Hailed as an "endlessly fascinating biography of an extraordinary woman" (Daily Express) and "a page turner" (Independent), Noralee Frankel's lively biography illuminates the fascinating career of Gypsy Rose Lee, a woman who created and recreated her own identity to fit changing times. Placing the famed stripper's life in a refreshing new light, Frankel reveals that though Lee was not above using her femininity to full advantage, she aspired to much more than admiration for her physical beauty. Indeed, those who know Lee only from the beloved musical and film Gypsy!--which celebrates her unconventional rise to stardom--will be surprised to discover a woman who was not only a sex object, but also a best-selling writer, artist, political activist, and union leader. In addition to her highly successful strip-tease act and film career, Lee published two popular mystery novels and a memoir, wrote two plays, showed her original artwork in famed Modern Art-impresario Peggy Guggenheim's gallery, and gained notoriety for her participation in liberal politics.Table of Contents: Preface: Stripping Gypsy 1. Getting Started 2. The Burlesque Stage 3. Sophisticated Stripper 4. Follies with Girlfriends 5. To Hell With Louise Hovick 6. Failure as a Dutiful Wife 7. Death, Dies, and Mother 8. Finding the Body 9. Cultured Stripper 10. World Fair's Stripper 11. The Naked Genius 12. Stripping for Labor and the War Effort 13. Motherhood 14. On the Carnival Circuit 15. Nothing to Conceal 16. Strip Around the World 17. Back Home 18. Immortality in Book and Song 19. The Most Famous Former Stripper in the World 20. Aging Gracefully in Public Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index