Barbara Walters

School Library Journal

The Sawyer biography has a breezy, easier style than the one on Walters. The digression into the Watergate era is frank and carefully tied into the flow of the book. A complete, if complimentary biography, it depends on access to the broadcaster herself, since there are few published sources of information about her. A bit dated because of Sawyer's recent move from CBS to ABC, it is still a unique opportunity for readers to know Sawyer beyond her TV presence. Only once do the authors lapse into 19th-century didacticism--``Diane Sawyer is living proof that hard work can pay off!'' The sentiment need not have been so explicit, given the portrait the authors paint of this extraordinary woman. The Walters book is appealing and accurate, reporting others' criticisms of the newswoman, but focusing on Walters' accomplishments rather than her shortcomings. Using all available media--electronic, print, interviews--the author presents as complete a picture as possible. However, Malone takes Walters' word that her willingness to work hard, rather than any political climate conducive to women's emerging success, is at the heart of her achievements. While Malone remains objective elsewhere, this is one instance of the unduly adulatory stance toward her subject that many readers may not be able to judge for themselves. The style is readable and accessible, making rapid progress across the decades. There is one limitation: two chapters on the development of television and broadcasting are placed without transitions within the rest of the biography. --Ruth K. MacDonald, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN