, who was developmentally disabled and would never be able to live on her own. Barbara felt hugely responsible for both her sister and their mother.

This gave her the fierce determination to succeed at all costs. Add in that at the time Barbara began working in broadcast, only one woman was allowed on a show at a time. This created even more gritty determination in Barbara, who learned she had to fight against every other woman on the scene or she'd get nowhere. Her main competitor was Diane Sawyer. Diane, being conventionally prettier than Barbara, always had it easier—so thought Barbara, anyway. And let's not forget "Baba Wawa" had a slight speech impediment—not exactly ideal for a broadcast reporter.

Like her or hate her, she paved the way for the women of broadcast journalism today. Thank you Susan Page, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of The Rulebreaker in exchange for an honest review.

a remarkable biography that offers an intimate look into the life and career of Barbara Walters, the pioneering female broadcaster who forever changed the landscape of television journalism. Page's meticulous research and compelling storytelling make this biography an absolute standout.
From the very beginning, Page's writing is captivating. She delves deep into Walters' life, shedding light on the personal demons that fueled her ambition. Page conducted 150 interviews and dug into extensive archival research to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of Walters' journey. It's a testament to her dedication to uncovering the truth behind the legend.
What sets this biography apart is its ability to provide fresh insights into Walters' groundbreaking career and personal struggles. It's not just a biography: it's a revelation of a woman who dared to ask for more and challenged the status quo of a misogynistic culture. Page's book is a treasure trove of revelations, from Walters' pioneering work in TV interviews to the secrets she guarded until her passing.
This book is a tour de force of biography writing. Susan Page's incredible research, captivating prose, and revealing insights into Barbara Walters' extraordinary life make this an essential read for anyone interested in the history of television journalism and the indomitable spirit of a woman who broke all the rules to redefine the industry. It's an amazing journey through the life and legacy of a true trailblazer, who had "no regrets."

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC. #netgalley

This new take on Barbara walters certainly can’t be faulted for lack of research. Page has done a formidable number of interviews. While walters is known enough to be a household word for many. However the authoraim is to revisit what may not be all that new to many is to create aause a solid psychological profile. While she succeeds all that research is too much of a good thing— especially for readers who are not journalists. And much as walters was much admired and, for many. Young women, inspiring she is an unlikeable subject
Her ears are heartbreaking— and for this reader too depressing

I unlike most biographies this one didn’t have any pictures. Something badly missed


Off there were half stars I’d give this 2 1/2
Wa liters history to create a solid psychological prfi

Barbara Walters has long been an idol of mine. I studied journalism in college and often looked at her career and style of reporting as someone I'd like to be like. This intimate look at her entire life and career was fascinating to pour over. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars for Page's research and writing.