''Personal History'' is the 1997 autobiography of ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' publisher
Katharine Graham
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...
. It won the 1998
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, and received widespread critical acclaim for its candour in dealing with her husband's mental illness and the challenges she faced in a male-dominated working environment.
Themes
The main themes of the book include:
* Graham's complex and often difficult relationship with her mother;
* her family's involvement with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' from 1933 onwards;
* her relationship with her husband
Philip Graham
Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company.
During his years with the Post Comp ...
;
* Graham and Phil's relationships with
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
and
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, especially Johnson's appointment as Kennedy's running-mate;
* Phil's mental illness and eventual suicide;
* Graham's evolution from a housewife to the chairman of a major publishing company;
* her growing awareness of feminist issues;
* the legal battle over the ''
Pentagon Papers
The ''Pentagon Papers'', officially titled ''Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force'', is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 ...
'';
* The ''Post''’s coverage of
Watergate; and
* her relationship to the labor movement, first as an activist, then as a reporter, then with the strikes at the ''Post'', most notably the 1975–1976 pressmen's strike.
References
*
External links
''Booknotes'' interview with Graham on ''Personal History'', February 16, 1997.
1997 non-fiction books
American autobiographies
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography-winning works
The Washington Post
Works about Katharine Graham
Alfred A. Knopf books
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