She's known as a diva of domesticity, entrepreneur, media magnate, and a living brand. She has legions of fans and at the same time, many detractors. To her fans, Martha Stewart is a domestic goddess, the do-it-yourself doyenne. To her detractors, she's taken women backwards, espousing an unobtainable ideal. Love her or hate her, this much is true: Martha Stewart is a self-made woman who has risen from her modest upbringing to become one of the most successful and wealthiest businesswomen in history. This intriguing biography provides a balanced portrait of Martha Stewart's professional and personal life, from her childhood as the oldest daughter in a family of six children to her brief career as a securities trader, to becoming a bestselling author in the 1980s and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in the 1990s. Then, at the height of her power, Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators about a stock sale. The author documents the twists and turns of the trial, Stewart's five-month prison term, and the highly publicised comeback following her release from prison in March 2005. Each chapter examines the multiple facets of Stewart's life and draws upon a wide range of sources. A timeline chronicling important milestones, a rich bibliography of print and electronic sources, and photographs enhance this life story of one of the most controversial and intensely watched business icons of our time.