A portrait of a woman, an era, and a profession: the first thoroughly researched biography of Meryl Streep that explores her beginnings as a young woman of the 1970s grappling with love, feminism, and her astonishing talent "When they called my name," Meryl Streep said in her 2012 Oscar speech, "I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, 'Ohhh, no. Oh, come onwhy? Her. Again.'" By now, it's hard to remember a time when her name wasn't synonymous with the title Greatest Living Actress. But who was she before she was the "Iron Lady" of acting? How did she learn to do what she does? What happens when we look at her again, not as a celebrated diva but as a limpid twentysomething burning with talent and ambition? In 1975, Meryl Streep was a promising young graduate of the Yale School of Drama, just finding her place in the New York theater scene. She rode her bicycle everywhere, kept a diary, napped before performances, and stayed out late "talking about acting with actors in actors' bars." Yet Meryl stood apart from her peers. In her first season in New York, she appeared in back-to-back Broadway plays, headlined Shakespeare in the Park, and earned a Tony Award nomination.

One thing she knew she would never be: a movie star. Her Again is an intimate look at the artistic coming-of-age of the greatest actress of her generation, from the homecoming float at her suburban New Jersey high school through her discovery of the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama to her star-making roles in The Deer Hunter, Manhattan, and Kramer vs. Kramer. New Yorker contributor Michael Schulman charts her heady rise to stardom on the New York stage, her passionate, tragically short-lived love affair with fellow actor John Cazale, and her evolution as a young woman of the 1970s wrestling with changing ideas of feminism, marriage, love, and sacrifice. Featuring eight pages of arresting black-and-white photos, some never before seen, this captivating story reveals a gifted young woman coming into her extraordinary talents at a time of immense transformation, offering a rare glimpse into the life of the actress long before she became an icon. Advance Praise for Her Again "Talent attracts talent, and in Michael Schulman, Meryl Streep has gotten the biographer she deservescanny, fluent, a pleasure to read, and perfectly suited to capturing America's greatest screen actress on the cusp of her brilliant career."Peter Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls "Her Again is not only a captivating biography but a look at the alchemy of great acting. Through comprehensive research and contagious enthusiasm, Michael Schulman celebrates Streep's artistry while humanizing an icon.

"Tavi Gevinson, founder and editor-in-chief of Rookie "Michael Schulman chronicles the early life of Meryl Streep with an aficionado's fascination and a critic's discernment, offering not just a portrait of the artist as a young woman but also vividly conjuring the cultural and social milieu of New York City in the fractured 1970s. This is Streep on the brink of becoming Streep: a celebrity bio in the shape of an affecting, compelling bildungsroman."Rebecca Mead, author of My Life in Middlemarch "At long last, the chance to watch one of the greatestokay, the greatestup close, as she wows them from day one, turning heads and breaking hearts every step of the way along her ascent into the pantheon. Thank you, Michael Schulman, for finally getting us next to so many of her hersfrom Linda of The Deer Hunter to Joanna of Kramer vs. Kramercharacters shaken to life by Streep's singular, almost embarrassing surplus of talent."Sam Wasson, author of Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m. and Fosse "Her Again is a beautifully observed, deeply affectionate portrait of an astonishing actress on the cusp of everything.

It captures not merely Streep's beginnings, but an era. A delightful, respectful, and essential book for anyone interested in Meryl, Hollywood, theater, or just being ridiculously, passionately young."Paul Rudnick, author of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told "A thoughtful and insightful chronicle of the early life and career of remarkable Meryl."Jane Alexander, actress and author of Command Performance.