Additional information
by Lloyd Allen (Author)
Being Martha is a personal-at times a searingly personal-account of Martha's life from the inside, by a friend. It's fascinating-very anecdotal and very emotional. It won't be like anything else you've ever read about her.
-John Small, editor of SaveMartha.com
-Martha Kostyra, Martha's mother ""My mother and I have always been close. We are not closer since the trial and prison-we've always been close. . . . Don't we all want a better life? No matter what they say about my mom, all she ever does is teach the world good things that will help them in life. So what if she shows you the perfect way to do it? Would you want your professor at school to do anything less in any other subject? Her fans know what she's all about.""
-Alexis Stewart, Martha's daughter ""It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions.""
-George Christiansen, Martha's brother, about the early years ""Martha raised the bar for me and made me think big. . . . We have an alley cat, Ricky, that lives next door at the deli, and he roams in and out of the neighborhood. Ricky has no tail, he's dirty, and he acts like a dog. One morning during the trial, Martha was in the salon wearing a three-thousand-dollar Jil Sander suit. She was sitting on one of the chairs in the back. Ricky came in and jumped on top of her and was all over her, licking her neck and putting paw marks all over her. Martha said, 'Oh my God, this cat is so dirty, this is such a dirty little cat!' But she let him crawl all over her. She just dusted the hair and dirt off. She really has a lot of kindness in her.""
-Eva Scrivo, Martha's friend and hairdresser
Front Jacket
When Martha's longtime friend and former neighbor Lloyd Allen heard those negative stories, he hardly recognized the generous, fun-loving, and down-to-earth woman he's known and loved for years, and after she was indicted, he told Martha he was going to write this book. With Being Martha, Allen introduces you to the flesh-and-blood woman behind the glamorous public image. Drawing on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with Martha; her family, including her mother, her daughter, Alexis, her sister Laura, and her brother George; and many of her closest friends and colleagues over the years, the author at last shows us the real Martha: an enormously talented, passionate, determined, and hard-working woman who has achieved phenomenal success by inspiring and enriching the lives of millions.
Lloyd Allen weaves together fascinating, never-before-told stories and details from Martha's early years as a model, stockbroker, and caterer, telling the true story of how an always-busy Connecticut homemaker broke through big-time to become the world's most successful businesswoman at the helm of the company that bears her name, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You'll meet Martha the mentoring teacher and benefactor through the eyes of the many people who view their time with her as the turning point in their careers, even their lives. You'll see Martha's carefree and wild side as she enjoys the simplest things with the excitement and wonder of a kid encountering them for the first time. Allen also describes what Martha really went through during her trial and prison term and how these experiences changed her--making her stronger, more grounded, and more determined than ever to help people learn to enjoy the good things in life.
As Martha Stewart begins the next phase of her life, with multiple television shows and new venture after new venture in the works, Being Martha is a must-read for her legion of fans--and for anyone who wants to understand the real Martha Kostyra Stewart.
Back Jacket
"Being Martha is a personal--at times a searingly personal--account of Martha's life from the inside, by a friend. It's fascinating--very anecdotal and very emotional. It won't be like anything else you've ever read about her."
--John Small, editor of SaveMartha.com
From Being Martha
"Martha has taught people to do many things and not in the way an ordinary teacher would, but in her own particular way. She taught people about the good things in life--the simple things."
--Martha Kostyra, Martha's mother
"My mother and I have always been close. We are not closer since the trial and prison--we've always been close. . . . Don't we all want a better life? No matter what they say about my mom, all she ever does is teach the world good things that will help them in life. So what if she shows you the perfect way to do it? Would you want your professor at school to do anything less in any other subject? Her fans know what she's all about."
--Alexis Stewart, Martha's daughter
"It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions."
--George Christiansen, Martha's brother, about the early years
"Martha raised the bar for me and made me think big. . . . We have an alley cat, Ricky, that lives next door at the deli, and he roams in and out of the neighborhood. Ricky has no tail, he's dirty, and he acts like a dog. One morning during the trial, Martha was in the salon wearing a three-thousand-dollar Jil Sander suit. She was sitting on one of the chairs in the back. Ricky came in and jumped on top of her and was all over her, licking her neck and putting paw marks all over her. Martha said, 'Oh my God, this cat is so dirty, this is such a dirty little cat!' But she let him crawl all over her. She just dusted the hair and dirt off. She really has a lot of kindness in her."
--Eva Scrivo, Martha's friend and hairdresser
Author Biography
Lloyd Allen is a longstanding friend and former neighbor of Martha Stewart. He has been involved with music videos since the earliest days of MTV and VH1 and is now working on cutting-edge Internet entertainment projects. He is one of Martha's daughter Alexis's closest friends.
