Going There

By: Katie Couric

Narrated by: Katie Couric

This heartbreaking, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir shares the deeply personal life story of a girl next door and her transformation into a household name.

​For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life - a story she’s never shared, until now. Of the medium she loves, the one that made her a household name, she says, “Television can put you in a box; the flat-screen can flatten. On TV, you are larger than life but smaller, too. It is not the whole story, and it is not the whole me. This book is.”

Beginning in early childhood, Couric was inspired by her journalist father to pursue the career he loved but couldn’t afford to stay in. Balancing her vivacious, outgoing personality with her desire to be taken seriously, she overcame every obstacle in her way: insecurity, an eating disorder, being typecast, sexism . . . challenges, and how she dealt with them, setting the tone for the rest of her career. Couric talks candidly about adjusting to sudden fame after her astonishing rise to co-anchor of the TODAY show, and guides us through the most momentous events and news stories of the era, to which she had a front-row seat: Rodney King, Anita Hill, Columbine, the death of Princess Diana, 9/11, the Iraq War . . . In every instance, she relentlessly pursued the facts, ruffling more than a few feathers along the way. She also recalls in vivid and sometimes lurid detail the intense pressure on female anchors to snag the latest “get”—often sensational tabloid stories like Jon Benet Ramsey, Tonya Harding, and OJ Simpson.

Couric’s position as one of the leading lights of her profession was shadowed by the shock and trauma of losing her husband to stage 4 colon cancer when he was just 42, leaving her a widow and single mom to two daughters, 6 and 2. The death of her sister Emily, just three years later, brought yet more trauma—and an unwavering commitment to cancer awareness and research, one of her proudest accomplishments.

Couric is unsparing in the details of her historic move to the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News—a world rife with sexism and misogyny. Her “welcome” was even more hostile at 60 Minutes, an unrepentant boys club that engaged in outright hazing of even the most established women. In the wake of the MeToo movement, Couric shares her clear-eyed reckoning with gender inequality and predatory behavior in the workplace, and downfall of Matt Lauer—a colleague she had trusted and respected for more than a decade.

Couric also talks about the challenge of finding love again, with all the hilarity, false-starts, and drama that search entailed, before finding her midlife Mr. Right. Something she has never discussed publicly—why her second marriage almost didn’t happen.

If you thought you knew Katie Couric, think again. Going There is the fast-paced, emotional, riveting story of a thoroughly modern woman, whose journey took her from humble origins to superstardom. In these pages, you will find a friend, a confidante, a role model, a survivor whose lessons about life will enrich your own.

Critic reviews

“Going There is jam-packed with honesty, humor, and helpful advice for every woman blazing her own path. I admired Katie Couric before, but after reading Going There, I absolutely love her. When you read about the real Katie in these pages, you will too.”—Glennon Doyle, author of the #1 bestseller Untamed and host of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast

“Couric's actual living voice—one of the most human and wise of our times—is on every single line of this memoir, but "memoir" is reductive. This is memoir as time capsule, memoir as therapy session, memoir as masterpiece. Memoir as Necessity. It is aggressively, gorgeously human, the very book we needed for this time. You will feel thankful, as though Katie Couric has been an angel on your shoulder, she's been with you this whole time, and now, thank God, she's ready to show you the other side.”

—Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women

“The secret to Katie Couric’s success is that there are no secrets. While the dogged determination she has called upon her whole life is an invaluable asset, there are other ingredients in Katie’s not-so-secret sauce: humor, concern, sincerity, steadfastness, and devotion to her daughters, family, and friends. If Katie is "going there," no matter where “there” is, we’re along for the ride.”—Michael J. Fox, bestselling author of No Time Like the Future

“The woman we’ve counted on for decades to tell the most important stories of our time is finally telling her own. And nothing is off the record. This no-holds-barred account of Katie’s rise to TV fame—while juggling motherhood, crushing loss, and brushes with failure—delivers on its title. She writes with a raw honesty and been-there-lived-that sensibility that every woman on the rise will benefit from. Brimming with heart and sheer grit, it’s a masterclass in resilience and overcoming every obstacle on the way to success.”—Elaine Welteroth, bestselling author and award-winning journalist

"Fast-paced and riveting, Going There is an intimate memoir that chronicles the once magical world of TV news. Every young woman should read this book to understand what ambition really feels like and the work it takes to fulfill it."—Tina Brown

“Funny, sincere, heartbreaking — Couric chronicles her upbringing, career in TV journalism, cutthroat pressures and boys club hazing of the biz, the downfall of her co-anchor Matt Lauer, as well as the death of her husband at the young age of 42 and finding love again. Looking for a new BFF? You’ll find one here.”
—Lesley Kennedy, CNN

Katie Couric’s Story

I so thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience of listening to Katie Couric narrate her book! I couldn’t stop listening. Katie’s voice, vocabulary, articulation and wit were all just icing on the cake of a very honest, heartfelt and moving story of herself. There were times when I laughed out loud and other moments when tears ran down my cheeks.
In summary, whether you read this book, or listen to it, it proves to be a historically educational and worthwhile experience. I absolutely loved Going There and can’t recommend it enough. Go there!

Great read.

Katie's new book was excellent. I enjoyed reading your experiences and reflections from those experiences throughout your work on the Today Show, CBS evening anchor, and many others. This information that you shared was very enlightening and gave the audience a behind the scenes perspective! Great book.

Loved This Memoir

I really loved this book. Maybe it’s because I am of Katie’s generation and was a Today Show fan. Maybe it’s because I lost someone I loved to colon cancer. Maybe it’s because Katie persevered with positivity and hard work, acknowledging her mistakes. I respect that. This book resonated with me in so many ways.

LOVED IT

Loved this book, so personal, so true. the part about being a widow is spot on!

Well worth the wait

Loved Katie's honesty and frankness about her career in the media business. Her love for family and gratitude towards her parents was beautifully shared. The tender moments shared about her first husband Jay and the memories for her daughters were wonderful. The book was first rate in my opinion.

Loved Going There!

Katie’s story reflects the challenges women faced in broadcasting and the workforce in general. I spent 15 years in the industry before becoming a full time feminist activist. I had the pleasure of meeting Katie when NOW presented her with their Intrepid Feminist award.

Her personal challenges around the loss of her husband are relatable to anyone who has faced this challenge.

I got so caught up in her story I stayed up all night listening to it!!

Excellent

This was such a great book. I couldn’t stop listening. What a life she has lived. Get the book for sure

Interesting

Katie does a great job of sharing the high and low points of her life in both a thoughtful and as you would expect if had watched her on TV humorous way.
Great job Katie!

Awesome lady.

Just finished listening to Going There and Katie you gave me a whole new great reason that I’m a woman. Your story was interesting at every word and you putting your life with honesty out there proves the person you are. With great integrity, smarts, love, and a true lady that never gives up. I admire you so much. Thank you for the great book. I normally don’t write reviews but could not turn off my phone without doing it first.

Very Enjoyable

A very interesting and fun book. Well written and super enjoyable. It was neat to hear all that Katie had gone through in her career and life, especially while it was being narrated by Katie herself. It was hard to stop, I didn’t want to turn it off. At first I was daunted by the amount of hours the book was expected to take, but the time just disappeared, and now I’m sad the book is finished.