Barbara Walters left behind messages about her 'sense of isolation' as a child — and what drove her success

Broadcasting icon Barbara Walters passed away at 93 but left vivid tales of her life in a memoir, "Audition," published in 2008. In that book, she revealed challenges posed by her sister, Jackie.

When Walters' personal account of her life, "Audition: A Memoir," came out in 2008, book critics widely praised the "blockbuster" nonfiction work for being a "smart, funny, fascinating book" as well as "compulsively entertaining." Walters said her sister's condition was "never discussed" outside the family circle. Walters said that because her sister's life was so isolated — so was her own life, in turn. "There were times I hated her, too, for being different … for the restraints she put on my life." Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle for Fox News Digital.

It was full of "heartfelt candor," critics said.