''Personal History'' is the 1997 autobiography of ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' 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, wh ...

. It won the 1998

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography The Pulitzer Prize for Biography is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. The award honors "a distinguished and appropriately documented biography by an American author." Award winners receive ...

, 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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' from 1933 onwards; * her relationship with her husband Philip Graham; * Graham and Phil's relationships with

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, especially Johnson's appointment as Kennedy's running-mate; * Philip'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 in the Vietnam War, United States' political and militar ...

''; * The ''Post''s coverage of

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...

; 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 {{media-book-stub