Tyra Banks: A Biography tells the story of one of today's most visible, successful, and inspiring young African American women. It is a revealing look at Banks's meteoric rise from geeky adolescent to supermodel, actress, and TV mogul—all in just seven years after initially being turned down by a number of agencies.
In following the life of Tyra Banks, this authoritative biography finds the sources of her determination not just to succeed but to aggressively promote positive female role models and debunk biases and stereotypes too-often applied to women. Among the highlights are Banks's years as youth correspondent for Oprah Winfrey and her extensive philanthropic work, establishing scholarships, charities, and camps, while providing self-help advice for young women.

Tyra. Not since Oprah Winfrey has an African American woman reached the pinnacle of success in so many areas of popular culture. But it wasn't easy. Achieving her historic "firsts" in modeling and television—from being the first black model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, to creating, producing, and hosting two top-rated reality shows—meant overcoming racism, rejection, and ridicule.