"BARBRA: THE WAY SHE IS," by Christopher Andersen, William Morrow, 436 pages, $25.95.
Barbra Streisand, the legend, refused to talk with her biographer-to-be, Christopher Andersen. But he has nonetheless produced a very interesting book about her life, titled "Barbra: The Way She Is."
Andersen is best known for his celeb-bios about Princess Diana, Jackie Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy and others, so he will never been seen as the guy who wrote the definitive book about Streisand. But it is worth reading, especially for fans.
After all, she is the only artist, male or female, to have recorded No. 1 albums in each of four decades — the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s. In fact, a Reuters poll concluded that she is the greatest female singer of the past 100 years. And she has also enjoyed a notable film career and has earned two Academy Awards.
Streisand is alleged to have been difficult, determined to succeed and liable to offend numerous people on the way up. But she is also a unique talent who became a huge success as a singer, actress, producer, director, songwriter, businesswoman and political activist.
This is the same girl who asked John F. Kennedy for an autograph, later became politically close to Bill Clinton and has never gotten over the election of President Bush. She has openly embraced liberal, Democratic causes all her life, and it has never adversely affected her entertainment career.
As a very young woman, Streisand married actor Elliott Gould in 1963, and it ended unhappily. Then, according to Andersen, Streisand had relationships with Warren Beatty, Ryan O'Neal, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, Steve McQueen, Richard Gere, Kris Kristofferson, Don Johnson, John Voight, Andre Agassi, Peter Jennings — and in 1998, she finally married actor James Brolin when both were in their 50s. And they remain happily
married today. (She calls him "Jim" and he calls her "Beazer" — and she considers it endearing!)
Streisand has endured numerous insults because of her prominent nose, as well as plaudits because of the size and range of her voice. The book includes more than 60 photographs, which suggest that she has become more attractive with age.
While Andersen passes on gossip as well as documented information, as do all popular biographers, he has no ax to grind. The picture he portrays of Barbra (she dropped an "a" from her name while still in her teens) seems fair and balanced.
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com