Includes bibliographical references and index.

She is a legend, a global icon, the ultimate diva. Yet most of what we know about Streisand is the stuff of caricature: the Brooklyn girl made good, the political dilettante, the Oscar-winning actress and bona fide movie mogul, the greatest female singer who ever lived, a skinflint, a philanthropist, a connoisseur and a barbarian. Even to the multitudes around the world who idolize her, Streisand remains aloof, unknowable, tantalizingly beyond reach. Until now. Journalist Andersen taps into important sources to paint a startling portrait of the artist--and the woman. Among the revelations: new behind-the-scenes details about her marriage to James Brolin; about her many failed love affairs; what really went on between Streisand and Bill Clinton in the White House; her relationship with her only child, Jason; the brilliance, the obsessive drive for perfection, and the Callas-sized ego, on the stage and the studio.--From publisher description.