Her name and face are instantly recognizable to just about every person in the United States. To millions of people around the world, she is the embodiment of American spirit and entrepreneurial success.

While there is a near continual barrage of information in the media about this larger-than-life woman, this biography of Oprah Winfrey takes readers past all the hype and hyperbole and presents a candid, balanced portrait of the flesh-and-blood woman herself. The dramatic events in her life, both the struggles and the successes, are detailed with factual accounts that guide readers through the complex, and sometimes controversial, course of Oprah’s life from her childhood in Mississippi, to her current position of extraordinary success. This penetrating book also examines the myriad areas of Oprah’s immeasurable impact on the people close to her and the public at large, from her literary and political influences, to her candor about her own ups and downs with mental and physical health issues.