Being Martha - by Lloyd Allen (Hardcover)

About the Book

Drawing on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with Martha Stewart, her family, and her close friends and colleagues, Allen finally reveals the other side of the story, bringing to life the flesh-and-blood woman behind the controversial and glamorous public image.

Book Synopsis

Martha Stewart is one of the most influential and charismatic women in the

world. She has revolutionized our idea of what "lifestyle" means and has tens

of millions of devoted fans. For years, we have heard a stream of negative

stories purporting to reveal the "real" Martha. Yet the real, complex woman

behind the iconic image and brand has never come through--until now. Being

Martha finally sets the record straight.

With Being Martha, Allen introduces you to the flesh-and-blood woman

behind the glamorous public image. Drawing on hundreds of hours of exclusive

interviews with Martha; her family, including her mother, her daughter, Alexis,

her sister Laura, and her brother George; and many of her closest friends and

colleagues over the years, the author at last shows us the real Martha: an enormously

talented, passionate, determined, and hard-working woman who has

achieved phenomenal success by inspiring and enriching the lives of millions.

From the Back Cover

"Being Martha is a personal--at times a searingly personal--account of Martha's life from the inside, by a friend. It's fascinating--very anecdotal and very emotional. It won't be like anything else you've ever read about her."
--John Small, editor of SaveMartha.com

From Being Martha

"Martha has taught people to do many things and not in the way an ordinary teacher would, but in her own particular way. She taught people about the good things in life--the simple things."
--Martha Kostyra, Martha's mother

"My mother and I have always been close. We are not closer since the trial and prison--we've always been close. . . . Don't we all want a better life? No matter what they say about my mom, all she ever does is teach the world good things that will help them in life. So what if she shows you the perfect way to do it? Would you want your professor at school to do anything less in any other subject? Her fans know what she's all about."
--Alexis Stewart, Martha's daughter

"It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions."
--George Christiansen, Martha's brother, about the early years

"Martha raised the bar for me and made me think big. . . . We have an alley cat, Ricky, that lives next door at the deli, and he roams in and out of the neighborhood. Ricky has no tail, he's dirty, and he acts like a dog. One morning during the trial, Martha was in the salon wearing a three-thousand-dollar Jil Sander suit. She was sitting on one of the chairs in the back. Ricky came in and jumped on top of her and was all over her, licking her neck and putting paw marks all over her. Martha said, 'Oh my God, this cat is so dirty, this is such a dirty little cat!' But she let him crawl all over her. She just dusted the hair and dirt off. She really has a lot of kindness in her."
--Eva Scrivo, Martha's friend and hairdresser

Review Quotes

Being Martha is a personal-at times a searingly personal-account of Martha's life from the inside, by a friend. It's fascinating-very anecdotal and very emotional. It won't be like anything else you've ever read about her.
-John Small, editor of SaveMartha.com

From Being Martha

"Martha has taught people to do many things and not in the way an ordinary teacher would, but in her own particular way. She taught people about the good things in life-the simple things."
-Martha Kostyra, Martha's mother

"My mother and I have always been close. We are not closer since the trial and prison-we've always been close. . . . Don't we all want a better life? No matter what they say about my mom, all she ever does is teach the world good things that will help them in life. So what if she shows you the perfect way to do it? Would you want your professor at school to do anything less in any other subject? Her fans know what she's all about."
-Alexis Stewart, Martha's daughter

"It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions."
-George Christiansen, Martha's brother, about the early years

"Martha raised the bar for me and made me think big. . . . We have an alley cat, Ricky, that lives next door at the deli, and he roams in and out of the neighborhood. Ricky has no tail, he's dirty, and he acts like a dog. One morning during the trial, Martha was in the salon wearing a three-thousand-dollar Jil Sander suit. She was sitting on one of the chairs in the back. Ricky came in and jumped on top of her and was all over her, licking her neck and putting paw marks all over her. Martha said, 'Oh my God, this cat is so dirty, this is such a dirty little cat!' But she let him crawl all over her. She just dusted the hair and dirt off. She really has a lot of kindness in her."
-Eva Scrivo, Martha's friend and hairdresser

About the Author

Lloyd Allen is a longstanding friend and former neighbor of Martha Stewart. He has been involved with music videos since the earliest days of MTV and VH1 and is now working on cutting-edge Internet entertainment projects. He is one of Martha's daughter Alexis's closest friends.