Barbra: The Way She Is

by Christopher Andersen

Book Overview

"Funny, I don't feel like a legend."
-- Barbra Streisand

She is a one-name legend, a global icon, the ultimate diva. Yet most of what we know about Barbra Joan Streisand is the stuff of caricature: the Brooklyn girl made good, the ugly duckling who blossomed into a modern-day Nefertiti, the political dilettante driving to the barricades in her Rolls-Royce, the Oscar-winning actress and bona fide movie mogul, the greatest female singer who ever lived, a skinflint, a philanthropist, a connoisseur and a barbarian, the woman whose physical characteristics are instantly identifiable around the planet -- the tapered nails, those slightly crossed eyes, that nose, the voice.

Even to the multitudes around the world who idolize her, Streisand remains aloof, unknowable, tantalizingly beyond reach. Until now. In the manner of his #l New York Times bestsellers The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died as well as Jack and Jackie, Jackie After Jack, An Affair to Remember, and Sweet Caroline, Christopher Andersen taps into important sources -- eyewitnesses to Streisand's remarkable life and career -- to paint a startling portrait of the artist . . . and the woman. Among the revelations:

Surprising new details about her wedding and marriage to James Brolin.

New information about her many failed love affairs, including her never-before-revealed relationships with Prince Charles and Princess Diana's doomed lover Dodi Fayed -- as well as Warren Beatty, Ryan O'Neal, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, Steve McQueen, Richard Gere, Kris Kristofferson, Don Johnson, Jon Voight, Andre Agassi, newsman Peter Jennings, and more . . .

A provocative inside account of what really went on between Streisand and Bill Clinton in the White House, what their relationship is like today, and how Hillary feels about Barbra.

From Funny Girl and The Way We Were to Yentl and The Prince of Tides -- and in the recording sessions that produced some of the biggest hits in music history -- new behind-the-scenes details of the brilliance, the obsessive drive for perfection, and the Callas-sized ego.

New insights into Barbra's relationship with her only child, Jason.

Whether you love her, hate her, or are simply spellbound by her titanic talent, Barbra is one thing above all others: a true American original.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060562560
• ISBN13: 9780060562564
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Book, Funny, Entertaining, Barbra is such a character

I loved the book. The author has done extensive research, and I actually read the whole book which i think some reviewers here did not. I loved some parts like Barbra saying "Do you think I'm Bugs Bunny?" when she was asked to play in the movie "What's Up Doc?" Barbra comes out of it as a very colorful, intelligent and savvy person. That is my opinion, this is a great book on Barbra, if only all great singers were like her, their life would be more realistic and more fun.

Great fun ... read this book!

I had a great time reading Barbra: the Way She Is, and I think any Streisand fan would find the book absorbing. It is packed with great Streisand lore. Some of the juiciest bits have made headlines, but this book is much more -- it gives us a Streisand portrait that hasn't been retouched by myth-makers --a dispassionate look at a legend. Bravo Christopher Andersen!

Perfect Title

I found this book refreshing. All the Hype is gone and only what she is really like is there, all the Good as well as the Bad. It is well written and easy to Believe.

Great read!

This book is fascinating. There is so much I didn't know about Barbra's life and career and this really revealed a lot to me. If you're going to read one biography this year, read this one. I highly recommend it for long-time Barbra fans as well as new ones like me.

A FANTASTIC READ

I am a huge fan of Barbra Streisand's and after reading this I love her more than ever. Bought it and read it in 1 day...couldn't put it down.