Dr. Laura
The Unauthorized Biography
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is the hottest thing to hit national radio since Rush Limbaugh. Sixty thousand people call in to The Dr. Laura Show every day to get abused and berated for admitting their flaws and imperfections. Nearly twenty million people tune in across the country to listen to the humiliation, and more than 2.5 million have bought one of her bestsellers-with the latest book hitting bookstores this September. Dr. Laura has been the subject of countless articles, including features in Vanity Fair and New York magazine. And she recently announced that she has signed an exclusive deal for an hour-long, daily, innovative daytime TV program showcasing her unique insights into today's issues and problems, which will begin airing in the fall of 2000.
Catering to a nearly spellbound cult following, Dr. Laura has built a veritable media empire by spreading moral wisdom and commonsense advice. But what the enchanted public doesn't know is that Schlessingers' own life is a labyrinth of contradictions-from her own divorce (she openly and adamantly chastises divorcees on the air) to her estrangement for her sister and mother (she is known for her supposedly emphatic adherence to family). And is the doctor really a licensed physician? Find out what classmates, colleagues, patients, and pals have to say about the real Dr. Laura! This book turns the tables on America's number-one moral drill sergeant and professional perfectionist, revealing the personal inconsistencies that define the guru himself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a blow-by-blow biography, Bane, a reporter for People, depicts radio talk-show moralist and bestselling author Schlessinger (Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, etc.) as volatile and vindictive, not to mention as a hypocritical violator of her own tenets. Never having spoken with Schlessinger nor her husband and manager, Lew Bishop, Bane relies on interviews with Schlessinger's colleagues, her former friends and published sources in this workmanlike narrative. Though many of the core criticisms aimed at Schlessinger have been aired previously, notably in Leslie Bennetts's 1998 Vanity Fair article, Bane expands on Bennetts's charges. Among them: although Schlessinger received her doctorate in physiology, not psychology, she persists in calling herself "Dr." on the air (apparently she does have a license as a marriage and family therapist); she lied about her sexual relationship with mentor Bill Ballance (who has produced nude photos of her); she preaches respect for parents but has criticized her own; she advises mothers to stay at home but worked part-time after her own son was born; and she schemed to discredit talk-show rival Barbara DeAngelis, among others. While acknowledging that the talk-show host has been lauded by various organizations and that her basic message about the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions has value, Bane suggests that Schlessinger's moralism and harsh treatment of those who call in to her program stem more from her troubled youth and the demands of show biz than expertise. Photos not seen by PW.
