I recently added Joan: Life Beyond the Script to my (virtual) bookshelf. What is the last celebrity memoir you have enjoyed?
Joan: Life Beyond the Script
***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links
Summary:
Born Joan Blunden, Joan Lunden was self-directed and achievement-oriented from a young age. She had an interesting childhood and began her broadcasting career in Sacramento, California. After she received national attention, she moved to New York City and worked her way up at ABC News to eventually co-anchor Good Morning America.
My Thoughts:
I am picky about celebrity memoirs, but I needed this one on my bookshelf because Joan Lunden of Good Morning America was the background soundtrack to my life while raising my young family. Her authenticity attracted me, but I didn’t spend too much time dwelling on her accomplishments or contributions to morning television or what her achievements meant for working women because I was busy juggling my own life. In retrospect, it is fascinating to read about her drive and rise to fame. Now I can see what I failed to appreciate or understand at the time.
Trailblazer
Joan Lunden is more driven and determined than she appears. As a faithful Good Morning America fan and busy/harried mom, it didn’t occur to me that easy-going and beautiful Joan Lunden was breaking barriers and fighting hard for all her achievements. Relentless and undaunted, she didn’t back away from challenges or succumb to intimidation, harassment, or bullying. When presented with a new opportunity, her answer was always “yes” and her attitude was “I’ll figure it out.” Joan took advantage of every open door, and at times opened her own.
Advocate
As a young mother, I didn’t appreciate the trailblazing work Joan Lunden accomplished on behalf of working mothers. She refused to hide or cleverly disguise her pregnancy on air, and she dared to utter the words “breastfeeding.” Joan also broke new ground for women when she negotiated a contract that allowed her to bring her baby to work, enabling her to breastfeed. On air, she was expected to hide the fact that she brought her baby to work, but Joan was transparent and honest with her viewers about the entire situation, and they loved it. As she became more popular, she became a spokesperson for certain brands in their advertising campaigns. At a time when working mothers and divorces were less common, Joan demonstrated that she could thrive at work and care for her children. Joan Lunden’s breast cancer diagnosis and her mother’s need for assisted living all presented opportunities for advocacy. Her desire to use her energy, position, and celebrity status to help others (then and now) is admirable and inspirational.
Joan faced difficult situations that are not new to working women. However, she didn’t have the protections of women today. Joan had to fight against workplace harassment in her own way. She recounts a time when she was put in a difficult/compromising position by her male boss. When she refused this man’s sexual intentions, he sidelined her at work and blocked her from getting assignments. She went to him and said she had prepared paperwork with her lawyer and was prepared to go public, but if he stopped the harassment, she would keep quiet. He took her seriously and backed down. She was bluffing!
She is an advocate and trailblazer in many ways. We stand on her shoulders.
Positivity
Joan’s drivenness is as impressive as her positive “can do” attitude. She attributes this positivity to her mother. Joan’s answer was always “yes,” and she never let fear hold her back. Joan had faith in her ability to figure it out. All she needed was the open door or opportunity.
When she was 45 years old (possibly 47?), she was fired and replaced with someone younger. Her response to this turn of events and other disappointments was reinvention:
“Reinvention isn’t always about doing more, it’s about seeing more.”
“Reinvention isn’t about leaving the past behind, it’s about surfacing with intention, about taking everything you’ve learned and using it to rise again–with a little more perspective.”
“It’s never too late to shift course, to find new purpose, to rise in a new way.”
Interactive Feature
One fun, interactive feature of the book is the inclusion of QR Codes at the end of chapters that can be scanned from a print version or clicked from an ebook (very handy!). These video clips link to the content in the chapter so that you can see her in action.
My Star Rating: 4 Stars
Meet the Author of Joan, Joan Lunden
Joan Lunden is a renowned American journalist, author, and television host, best known for her role as co-host of ABC’s Good Morning America from 1980 to 1997.
Lunden became a household name as the co-host of ABC’s Good Morning America, where she served for 17 years. She was one of the first women to break into the male-dominated field of morning news, making significant contributions to journalism and public discourse.
QOTD:
Is Joan Lunden a part of your TV viewing history?
I’m linking up with Deb @ Deb’s World and friends for the May installment of #WhatsOnYourBookShelf Challenge.
Happy Reading Book Pals!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.” ~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” ~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” ~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
Let’s Get Social!
Thank you for visiting and reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow,
Find me at:
Twitter/X
Blue Sky
Instagram (Threads link in bio)
Goodreads and StoryGraph
Pinterest
SubStack: @carolreadingladies
Reading Ladies Book Club on Facebook
My reviews are free, and my blog is a labor of love!
Donations are welcome and appreciated!
***Blog posts may contain affiliate links. This means that I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.
All books I review are bought or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that they are free (arcs).
Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website receives all credit for book covers and author photos used in the creation of a blog post.
© ReadingLadies.com
I’m not familiar with Joan but she sounds quite a remarkable woman.
Of course I know Joan Lunden, she’s famous for being a perky blonde and she always made it look easy. But neither my mother, nor I have ever been Morning TV watchers, so I just knew her from afar. I had no idea, as you said, of how much she had to fight and how determined she was! Sounds like a good book. I finished a book on Barbara Walters last year, another ground-breaking personality!
Their behind the scenes stories are interesting! They always made it look so easy.
I’d never heard of her but sounds interesting!
A behind the scenes is fun!
I’ve never heard of Joan, but love what you said about how she took advantage of open doors and opened a few of her own. Thanks for linking up (and sending me down a rabbit hole as I find out more about this woman).
An interesting woman! Thanks for stopping by! 🌷
I can honestly say I have never heard of her. I have never even watched a Canadian am show let alone an American one. I also was a working mom and am TV was not a thing when you start work at 0700. I don’t as a rule read memoirs but you have given such a positive view of her attitude, work ethic and trailblazing actions that it paints a compelling picture of her life.
Thanks for linking up. Bernie
I don’t read many memoirs and hardly any celebrity memoirs. Couldn’t resist this one. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Carol, Although I’ve not heard of Joan, I can see from your post what a formidable woman she was1. Many thanks for sharing this book with us.
Thanks for stopping by! 🌷
I’m astonished at how many people say they’ve never even HEARD of Joan Lunden! Wow. She was soooo famous! Time marches on.
Yep! A blast from the past!