The Rulebreaker

The Life and Times of Barbara Walters

By: Susan Page

Narrated by: Susan Page

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

A “smart, juicy, deeply reported” (Katie Couric) biography of the most successful female broadcaster of all time—Barbara Walters—a woman whose personal demons fueled an ambition that broke all the rules and finally gave women a permanent place on the air, written by bestselling author Susan Page.

Barbara Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning dominance in a new world of competition from streaming services and social media half a century later. She was not just a groundbreaker for women (Oprah announced when she was seventeen that she wanted to be Barbara Walters), but also expanded the big TV interview and then dominated the genre. By the end of her career, she had interviewed more of the famous and infamous, from presidents to movie stars to criminals to despots, than any other journalist in history. Then at sixty-seven, past the age of many female broadcasters found themselves involuntarily retired, she pioneered a new form of talk TV called The View. She is on the short list of those who have left the biggest imprints on television news and on our culture, male or female. So, who was the woman behind the legacy?

In The Rulebreaker, Susan Page conducts 150 interviews and extensive archival research to discover that Walters was driven to keep herself and her family afloat after her mercurial and famous impresario father attempted suicide. But she never lost the fear of an impending catastrophe, which is what led her to ask for things no woman had ever asked for before, to ignore the rules of misogynistic culture, to outcompete her most ferocious competitors, and to protect her complicated marriages and love life from scrutiny.

Page breaks news on every front—from the daring things Walters did to become the woman who reinvented the TV interview to the secrets she kept until her heath. This is the “stunning” (Norah O’Donnell), “brilliantly written” (Andrea Mitchell) account of the woman who knew she had to break all the rules so she could break all the rules about what viewers deserved to know.

©2024 Susan Page (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

The constant challenges BW encountered and her determination to meet each challenge.

We don’t know what it has taken to become the “successful” person you see. This book goes wide and deep helping us to know Barbara Walters and what she did to achieve that success.

Her tenacity was never ending.

I found Susan Page voice to be dull and unfeeling. It was hard to get through the content because of it. But, Barbara’s life was fascinating and sad . She never seemed satisfied always wanting notes

Moving and Informative

A fascinating account of what it took for Walter’s success and what she did not have in her long life. Another Susan Page success.

A complicated woman

Susan Page did a remarkable job uncovering what made Ms Walters tick. Also, nice job on the performance.

That Barbara Walter’s was extremely competitive.

I loved the book - it was a wonderful look into who Barbara Walter’s was - and all that she accomplished. It looked in detail at the way she was brought up and how that really drove her to achieve. Interesting to look at the interviews she was driven to get first and her relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. Thanks for writing it Susan Page.

Brilliant

This book is so well researched and captivating that I wish it didn’t end. Barbara Walters life is really a chronicle of the 20th century and she interviewed most every important person that made the 20th century what it was… Along the way shattering glass ceilings and redefining tv. . She was the first superstar journalist - she changed news and celebrity She was of her time and ahead of her time. This book tells the story brilliantly.

An outstanding woman with an outstanding life

A well written story about a woman who was truly a pioneer in her field. The path that she took in her life forced to give up certain personal things. But she had her bath to take and was amazing at it

loved all the accomplishments Barbara made to help woman become noticed in a man's world. She paved the way.

I enjoyed learning about all the history behind the stories. The story was well done.

An insight into an icon

What a fascinating book. I’m a 2-decade fan and viewer of The View and have always respected Barbara for creating that institution, but acknowledge that I didn’t fully appreciate all that she has contributed to our world. This biography is an epic piece showcasing a long and complicated life.

The one aspect of this book that I found challenging was the awkward time jumps. In one chapter, the author would be talking about a specific topic or milestone in Barbara’s life, talk about something that happened later and may be connected to the larger story, then the next chapter we’d be talking about a potentially different time period. Aside from that it was a great read.

Details and perspectives of friends, co workers, etc

I enjoyed the entire series, well written details especially saddening Ms Walter’s inability to recognize what her own legacy would be.