“Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon” from Author Kate Andersen Brower Out Now

The highly anticipated release of Elizabeth Taylor’s first authorized biography has finally arrived. Over the past three years, accomplished author Kate Andersen Brower, known for her prolific work covering political life in Washington D.C., took to a new kind of muse as she uncovered the true narrative of Elizabeth’s life through unpublished letters, diary entries, and off-the-record archival interview transcripts, as well as new interviews with 250 of her closest friends and family, many of whom have never spoken publicly about Elizabeth before.

“I had never collaborated with an estate on a book before, I was a little nervous going into it and I’m sure they were too,” recalls Kate on her experience working with House of Taylor to craft an authentic portrait of Elizabeth’s life. “We were all determined to get the story right. They have an archive of over 7,000 letters and 10,000 diary entries I was able to draw on — it is an incredible collection.” Luckily, most of Elizabeth’s archive has been digitized, which eased the communication and drafting process throughout the pandemic. While these pieces gave a direct line to Elizabeth’s thoughts and lived experiences, Kate rounded out the picture by incorporating insights harvested from 250+ interviews with Elizabeth’s loved ones and those she impacted through her legacy. Ranging from talks with Senator and ex-husband John Warner, to conversations with her children, to connecting with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Elizabeth’s HIV/AIDS activism, no stone was left unturned.

“I felt like I owed it to Elizabeth to have a reader pick up the book and actually hear her in her own words talking,” notes Kate. “But we were also not afraid to talk about her flaws – the traits and life experiences that made her so endearingly, heartbreakingly, human. I think that is the most interesting part of the book and what made me fall in love with her while writing it.”

To know Elizabeth Taylor is to love her for a lifetime. We are thrilled to share “Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon” with the world so everyone can know and love her as we have.