Terry McMillan: The Unauthorized Biography

Though fueled above all by her talent, McMillan's success--as is made clear in this life of the popular novelist--also owes much to her strength of character. How fortunate, then, that the first bio of the author of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back comes from a writer (of, among other books, several children's bios of African-Americans: Toni Morrison, Colin Powell, etc.) whose prose displays energy and personality equal to her subject. Patrick begins with a long, entertaining foreword that explains the genesis of this book, including her futile attempts to gain McMillan's cooperation. The novelist doesn't charm when the biographer finally meets her, but, Patrick points out, in any case ""you have to give her props"" for what she's accomplished--and Patrick proceeds to do just that. Tracking McMillan from her childhood in Port Huron, Mich., through her early writing years in New York and subsequent fame and fortune, Patrick mixes facts about McMillan's life (both professional and personal), psychological insight into her subject and deep background on the places, times and people around her. Of particular note is Patrick's acute analysis of the changes McMillan has wrought in the publishing industry, dramatically expanding the opportunities for, and commercial expectations of, African-American writers. Unauthorized this book may be, but it suffers little from McMillan's boycott, as Patrick has interviewed many of those near to the novelist and provides perceptive readings of McMillan's writings, nimbly untangling the weave between her subject's life and work. Lively, opinionated and smartly informative, this bio should appeal not only to myriad McMillan fans but to anyone interested in a compelling presentation of a model modern American success story. (Sept.)