Customer Reviews

Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate

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This book is a terrific explanation of the Kismet that brought Woodward and Bernstein together with the fortunate, and rare, backing of a committed publisher to chronicle truth in the midst of near-battlefield conditions. Read it and be amazed that it happened. Read it and be proud of journalism, many members of Congress, our courts and citizens reading, watching, and caring that our government, not politics, carried the day. It's so interestingly written that it shoved aside all the rest of the books on my "must read" pile.

Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate is more than a retelling of journalism's greatest hour. It's an elegy to the day when everyone read the daily paper and what appeared on page 1 mattered hugely. Watergate is only the preamble; what happened afterward to Woodward and Bernstein is equally interesting. This is a great read for anyone who cares about journalism or national affairs.

A MUST-READ FOR WATERGATE JUNKIES! We have all followed Woodward and Bernstein's careers through newspaper articles and the occa¬sional TV interview. Now Alicia Shepard has gathered all those data into a book about what Watergate did for them...and to them. It is a fascinating tale of young reporters who got sudden fame and fortune early in their lives, and how Woodward prospered while Bernstein foundered.
Shepard had access to their entire Watergate archives, and my only criticism of the book is its liberal quotations of that material. When "letters and telegrams" pour in from all over the country to them, it is not necessary to quote from so many. It slows down the narrative and you will find yourself skipping over most of these repetitive passages. All in all, it is a 266 page book that would have a much easier read at about 225. But if you love Water¬gate and all that came in its wake, pick up this book and read about how it careened the careers of these little reports to un¬known heights and depths.

When the five burglars bungled their bugging mission at the Watergate in June of 1972, they unwittingly changed not only our country's political history, but its journalistic one as well. Alicia Shepard has masterfully chronicled the successes and struggles, both professional and personal, of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the men who blew the lid off Watergate, in this informative and enjoyable book. She recounts their investigation of the scandal, illuminating a new perspective through extensive interviews with their editors. She pulls no punches in exposing their triumphs and their failures in the ensuring three decades, in their reporting, their marriages, and even their relationship with each other. The result is an eminently readable book that will leave you feeling as if you have finally gotten the inside scoop on the men whose names are synonymous with Watergate.

Alicia C. Shepard has written what should become the definitive biography of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Her book is scholarly without being pedantic and revelatory without being salacious. She skillfully shows how Watergate affected not only history, but journalism, and the lives of the two young men who doggedly pursued the truth. This book is must reading for anyone who wants to become a journalist, or who cares about what journalists do.

John DeDakis
CNN Senior Copy Editor, "The Situation Room"
Author, FAST TRACK
[...]

Alicia Shepard's navigation of the Watergate archives has produced a page-turning narrative of what is clearly the seminal adventure in American journalism. The interviews are broad and deep, the files meticulously researched and reported, all written with a reader's eye to what's important, what's fascinating and what's alluringly tawdry.
Shepard breathed life into the book drawing upon her own newsroom experience. Her college classroom experience informed and sharpened the sociological significance of Woodward's and Bernstein's contributions. And her generational geography gave it context.
It's a great history book - and a great read.

As a Watergate junkie, I thought I had read everything I needed to about these events. But this is a wonderful and entertaining read about the "Woodstein" back story -- how did the fame and attention they received from their Watergate stories impact the rest of their lives? This book is compelling and a great read!

I loved this book, and couldn't put it down. It reveals a lot from those days, when journalism was beginning to 'tell all.' Now this book tells all, about the two reporters who told all! Love it!!!!!

This is a well written book about the two men most widely identified with bringing Nixon down. This is not how they would describe themselves, of course, but the fact remains that without their doggedness Nixon would probably have skated through this mess of his own making. The author does get a bit redundant at times, which is an affliction most history books seem to suffer from, but that's a minor nit. I did find it interesting that Robert Redford had envisioned a movie about these two from the very beginning, even before any momentum to open hearings had begun. His instinct was good; his influence changed the direction the book they were writing, All the President's Men, from an account of the Watergate scandal itself to an account of the investigative journalism required to unearth the details of the scandal. I would have liked to hear more about Woodward's unfortunate decisions to justify the Bush Gang's crimes by writing books about his criminality, but for some reason the author was largely silent about that. Indeed, if anything, she should be criticized for not going into enough detail on the criticisms Woodward has generated over not only his Bush books but also the Belushi bio, Wired. Still, I recommend this as a quick enjoyable read for anyone interested in another side of celebrity, the kind people used to become because they DID something important rather than being someone cute or outrageous. I know, how old fashioned.

I must say, I was skeptical when I first started the book. But, I was was pleasantly surprised. All I can say is that Woodward is one fascinating guy. I would love to meet him. As a reporter for a small daily newspaper, I loved learning more about how large daily newspapers operate. I also could relate to Bernstein -- I think we have the some of the same personality traits. We can hit some some home runs, but then also strike out a lot, maybe even some ADD traits.

Woodward and Bernstien are the perfect example that if you work hard and don't give up, good things happen. I know it's straight from the "water is wet department" but it's the truth. Their work is inspiring. Woodward talks to sources over and over again, literally dozens of times, for each story. That's why he is the best journalists in this county.

First, I read the "All the Presidents Men," then watched the movie, and then read this book. Shepard's book is a excellent follow up to the book and the movie.