Before the story broke about the insider trading scandal involving Martha Stewart, I did not have a good idea of who she was. I was curious to find out so I purchased "Just Desserts". The book did not seem to be a "hit piece", as others have portrayed this book. What I found was a writer who disected the image from the the real person. It is a very interesting study on Martha Stewart's troubled past regarding her domineering father and Martha's need to become rich and famous no matter what the cost and no matter who got in the way. I came away feeling very sorry for her. Whether you are a fan of her's or not, the book does a very good job of showing the fake from the real. The onscreen personae and her real actiions behind the scenes will shock and astound. The author also delves into the fantastic business savy that Stewart displayed throughout her career. Often underestimated, but always on top of things. A real modern day Jeckyl and Hide story. A very good read.I am not a biography reader as a rule. I normally just don't care. But I find Marth Stewart so utterly bizarre that I was interested to know what she was really like. I could not put the book down...I could not and cannoot get over how anyone could be that relentlessly monstrous and still be able to look at themselves in the mirror. I went from absolutely hating her to feeling deeply sorry for her. What a sad, pathetic, raging, twisted, soulless person. How deeply unhappy would a person have to be to act as she does? She can have her millions or billions... it certainly isn't keeping her warm at night. But it's GREAT read!Well worth your while, no matter what your pre-conceived ideas. This is an engaging read and the book is difficult to put down. Part of this is Oppenheimer's skill, but one must give credit to the extraordinary material he has to work with. I suspect, in the manner of PT Barnum, Ms. Stewart's response would be only to ensure he spelled her name right. I'm quite sure she's more than able to put up with the negative judgement of the author in exchange for yet another dead tree with her name on it.Great book and very informative. Was sent in a timely matter. Will be purchasing again in the near future. A very satisified customer. ThanksDriven, resourceful, intelligent,focused....all positive qualities possessed by any successful person. She reigns supreme unapologetically and has managed to rise to the top on the backs of her friends, co-workers and partners. Oppenheimer, may sling a little mud, but I don't think he does it without aiming carefully to the heart of the matter. His tome is well researched and leaves little to the imagination. Martha facing her kama? Now THAT's a good thing.Very startling information about Martha, quoted from the people who know her well..friends, co workers, and family members. It also had a lot of interesting background info about Ms. Stewart that I think few people know about. It has a very National Enquirer tone about it, but I found it to be fascinating none the less. Wether you love her or hate her, I think most would enjoy this book.i wanted this book because my aunt norma collier was martha friend and business partner . martha*s daughter godmother is my aunt and my martha is my aunts daughter goodmotherOverexposure is not a problem for Martha Stewart. According to Jerry Oppenheimer's unauthorized Martha bio appropriately titled, "Just Desserts", Martha sought the spotlight at all costs. Her tremendous success story from meager means to an omnipresent, omnimedia mogul is astounding and well worth reading.Let me just start by saying I'm not some gullible yuppie who worships the ground Martha Stewart walks on; I'm not delusional enough to think she manages to do everything in her books, magazines or shows alone - but I am an enormous fan of her brand. It never bothered me, nor surprised me that she had ghost writers creating her books and magazines, given the enormity of the Martha Stewart Living brand it was obvious that was the case. I never knew, however, that she cheated and manipulated so many people out of money, and that her success came at the exploitation of numerous friends over the years.This is a fascinating read that gives a lot of insight into Martha Stewart's life and surprisingly that of her extended family, too. By detailing her family lineage we get a better understanding about Martha's motivations and her quirks (good and bad). It allows us to build a psychological profile of Martha based on her experiences largely with her abusive, overachieving father. We can see how far reaching the consequences of his emotional and physical abuse go, impacting Martha's ability to form close relationships, as a friend, lover or mother.While you might think this is just standard tabloid trash, it might surprise you to learn that many of the interviews conducted in this book come from reliable sources: her own family members and close friends, many of which you will recognize by name. They give an unfiltered look at Martha's questionable behaviors over the years. That being said, it's all in the negative. The book is incredibly draining and about half way through you already know she can be a pretty nasty individual. It also only serves to paint her in a specific light: as a power hungry sociopath. I can't imagine she's all selfish and manipulative all the time, but that's not the purpose of this book, it's meant to give us a fly on the wall insight into the darker aspects of her life which was never available to us otherwise.A definite must read for any fan of Martha Stewart who isn't so delusional that they think she's infallible.