As the author discloses in his Acknowledgments, Bancroft's widower, Mel Brooks, and son Max opted not to take part in this book. While that might have it more difficult to fully depict the actress' private life, Daniel does an excellent job of drawing on other interviews and resources, as well as rare photos furnished by her sister. Given ample coverage are the major turning points (so to speak) of Bancroft's career, including The Miracle Worker, and of course The Graduate, the latter a role that would always carry with it a certain amount of baggage along with the recognition. Though I'd already read Patty Duke's extensive account of The Miracle Worker, Daniel provided interesting new details here, including the reason, unrelated to historical accuracy, why Bancroft's character Annie Sullivan sported an Irish brogue.
Like many performers, Bancroft didn't always have as active and satisfying a career as she might have liked, especially in later years. She also made a conscious choice to step away from her work at times when her family life took precedence. I liked the fact that Daniel didn't reduce everything in Bancroft's life to broad, obvious strokes. Many have thought that her marriage to Mel Brooks just proved that opposites attract, and oversimplified the idea of the intense dramatic actress falling for the guy who never stopped wisecracking.
Any admirer of this fine actress will find this a worthy and carefully considered account of a life and career that won't be forgotten.
