She Cast Aside Every Role She Was Taught to Save The Washington Post

Katharine Graham did everything she was supposed to do as the daughter of a wealthy man:

She played. On the streets of Washington. At Mount Kisco, the family retreat. In San Francisco, as an intern.

She married well. Phillip Graham was an extraordinary man.

She had children. Don and Lally and the gang.

And everything was working out: The paper was outlasting its competition, the company purchased Newsweek and television stations.

Then Phil Graham killed himself (and she found the body!), launching Mrs. Graham on a personal odyssey. She had to learn to use a secretary, much less run a multi-million dollar business. She had to face down presidents, Wall Street types (even Warren Buffett).

In the end, through the travails of The Pentagon Papers case, Watergate and the strike that had her rolling papers at 5 a.m. in the Post's mailroom, Mrs. Graham emerges as a strong protofeminist from her genteel, protected roots.

It truly is an interesting evolution to read and see for yourself. The language is frank and unflinching.

What a joy to read and see through her eyes.