(In fact, the tales, the confessions, and the astutely deployed gossip are all part of that art.) This is a skill often derided but disastrously beyond the reach of figures ranging from politicians to fictional characters. The tales of glory, the mea culpas, and even the dish proved less fascinating to me, however, than Couric’s command of the art of being likable. full of reckonings of the type widely demanded these days, although Couric’s are exceptionally candid. The book satisfies the appetite for two types of voyeurism: the desire to peek into the lives of the rich and famous, and the wish to see them do penance for the sins they committed along the way. Reading it was a two-day crash course in the American infatuation with Couric’s wholesome smile and cap of tousled brunette hair, spiced by her late-life regrets over how she once handled everything from race and gender to homelessness.
Read Full Review >īy the time I hit page 50, she’d already finagled me into her corner. Rather, she pulls back the curtain on her life and times in the business, with much to celebrate and apologize for. Couric has not written a capital-J journalism tome, self-righteously outlining the highest ideals of her profession. But with Lauer protected all around by professional sycophants and facilitators, Couric was hardly the only one who didn’t pick up on his transgressions. These pages are a navigational challenge for Couric, as she threads her way through reputational land mines that she barely escapes. Toward the end of the book, when Lauer was ousted from NBC and the 'Today' show amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault, Couric professes confusion about the beloved co-host she knew and the sexual predator she was reading about. She cringes when she examines some of her choices.
Looking back at her old interviews, she finds that she has a lot of explaining to do. If Couric’s memoir settles scores, it also forces her to reckon with her past self. If she is attempting to prove that she is not as nice as her on-air persona, she succeeds. What readers learn is that behind that chipper veneer there was a sharper-edged, savvier figure quietly taking notes - and judging everyone. Couric attempts to fill in those messy parts, to demystify herself and the world she inhabits.
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