Redefining diva

the long version

"Sheryl Lee Ralph's superstar performance as the original Deena in Broadway's groundbreaking musical Dreamgirls didn't happen overnight. First came a grueling Hollywood apprenticeship, where roles for young black women at the time were often offensive and demeaning. Sherly Lee, however, held stubbornly to the values of her mother and grandmother: she wouldn't take any part she couldn't be proud of. Even after joining Dreamgirls -- where she helped create a role that grew from her own life story -- she would invest years of sweat and tears before the play finally opened to instant acclaim. In these highly personal reflections, Sheryl Lee Ralph reveals her take on her supposed feuds with Diana Ross and Jennifer Holliday, on auditioning for Sidney Poitier, on why she exited so controversally from the TV series Moesha, and how she signed away her rights to Dreamgirls for a dollar. She uses her life story to illustrate her vision: black, white, or any other color of the rainbow, a true Diva is a person of strength, character, and a beauty that radiates from within. Not just a memoir, Redifining Diva will inspire every woman (and man) who reads it to examine the potential in their own life" -- Publisher's description, p. [4] of cover.