From Publishers Weekly
Mair got lucky: his unauthorized cut-and-paste biography is being published in time to satisfy the massive curiosity aroused by cancellation of the megastar's autobiography. Veteran show-biz chronicler Mair (Inside HBO) does his best to fill the gap, and Oprah's story practically tells itself. Bounced between parents and cities, abused by relatives, Oprah was a rebellious teenager who, as a young woman, found her niche in the new-format TV talk show. Mair follows her conscientiously from Nashville to Baltimore to Chicago, from WJZ-TV to WLS-TV to her own Harpo Productions. She appears with Joan Rivers and agrees on-screen to a dieting contest; filming The Color Purple is a thrilling experience; The Women of Brewster Place is her first independent TV production; and the tall, elegant Stedman Graham comes into her life, unawed, according to Mair, by Oprah's riches and success. The problem with the book is apparent: one can repeat how dynamic and charming Oprah is ad infinitum, but Mair doesn't capture what makes her different. Ardent collectors of Oprah trivia will want to scan this account then compile the questions they hope will be answered in the star's own book-once she comes to terms with being as uninhibited on paper as she is on-screen. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
While there isn't much new here, Oprah Winfrey is an interesting look at a popular, successful woman of our times. Mair, an experienced newspaper and script writer, chronicles Winfrey's life from her childhood on Hattie Mae's pig farm in Mississippi, through her wild teen years, her progress as a radio and then television personality, up to today. He describes the personal and professional scandals and turmoil that surround her, including family problems, her love affairs, her continuing struggle with her weight, and her business and acting successes. Quotes from her friends and co-workers are used to round out descriptions of her personality and lifestyle. Winfrey's intelligence, generosity, and dedication to hard work are consistent themes in this portrayal. While the author obviously admires his subject, he does not hesitate to give details about controversial and difficult topics that have enveloped her and her family. He delves into negative issues and generally includes other viewpoints. At times gossipy and somewhat repetitive, this program offers multifaceted reporting on all kinds of details about Winfrey's life. The text is narrated by the author, whose vocal projection initially varies, making the latter parts of some sentences difficult to hear. About halfway through the first tape, however, Mair seems to find his stride, and the remainder of the material is relatively easy to understand. This is not a necessary purchase for most libraries, but it's light fare and enjoyable listening. Libraries with large pop culture collections may wish to consider.Carolyn Alexander, Columbia Lib. System, Monterey, Cal.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Anyone who has followed Oprah Winfrey's career will be familiar with the life story Mair recounts here. After all, it has been covered in hundreds of magazine articles and several earlier star bios. Mair adds very little, which is not surprising given the dearth of interviews, especially with those close to Oprah. On the other hand, he does recount the shopworn stories of Winfrey's life in a readable fashion: her troubled childhood, the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of relatives, her rise to TV stardom, her weight problems, and, of course, her when-will-they-marry romance with Stedman Graham. Mair tries to sound like an insider with such statements as, "The reality of the pregnancy, the pain of childbirth, and the limitations on her life do not make the process of having a child appealing to Oprah." The obvious question, though, is, How does he know? This is an adequate, garden-variety star bio, and it will help fill requests for material on Oprah until such time as the long-awaited autobiography arrives. Ilene Cooper

Book Description
Whatever her missteps and stumbles along the way, the journey of Oprah Gail Winfrey from Hattie Mae's pig farm in Mississippi to the pinnacle of wealth, power, and success in American television is a journey we must all admire. In looking for the secret to her achievement, too many observers focus on her poise or brashness or honesty. The secret is much more complex, as is Oprah herself. There is an inner strength of spirit and a belief in self that is as astonishing as the outer trappings of her success. Oprah is more akin to Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, and Marianne Williamson than she is to Phil Donahue or Sally Jesse Raphael.

About the Author
George Mair has been a journalist for over 35 years with CBS, Los Angeles Times Syndicate and TIME, Inc. Home Box Office. He has written thousands of broadcast scripts, newspaper articles, and syndicated columns: this is his twelfth book. George Mair has interviewed Oprah's friends, family enemies, and critics to present this definitive saga of her struggle and success.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Born illegitimate and virtually abandoned in the Deep South, Oprah is a living symbol of hope and success. A black woman in a business dominated by white males, she has made it to the top with remarkable determination and talent. Raised at first by her grandmother on a Mississippi farm, Oprah shuttled between Milwaukee, where her mother had moved, and Nashville, where her father and her stepmother, Zelma, lived. Oprah grew up in a tiny ghetto apartment with her mother's relatives, where at one point she was raped. She began to live a wild, promiscuous life, until 1968, when Vernon and Zelma took her in. Ambitious and precocious, she got her first job with radio station WVOL while in her senior year of high school. Soon she was winning beauty contests, and in 1973 she was hired by television station WTVF-TV in Nashville at the age of nineteen. To work there she left college to become the first female and the first black newscaster in Nashville, earning $15,000 a year. Oprah Winfrey: The Real Story reveals, often for the very first time: The story of her best friend, Gayle King, who was there for her when Oprah contemplated suicide, the inside story of Oprah's long, on-camera battle with dieting and why she now says, "DIETS DON'T WORK!", how she spent part of the $89 million she made in 1993 on gifts to friends and staff, donations to schools and charities and financing Spike Lee's Malcolm X, the little known ultra-right-wing connections of Oprah's boyfriend and "husband-to-be," Stedman Graham, the behind-the-scenes deals made by Oprah's staff with manufacturers to plant shills on the show, and the very private conflict over whether or not she will have another baby - she first miscarried when she was a teenager - now that she has turned forty. Prize-winning journalist George Mair has interviewed Oprah's friends, family, colleagues, and critics to present this definitive saga of her struggle and success.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Mair got lucky: his unauthorized cut-and-paste biography is being published in time to satisfy the massive curiosity aroused by cancellation of the megastar's autobiography. Veteran show-biz chronicler Mair (Inside HBO) does his best to fill the gap, and Oprah's story practically tells itself. Bounced between parents and cities, abused by relatives, Oprah was a rebellious teenager who, as a young woman, found her niche in the new-format TV talk show. Mair follows her conscientiously from Nashville to Baltimore to Chicago, from WJZ-TV to WLS-TV to her own Harpo Productions. She appears with Joan Rivers and agrees on-screen to a dieting contest; filming The Color Purple is a thrilling experience; The Women of Brewster Place is her first independent TV production; and the tall, elegant Stedman Graham comes into her life, unawed, according to Mair, by Oprah's riches and success. The problem with the book is apparent: one can repeat how dynamic and charming Oprah is ad infinitum, but Mair doesn't capture what makes her different. Ardent collectors of Oprah trivia will want to scan this account then compile the questions they hope will be answered in the star's own book-once she comes to terms with being as uninhibited on paper as she is on-screen. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)

Library Journal