It's conventional wisdom that Hollywood has no use for a woman over 40. So it's a good thing that Diahann Carroll, with her winning career, is anything but conventional.
With wisdom that only aging gracefully can bestow, she talks frankly about her four marriages as well as her other relationships, including her courtship with Sidney Poitier; racial politics in show business; and the personal cost, particularly to her family, of being a pioneer.
From a recent, Emmy-nominated role on Grey's Anatomy to appearances on Oprah, Diahann Carroll's legendary stage, film, and television career has spanned more than five decades.
Her title role on Julia beginning in 1968 established Carroll as the first African-American actress to star in her own television series. The role garnered her both an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win to go along with the 1962 Best Actress Tony Award she won for her role in No Strings (also a first for a black woman). Diahann also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Claudine.
In the 1980s, Diahann joined the glitzy night-time soap opera Dynasty as the jet-setter Dominique Deveraux.
Carroll's career continued strong in the 1990s with appearances in films such as The Five Heartbeats; she also starred as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
As a breast cancer survivor and activist, Carroll invited a camera crew into her treatment room for a national broadcast special to draw attention to the cause.
Ever the consummate performer, her new cabaret show at Feinstein's has traveled nationwide to sold-out audiences.
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"I love biographies and I loved watching Diahann Carroll when I was growing up. This is a memoir written by her and she is extremely honest about her mistakes and about her maturing process as well as the mistakes she made and lessons learned. I enjoyed this book very much.
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Katie (4 out of 5 stars)