First published 1996
Katharine Hepburn opens her long-guarded private world in this candid memoir. The four-time Academy Award winner reflects on her Connecticut childhood and family relationships that formed her independent spirit. She recalls her early struggles in New York theater and the political causes that stirred her passion. Hepburn examines the peaks and valleys of her Hollywood career with unvarnished honesty. She reveals intimate details of her enduring friendship with Spencer Tracy and her creative partnerships with major directors, actors, and producers across five decades. The actress disputes that her screen persona matched her true self, yet her authentic voice emerges as equally bold, intelligent, and uncompromising. Enhanced by 165 family photographs, many previously unpublished, the memoir strips away the mystery surrounding one of cinema's most private stars. Hepburn writes with the same fearless directness that defined her performances, offering readers an unfiltered look at the woman behind the legend.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: authentic-voice, private-world
Setting: Connecticut, New York
Period: 20th-century
430 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group