PositiveWashington PostCouric attempts to fill in those messy parts, to demystify herself and the world she inhabits. What readers learn is that behind that chipper veneer there was a sharper-edged, savvier figure quietly taking notes — and judging everyone. If she is attempting to prove that she is not as nice as her on-air persona, she succeeds. Her descriptions can be unsparing ... If Couric’s memoir settles scores, it also forces her to reckon with her past self. Looking back at her old interviews, she finds that she has a lot of explaining to do. She cringes when she examines some of her choices ... Toward the end of the book, when Lauer was ousted from NBC and the \'Today\' show amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault, Couric professes confusion about the beloved co-host she knew and the sexual predator she was reading about. These pages are a navigational challenge for Couric, as she threads her way through reputational land mines that she barely escapes. But with Lauer protected all around by professional sycophants and facilitators, Couric was hardly the only one who didn’t pick up on his transgressions ... Couric has not written a capital-J journalism tome, self-righteously outlining the highest ideals of her profession. Rather, she pulls back the curtain on her life and times in the business, with much to celebrate and apologize for.
