Terry McMillan: The Unauthorized Biography

The Unauthorized Biography is, at its heart, a love story. It's the story of a woman who falls in love with an author's work, and then sets out to learn everything she can about her idol. McMillan is that woman, and she has written a fascinating, often funny, and always honest account of her obsession with the author she calls “the black goddess of words.”

McMillan's obsession began with Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan's breakthrough novel about four African-American women searching for love and happiness. McMillan was instantly hooked, and she soon began devouring everything McMillan had ever written. But it wasn't just the writing that drew her in - it was the woman herself. McMillan wanted to know everything about her favorite author, from her childhood in Mississippi to her years struggling to make it as a writer in New York City.

To that end, McMillan interviewed everyone she could find who had ever known or worked with McMillan, from her family and close friends to her editors and publishers. She also talked to a number of McMillan's ex-husbands, which led to some pretty juicy gossip about the author's personal life which adds to the salaciousness of the book.