by Jean Stein
First published 1983
Jean Stein chronicles the brief, meteoric life of Edie Sedgwick through the voices of those who knew her best. The author assembles testimonies from Sedgwick's family members alongside cultural luminaries including Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, and Andy Warhol himself. These firsthand accounts trace Sedgwick's transformation from troubled socialite to Factory superstar, revealing the forces that propelled her into Warhol's orbit and the circumstances that defined her trajectory. Stein constructs this portrait entirely through interviews and recollections, allowing the speakers to tell Sedgwick's story in their own words. The result captures both the glamour of 1960s New York's art scene and the personal cost of fame for a young woman caught between privilege and self-destruction. Through these multiple perspectives, readers encounter the real person behind the iconic image.
Genres: biography, art, 20th-century, memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: multiple-perspectives, real-person-fiction
Setting: New York
Period: 1960s
382 pages · Paperback · Dell
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness, self-harm