Personal History: Katharine Graham (Paperback)

If you are like me, you will find the sections of the book about her growing up as Andre Meyer's daughter, Watergate, the strike with the pressman's union at the Post, and her relationship with Warren Buffett to be the most interesting parts of the book.

If, like me, you decide that you find Ms. Graham appealing, it will probably be because of her willingness to do the right thing, even when very painful and dangerous to her, and her loyalty to others . . . even when that loyalty may not have been earned. Even to her enemies, she held out olive branches to keep lines of communication open . . . which were often rejected.

Although the book is candid about her own failings (having been too sheltered as a child and wife, making lots of mistakes in picking and working with people at the Washington Post Company, and being too accepting of male chauvinism) and family members who are deceased (especially her father, mother, and husband), she pulls back from any significant observations about many of her friends and acquaintances who are still living. You will see these people primarily from the perspective of having been lunch and dinner companions and guests. A curtain of privacy is also pulled over long sections of her life. For example, you will find out the names of the people and the yacht that she disappeared on for several weeks, but nothing about what occurred.

On the other hand, CEO autobiographies usually toot the horn of the CEO. The closest this one comes to tooting is quoting Warren Buffett in pointing out that Washington Post Company stock grew more than double the rate of any other similar company during the time when she was CEO. Actually, even that observation is modest. As measured by stock-price performance, Ms. Graham is one of the great CEOs of the 20th century.

She has also left behind a legacy of commitment to a free press from the Pentagon Papers publication and the Watergate exposures that will stand as a beacon for future publishers. In either case, she could have lost the bulk of her wealth and influence had things turned out differently. Most CEOs would be reluctant to take those kinds of risks in the public interest. Certainly, there was no financial windfall to taking these courses. It was simply the right thing to do. Thank you, Ms. Graham!

Have you ever been in a situation where you were supposed to know how to do something, but had no clue? Throughout her business career, Ms. Graham was placed in that awkward situation. Towards the end of the book, she reveals that she wished that she had attended Harvard Business School. Throughout her business career, Ms. Graham reveals here feeling like a fraud and not knowing what questions to ask. But in business, it's usually more important what you do than what you know. And she kept moving forward until she found a method that worked. That kind of perseverance takes great moral courage, and I was impressed to realize just how much more difficult her accomplishments were to achieve than they seemed to outsiders.

Where should you be taking a more active role in choosing your life's direction? Where should you be more understanding of friends and family members? Where should you keep the lines of communications open? Where should you draw the line at accommodation?

Katharine Graham was born to a wealthy family. Her father H Meyer was a publisher and in 1933 bought The Washington Post. Katharine or Kay as her many friends called her, was brought up to believe that she could do anything. And, as her life shows us, she became one of the most powerful women in the United States. In 1938 after college, Katharine went to work for her father at the Washington Post. She learned the ropes, and completed many jobs and found the way of the newspaper. She met a man who soon became her husband, Philip Graham. Once her children arrived, Katharine stopped working to raise her family, and Philip became the publisher and CEO of the Post. They led a fairly happy life with a family focus but still entertianed a lot with dinner parties and social events. Katharine made sure however her children were brought up with love and discipline. During this time the Post bought the Washington Times and Newsweek. In 1963, Katharine's beloved husband committed suicide; she found he had hanged himself. Bereft she and the children tried to put their lives together. Someone had to run the paper and Katharine went back to work. She learned the ways of the Washington post by observation and quick study and became it publisher, Chairman of the Board and finally CEO. Katharine Graham ran The Post.

Thus began the days of liberation. The time of the Pentagon Papers and The Watergate. Hard biting, investigative journalism was the theme of The Post. And, it was during this time that "The Post" became one of the most important papers in the United States. Kay became a well known doyenne of the city, she was a very popular figure in Washington and well liked. She was erudite and intelligent, well spoken. She ran the paper as she did her life with dedication and love. Katharine Graham's autobiography is well written and relays many truths and secrets - all is open for everyone to read. Mention the name Katharine Graham today, and she is almost as well known as she was in 2001 when she died after falling and striking her head. Katharine left a legacy for her family and for history. She left nothing to chance. She is a role model and this is a book that all women, actuallly everyone, should read. Highly recommended. prisrob