Katharine Graham: The Leadership Journey of an American Icon

For more than twenty years Katharine Graham was a self-described “doormat wife.” But after her husband’s suicide, she took over as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post and shocked the male executives who bet against her success. She defied the government by publishing the Pentagon Papers, took on the president in the Watergate investigation, and stood down a violent labor strike. Through every challenge she stuck by her values, building a diverse, profitable, and much-admired company. Graham’s bestselling memoir Personal History gave readers this great woman’s intimate view of her own story. Now, Robin Gerber focuses on the heart of Graham’s success: her leadership. Gerber shows how Graham overcame an emotionally impoverished childhood, deep insecurities, and a marriage to a brilliant but mentally ill husband. Drawing on exclusive interviews with some of her closest friends and colleagues, such as Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn, Margaret Carlson, and Gloria Steinem, Gerber analyzes the principles that guided Graham’s toughest decisions. Perceptive and thought provoking, Katharine Graham provides a wealth of lessons for anyone moving up the leadership ladder. It’s also a deeply inspiring and hopeful book, offering women who continue to face sexism in the workplace a model for personal triumph.