In this entertaining and authoritative biography, Brian Kellow traces Mermans life from her childhood in Queens, New York, through her three decades at the peak of Broadway celebrity. In an era dominated by outsized personalities and egos, none was more vibrant and powerful than Mermans, yet beneath the tough-dame image was an enormously vulnerable and often lonely woman. Kellows book, which includes recollections from more than 120 of Mermans friends, colleagues, and family members, stands as the definitive biography and an affectionate portrait of an unforgettable star.