Madonna Unauthorized

She is a true original–a tiny colossus standing astride 40 years of pop music history and three generations of fans in bullet bra, corset and black fishnet stockings. The word icon might have been invented to describe her, an enduring legend who shamelessly packages and repackages herself as we wait for the next incarnation.

In her landmark documentary, Truth or Dare, Madonna gave the public a tantalizing glimpse at her behind-the-scenes life—but only a glimpse. Enter critically acclaimed author Christopher Andersen, who wrote the first comprehensive, uncompromising account of Madonna’s early years—a no-holds-barred book worthy of his daring subject. Andersen interviewed countless friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, coworkers, and lovers, to paint a full, fascinating, and often shocking portrait of the Material Girl. In what remains the definitive story of the superstar’s tempestuous formative years, Andersen skillfully evokes the reigning Queen of Pop in all her complexity and contradictions.

Like the woman herself, the book is provocative, compelling, and always fascinating–the definitive first biography of one of the most controversial cultural figures of our time.