Kitty Kelley
![Kitty Kelley](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/kitty_1.jpg)
Kitty Kelley is an internationally acclaimed writer, whose bestselling biographies focus on some of the most influential and powerful personalities of the last 50 years. Kelley’s last five biographies have been number one on the New York Times best seller list, including her most recent, Oprah: A Biography.
Kelley is also the author of Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys and Let Freedom Ring: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March on Washington.
Known for her exhaustive research and the years dedicated to each biography subject, Kelley’s His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra was called “the most eye-opening celebrity biography of our time” by William Safire of the New York Times. She has been honored by her peers with such accolades as the 2005 PEN Oakland Censorship Award and the Outstanding Author Award and Founders’ Award for Career Achievement from the American Society of Journalists and Authors for her “courageous writing on popular culture.” Kelley received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Independent Review of Books and the Medal of Merit from the Lotos Club of New York City. She was also selected by Vanity Fair magazine for its Hall of Fame as part of the “Media Decade” and, in 2023, received the Biographers International Organization’s BIO Award, which is given annually to a writer who has made major contributions to the advancement of the art and craft of biography.
In 1993, Brandeis University National Women’s committee established a major book collection at the university in her honor. That same year, she was invited to debate at Oxford University; the premise: “This House Believes That Men Are Still More Equal Than Women.” She led her team to a 143-78 victory. In 1998, she spoke to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on the subject “Public Figures: Are Their Private Lives Fair Game for the Press?” In 1999, the University of Washington named Kelley as one of 100 of “The Most Famous, Fascinating and Influential Alumni of the Past 100 Years.”
Kelley has generously advanced a number of important humanitarian causes, with a particular emphasis on literacy and press freedoms. In 1987, she was honored with the Phillip M. Stern Award for her “Outstanding service to writers and the writing profession.”
A longtime resident of Georgetown in Washington, DC, Kelley began as a press assistant to a U.S. senator, then worked for two years as the editorial page researcher for the Washington Post. As an active member of the DC community, she was named one of the most influential people in private Washington by Regardie’s magazine in an article entitled “The Power Elite” and one of the 20 “Georgetowners of the Century” by the Georgetowner newspaper.
Kelley has worked as a full-time freelance writer for more than 30 years. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, People, Ladies Home Journal, the New Republic, McCall’s, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and the American Scholar. She is also a member of the Independent’s board of directors.
See “Unauthorized But Not Untrue,” by Kitty Kelley. The American Scholar, Winter 2011.
119 entries by Kitty Kelley
August Wilson
By Patti Hartigan
![August Wilson](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/august-wilson-9781501180668_lg.jpg)
This biography’s brilliance approaches that of its subject.
![When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/whenwomenran.jpg)
A tour-de-force look at the doyennes of designer couture.
The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage
By Jonathan Turley
![The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-indispensable-right-9781668047040_xlg.jpg)
A Trump apologist values at least some of the U.S. Constitution.
The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President
By Edward F. O’Keefe
![The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-loves-of-theodore-roosevelt-9781982145682_lg.jpg)
The swaggering leader owed much to the ladies in his life.
An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
![An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/an-unfinished-love-story-9781982108663_lg.jpg)
An exquisite ode to a pivotal decade in America.
The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians
By Carlos Lozada
![The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-washington-book-9781668050736_lg.jpg)
A witty, mostly winning compilation of the columnist’s previous work.
Strong Passions: A Scandalous Divorce in Old New York
By Barbara Weisberg
![Strong Passions: A Scandalous Divorce in Old New York](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/strongpassions.png)
An excessively detailed, not-so-titillating tale of 19th-century Manhattan.
The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust
By Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa
![The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-counterfeit-countess-9781982189129_lg.jpg)
A fake aristocrat offered real salvation in WWII.
After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?
By Ed Owens
![After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/afterelizabeth.jpg)
A brash young author offers dubious advice to the crown.
Listen, World!
By Julia Scheeres and Allison Gilbert
![Listen, World!](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(1090).png)
Meet an early-20th-century feminist who blazed her own trail.
Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt
By Charlotte Gray
![Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/passionate-mothers-powerful-sons-9781668031971_lg.jpg)
An able corrective to the notion that great men are self-made.
Letters for the Ages: The Private and Personal Letters of Sir Winston Churchill
Edited by James Drake and Allen Packwood
![Letters for the Ages: The Private and Personal Letters of Sir Winston Churchill](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/lettersfortheages.jpg)
An edifying peek at what “Winny” wrote behind the scenes.
Saving Freud
By Andrew Nagorski
![Saving Freud](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/saving-freud-9781982172831_lg.jpg)
A riveting saga that belongs on the silver screen.
August Wilson: A Life
By Patti Hartigan
![August Wilson: A Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/august-wilson-9781501180668_lg.jpg)
This biography’s brilliance approaches that of its subject.
My Place in the Sun
By George Stevens Jr.
![My Place in the Sun](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(982).png)
Meet a fortunate son genuinely grateful for his luck.
Taking Things Hard: The Trials of F. Scott Fitzgerald
By Robert R. Garnett
![Taking Things Hard: The Trials of F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/takingthingshard.png)
Analyzing the author via his lesser-known stories.
Ma and Me
By Putsata Reang
![Ma and Me](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/maandme.jpg)
A queer Cambodian American woman grapples with being disowned.
King: A Life
By Jonathan Eig
![King: A Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/kingalife.jpg)
Separating the man from the myth.
![Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/master-slave-husband-wife-9781501191053_lg.jpg)
An audacious, true tale of fleeing the South.
The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village
By Stephen G. Rabe
![The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/lostparatroopers.jpeg)
Honoring the heroes of a little-known episode from WWII.
John Lewis: The Last Interview
Introduction by Jelani Cobb
![John Lewis: The Last Interview](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/johnlewis.jpg)
The late congressman’s star continues to shine.
Confessions: A Life of Failed Promises
By A.N. Wilson
![Confessions: A Life of Failed Promises](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/confessions_2.jpg)
A literary critic admits his shortcomings.
Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life
By Brigitta Olubas
![Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/shirleyhazzard.jpg)
An entertaining, edifying look at the underappreciated Australian author.
Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman
By Julia Scheeres and Allison Gilbert
![Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(1090).png)
Meet an early-20th-century feminist who blazed her own trail.
Saving Freud: The Rescuers Who Brought Him to Freedom
By Andrew Nagorski
![Saving Freud: The Rescuers Who Brought Him to Freedom](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/saving-freud-9781982172831_lg.jpg)
A riveting saga that belongs on the silver screen.
My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington
By George Stevens Jr.
![My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(982).png)
Meet a fortunate son genuinely grateful for his luck.
![Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/undelivered.jpg)
An edifying, bloated chronicle of what might’ve been.
The Summer Friend: A Memoir
By Charles McGrath
![The Summer Friend: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thesummer.jpg)
A heartfelt, guarded ode to a seasonal pal.
Ma and Me: A Memoir
By Putsata Reang
![Ma and Me: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/maandme.jpg)
A queer Cambodian American woman grapples with being disowned.
The Age of Acrimony
By Jon Grinspan
![The Age of Acrimony](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/acrimony.jpg)
Recalling a turbulent time in U.S. history that bears an uncanny resemblance to today.
George Soros: A Life in Full
By Peter L.W. Osnos
![George Soros: A Life in Full](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(877).png)
An uneven look at an extraordinary man.
The Barbizon
By Paulina Bren
![The Barbizon](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-barbizon-9781982123895_lg.jpg)
This otherwise informative history is hamstrung by its fixation on Sylvia Plath’s notorious suicide.
Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return
By Rebecca Mead
![Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/homeland.jpg)
A British expat reclaims her roots.
Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness
By Laura Coates
![Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/just-pursuit-9781982173760_lg.jpg)
A former officer of the court reveals that justice is hardly blind.
Manifesto: On Never Giving Up
By Bernardine Evaristo
![Manifesto: On Never Giving Up](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ManifestoHCcover-340x509.jpg)
The Booker Prize-winning author owes it all to tenacity. And talent.
John Lewis: The Last Interview and Other Conversations
Introduction by Jelani Cobb
![John Lewis: The Last Interview and Other Conversations](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/johnlewis.jpg)
The late congressman’s star continues to shine.
![There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thereisnothing.gif)
The foreign-policy expert sees parallels between her lower-class roots and the hurdles facing today’s workers.
![Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/believing.jpg)
An instructive but dry treatise on a grim subject.
Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South
By Margaret Renkl
![Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/GracelandAtLast_Cover_300dpi_RGB_0.jpg)
A longtime Tennessean considers her homeland in this sharp-eyed essay collection.
First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents
By Gary Ginsberg
![First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/firstfriends.jpg)
Presidential pals finally get their due in this rollicking read.
Blind Man’s Bluff: A Memoir
By James Tate Hill
![Blind Man’s Bluff: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/blindman.jpg)
A young man loses his sight, but not his vision, in this excellent new work.
The American Story
By David M. Rubenstein
![The American Story](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-american-story-9781982120252_lg.jpg)
This compelling compilation looks at some of the pivotal figures who shaped our nation.
The Story I Am
By Roger Rosenblatt
![The Story I Am](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thestory.jpg)
The acclaimed author and essayist mines his personal oeuvre in this winning compilation.
![The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/acrimony.jpg)
Recalling a turbulent time in U.S. history that bears an uncanny resemblance to today.
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free
By Paulina Bren
![The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-barbizon-9781982123895_lg.jpg)
This otherwise informative history is hamstrung by its fixation on Sylvia Plath’s notorious suicide.
Widowish: A Memoir
By Melissa Gould
![Widowish: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/widowish.jpg)
A young woman struggles with the loss of her husband and the category it suddenly puts her in.
![Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/robertelee.jpg)
With searing honesty, a retired soldier/professor comes to terms with his lifelong worship of a traitor.
Henry Adams in Washington: Linking the Personal and Public Lives of America’s Man of Letters
By Ormond Seavey
![Henry Adams in Washington: Linking the Personal and Public Lives of America’s Man of Letters](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/henry.jpg)
Though fact-filled, this biography does strangely little to reveal the private man behind the public persona.
1957: The Year that Launched the American Future
By Eric Burns
![1957: The Year that Launched the American Future](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(425).png)
A densely written, fact-packed account of a pivotal period in U.S. history.
How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers
By David M. Rubenstein
![How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/how-to-lead-9781982132156_lg.jpg)
This compendium of highfalutin advice is well presented, if not terribly compelling.
Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980
By Rick Perlstein
![Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/reaganland-9781476793054_xlg.jpg)
A wide-ranging, witty account of the political climate that ushered in the Gipper.
Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own
By Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
![Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(19).png)
A impassioned corrective to “the lie” at the center of our country’s foundation.
The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
By Alex Trebek
![The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(195).png)
The beloved game-show host’s new book chronicles his unquestionably happy journey.
Swing Kings: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Home Run Revolution
By Jared Diamond
![Swing Kings: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Home Run Revolution](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/swing.jpg)
Chronicling the rise of the Moneyball Generation.
The Story I Am: Mad About the Writing Life
By Roger Rosenblatt
![The Story I Am: Mad About the Writing Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thestory.jpg)
The acclaimed author and essayist mines his personal oeuvre in this winning compilation.
Pelosi
By Molly Ball
![Pelosi](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/pelosi.jpg)
How “No Nonsense Nancy” became the most powerful woman in Washington.
The Moment of Tenderness
By Madeleine L’Engle
![The Moment of Tenderness](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/moment.jpg)
This collection of the famed author's early stories seems heartfelt, if ill-considered.
Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler’s Best
By Neal Bascomb
![Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler’s Best](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/faster.gif)
This accounting of an iconic 1938 race recaps every twist and turn, for better or worse.
Doing Justice
By Preet Bharara
![Doing Justice](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/doingjustice.jpg)
A fascinating look at all things legal from the former head of the SDNY.
The Lost Diary of M: A Novel
By Paul Wolfe
![The Lost Diary of M: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/lostidary.jpg)
This fictionalized account of one of JFK’s real-life lovers will delight Camelot buffs and gossip hounds alike.
In the Land of Men: A Memoir
By Adrienne Miller
![In the Land of Men: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/intheland.jpg)
An editor reflects on her time spent at Esquire — and in thrall to David Foster Wallace.
The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties
By Christopher Caldwell
![The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-age-of-entitlement-9781501106897_lg.jpg)
Solid writing and research aside, this jeremiad about our changing national landscape reveals the author’s bitterness.
Rising out of Hatred
By Eli Saslow
![Rising out of Hatred](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/risingoutofhatred.jpg)
A sobering account of one young man's journey toward the light.
The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians
By David M. Rubenstein
![The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-american-story-9781982120252_lg.jpg)
This compelling compilation looks at some of the pivotal figures who shaped our nation.
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement
By Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
![She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/shesaid.jpg)
Untangling Harvey Weinstein's web of deceit.
Erosion: Essays of Undoing
By Terry Tempest Williams
![Erosion: Essays of Undoing](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/erosion.jpg)
In searing prose, the author laments the destruction of the natural world.
Life of David Hockney: A Novel
By Catherine Cusset; translated by Teresa Fagan
![Life of David Hockney: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/hockney.jpg)
This melodramatic, fictionalized biography drew praise from its real-life subject.
The Drama of Celebrity
By Sharon Marcus
![The Drama of Celebrity](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/dramaof.jpg)
The cult of fame found an early goddess in Sarah Bernhardt.
All That You Leave Behind: A Memoir
By Erin Lee Carr
![All That You Leave Behind: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/allthatyou.jpg)
A young woman struggles with the death of her larger-than-life father — and her own sobriety.
L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated “Female Byron”
By Lucasta Miller
![L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated “Female Byron”](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/LEL.jpg)
In this account of a little-remembered 19th-century poet, tireless research makes for tiresome reading.
Jackie, Janet & Lee
By J. Randy Taraborrelli
![Jackie, Janet & Lee](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jackiejanet.jpg)
Salacious tidbits aside, weak sourcing hobbles this questionable tell-all.
![Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/doingjustice.jpg)
A fascinating look at all things legal from the former head of the SDNY.
The Real Wallis Simpson: A New History of the American Divorcee who Became the Duchess of Windsor
By Anna Pasternak
![The Real Wallis Simpson: A New History of the American Divorcee who Became the Duchess of Windsor](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/wallis.jpg)
Though engaging, this biography offers little fresh insight into the scandalous "royal."
Food on the Move: Dining on the Legendary Railway Journeys of the World
Edited by Sharon Hudgins
![Food on the Move: Dining on the Legendary Railway Journeys of the World](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/foodonthemove.jpg)
A taste of what rarefied travelers used to eat.
Just a Journalist
By Linda Greenhouse
![Just a Journalist](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/justajournalist.jpg)
The Pulitzer-winning reporter recounts the pitfalls of proffering an opinion.
![Rising out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/risingoutofhatred.jpg)
A sobering account of one young man's journey toward the light.
Who Is Michael Ovitz?
By Michael Ovitz
![Who Is Michael Ovitz?](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ovitz.jpg)
The erstwhile mega-agent recounts his life and settles some scores.