Going There

By: Katie Couric

Narrated by: Katie Couric

This heartbreaking, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir shares the deeply personal life story of a girl next door and her transformation into a household name.

​For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life—a story she’s never shared, until now. Of the medium she loves, the one that made her a household name, she says, “Television can put you in a box; the flat-screen can flatten. On TV, you are larger than life but smaller, too. It is not the whole story, and it is not the whole me. This book is.”

Beginning in early childhood, Couric was inspired by her journalist father to pursue the career he loved but couldn’t afford to stay in. Balancing her vivacious, outgoing personality with her desire to be taken seriously, she overcame every obstacle in her way: insecurity, an eating disorder, being typecast, sexism . . . challenges, and how she dealt with them, setting the tone for the rest of her career. Couric talks candidly about adjusting to sudden fame after her astonishing rise to co-anchor of the TODAY show, and guides us through the most momentous events and news stories of the era, to which she had a front-row seat: Rodney King, Anita Hill, Columbine, the death of Princess Diana, 9/11, the Iraq War . . . In every instance, she relentlessly pursued the facts, ruffling more than a few feathers along the way. She also recalls in vivid and sometimes lurid detail the intense pressure on female anchors to snag the latest “get”—often sensational tabloid stories like Jon Benet Ramsey, Tonya Harding, and OJ Simpson.

Couric’s position as one of the leading lights of her profession was shadowed by the shock and trauma of losing her husband to stage 4 colon cancer when he was just 42, leaving her a widow and single mom to two daughters, 6 and 2. The death of her sister Emily, just three years later, brought yet more trauma—and an unwavering commitment to cancer awareness and research, one of her proudest accomplishments.

Couric is unsparing in the details of her historic move to the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News—a world rife with sexism and misogyny. Her “welcome” was even more hostile at 60 Minutes, an unrepentant boys club that engaged in outright hazing of even the most established women. In the wake of the MeToo movement, Couric shares her clear-eyed reckoning with gender inequality and predatory behavior in the workplace, and downfall of Matt Lauer—a colleague she had trusted and respected for more than a decade.

Couric also talks about the challenge of finding love again, with all the hilarity, false-starts, and drama that search entailed, before finding her midlife Mr. Right. Something she has never discussed publicly—why her second marriage almost didn’t happen.

If you thought you knew Katie Couric, think again. Going There is the fast-paced, emotional, riveting story of a thoroughly modern woman, whose journey took her from humble origins to superstardom. In these chapters, you will find a friend, a confidante, a role model, a survivor whose lessons about life will enrich your own.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Katie Couric (P)2021 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“Going There is jam-packed with honesty, humor, and helpful advice for every woman blazing her own path. I admired Katie Couric before, but after reading Going There, I absolutely love her. When you read about the real Katie in these pages, you will too.” (Glennon Doyle, author of the number one best seller Untamed and host of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast)

“Couric's actual living voice - one of the most human and wise of our times - is on every single line of this memoir, but "memoir" is reductive. This is memoir as time capsule, memoir as therapy session, memoir as masterpiece. Memoir as Necessity. It is aggressively, gorgeously human, the very book we needed for this time. You will feel thankful, as though Katie Couric has been an angel on your shoulder, she's been with you this whole time, and now, thank God, she's ready to show you the other side.” (Lisa Taddeo, best-selling author of Three Women)

“The secret to Katie Couric’s success is that there are no secrets. While the dogged determination she has called upon her whole life is an invaluable asset, there are other ingredients in Katie’s not-so-secret sauce: humor, concern, sincerity, steadfastness, and devotion to her daughters, family, and friends. If Katie is "going there," no matter where “there” is, we’re along for the ride.” (Michael J. Fox, best-selling author of No Time Like the Future)

Really going there!!

Katie has had an extraordinary life . She tells her story well and is seems to be a genuine good person . Over her career and personal life she has taken a lot of flack for some of her decisions especially in the spotlight. What I really takeaway from her book is she is resilient as she just keep growing. She has taught her daughters the same . It’s not about being at a job for 50 years it’s about learning , growing , knowing when it’s time to go . Equally it’s important to have a loving supportive family and a close inner circle and important lesson that does not include work “friends”.

Great Book !

This is the best autobiography I have listen to. Katie writes from her heart sharing heartache and successes in her life. I have tremendous respect for her strength, courage and grace in the most challenging circumstances. How sad that successful women are a target for haters. Bravo Katie ! A triumphant story. I highly recommend this book.

Very Well Done

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Katie’s story in all its detail. Take the time to listen!

Amazing!!!

Katie’s honesty, wit, and self-deprecation made for a page turner extraordinaire! Admittedly, I was crazy about Katie before I read Going There, but this book only confirmed my opinion. Beautiful!

FASCINATING

Couldn't stop listening to this book.... even the strongest women have their moments. So interesting to hear all the ends and outs KC had to deal with and what a totally down to earth person she is. Highly recommend this book!

Why the shock?

In listening to Katie tell her version of the stories of her life, I laughed, I cried and felt the power of change. Only once or twice was I surprised by some of the things I heard, however I was never shocked by any of it. Nobody, other then any of the people who still have ghosts in their closets, should be shocked or outraged by this book. And until you have read it you probably need to learn to hold your words. Only a weak man uses the “C” word to describe a woman they fear. Bravo Katie Couric this was truly a wonderful listen. With my 57 ur old brother fighting right now for his life as he battles colon rectal cancer, your journey will and has helped me. And for that I can’t thank you enough.

Great audio book!

Engaging writing, very relatable for anyone who has lost an spouse to cancer or currently experiencing cancer with a loved one.

Totally enjoyed Katie's words

I listen to a lot of books. All kinds. I always liked Katie Couric so it wasn't a stretch that I would listen to her book. But would it be interesting or entertaining? Yes it was. I listened to her book at work and on my drive to and from work.
I liked that she was candid about her ups and downs.
I laughed out loud and cried along with her.
You won't waste a credit listening to Katie.

Great title for a great book

I guess I didn’t truly know as much about Katie as I had thought. It was really interesting. I did have to stop at times due to the profound sadness of her losing Jay. I knew he had died and her fight for cancer research. Just so sad realizing how little the girls were and all that Katie went through. So happy she found John Molner (sp?) and it was nice hearing a little update on the girls at the end. A wonderful book! I like Katie even more now!

Hated to hear it end!

I loved hearing about Katie’s life and career… the highs and lows, all written and read beautifully! An extraordinary book about an extraordinary journalist, daughter, wife and mom. Bravo Katie - you are one who did it all … amazingly well and with the utmost class! A great example of woman of our generation.