A tell-all account of the life of the renowned hostess and domestic expert recounts her rise to fame as a writer and television star and uncovers the secrets behind her pristine image You'll want to wear old clothes: Jerry Oppenheimer's biography of Style Doyenne Martha Stewart is a frenzy of mudslinging. With chapter titles like "A Dysfunctional Family," you know exactly what to expect--but Stewart is such a big, fat target that the book is entertaining anyway. Obviously, the architect of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is no sweetheart. (Control issues? You don't say). But regardless of the muck, you'll come away with a mixture of respect for Stewart's talent and prodigious drive ("I can will an orgasm whenever I want"), and profound gratitude that she's not your daughter, wife, mother, friend, or business associate. Just Desserts affords brief glimpses of the private Martha. She was called "Marty" in high school. She modeled her way through Barnard. She may have engaged in wife-swapping. But anyone surprised that Martha the domestic goddess is a work of fiction misses the point entirely. A veteran tabloid biographer (The Other Mrs. Kennedy, St. Martin's, 1994) here purports to reveal the less savory side of the oh-so-genteel Martha Stewart. Don't look for reviews; the book is embargoed until the sale date. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. In-depth interviews with over 400 of Stewart's friends and associates contribute to an unauthorized biography which reveals her personal life and rise to fame. Stewart's perfect image is probed and many myths dissolved in this biography, which begins with her childhood and follows her achievements through adult years. A "must" for any curious about Stewart's background, and about the reality behind the 'perfect woman'. -- Midwest Book Review Jerry Oppenheimer ... has made his name writing mean-spirited but thoroughly researched biographies.... Opperheimer lambastes Stewart so thoroughly you may wonder if maybe there are one or two good things he could have mentioned. -- Entertainment Weekly, A. J. Jacobs Jerry Oppenheimer has written bestselling biographies of other American icons, including Bill and Hillary Clinton ( State of a Union ), Martha Stewart ( Just Desserts ), Ethel Kennedy ( The Other Mrs. Kennedy ), Barbara Walters ( Barbara Walters: An Unauthorized Biography ), and Rock Hudson ( Idol: The True Story of an American Film Hero ).