The author of the acclaimed "New York Times" bestseller "Sin in the Second City" returns with the gripping and expansive story of America's coming-of-age--told through the extraordinary life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the world she survived and conquered.
A pair of sister child stars coming from a Vaudeville family in the Jazz Age and maturing in the Depression, driven by the most ferocious of stage mothers, Dainty June and Louise Hovick chose different paths to fame--June as a "legit" actress, while Louise became Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who understood how to sell sexy without actually showing sex. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, author Karen Abbott delves into Gypsy's world, including her intensely dramatic triangle relationship with her sister, June Havoc, and their formidable mother Rose. We also meet four scrappy and savvy showbiz brothers from New York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee's brand of burlesque. The Minsky brothers relied on grit, determination, and a few tricks that fell just outside the law--and they would shape, and ultimately transform, the landscape of American entertainment.--Adapted from publisher description.