I don't consider 'American Rose' to be a biography so much as a microcosm of 20th-century America, told through Gypsy's tumultuous life… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
In 2001, I moved from Philly to Atlanta, where I lived for six years. I had never lived anywhere but Philly, and… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
Gypsy [Rose Lee] wasn't a linear person, and she didn't live life in a linear fashion. She was relentlessly self-inventing, and moved… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
“He spent all of his twenty-three years operating at only one speed and in one direction, furious and forward, convinced that a… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
It was a great challenge to reconstruct Gypsy Rose Lee life, and my interviews with her sister [June Havoc] proved invaluable. It's… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
“A Republican is a man who wants you to go t'church every Sunday. A Democrat says if a man wants to have a glass… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
I think Gypsy [Rose Lee] would be appalled at today's rawer, more blatant displays of the female form. She was, in her own way,… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
Gypsy [Rose Lee ] was a masterful storyteller, and her memoir and by extension, the musical weren't only Gypsy's monument; they were also her… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
Vaudeville was characterized by sunny optimism, acts that were uplifting, cheerful, and clean. It provided a fanciful, magical escape, but after Black Friday, the… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
An amusing city, Chicago, any way you look at it. I'm afraid we are in for the time of our lives. — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
The cousin said that Gypsy [Rose Lee] took a full fifteen minutes to peel off a single glove, and that she was so damn… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
“He was just a taker. She was a taker in her way too. They were taking each other, and they loved each other for… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
In the beginning of the war, Southern women wanted their men to leave - in droves, and as quickly as possible. They were the… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
I thought both she [Gypsy Rose Lee] and her story would be ill-served by a conventional, birth-to-death narrative, and so I structured the book… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
“And truth is malleable, something to be bent or stretched or made to disappear, but direct lies always find the path back to the… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
“Mother was,' June thought, 'a beautiful little ornament that was damaged.' Her broken edges cut her daughters in ways both emotional and physical, and… — Karen Abbott Copy Share Image
![“Gypsy [Rose Lee] wasn't a linear person, and she didn't live life in a linear fashion. She was relentlessly self-inventing, and moved backward as often as she moved forward.” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2a8/karen-abbott-13658_fashion_gypsy-rose-lee-wasn-t-a-linear-person-an_2555037.jpg)
![“It was a great challenge to reconstruct Gypsy Rose Lee life, and my interviews with her sister [June Havoc] proved invaluable. It's not often that writers have access to living primary source material; this was the only person who experienced life on the vaudeville circuit with Gypsy during the…” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6d4/karen-abbott-13658_1930s_it-was-a-great-challenge-to-reconstruct_3186142.jpg)
![“I think Gypsy [Rose Lee] would be appalled at today's rawer, more blatant displays of the female form. She was, in her own way, a prude.” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/35c/karen-abbott-13658_display_i-think-gypsy-rose-lee-would-be-appalled_10445.jpg)
![“Gypsy [Rose Lee ] was a masterful storyteller, and her memoir and by extension, the musical weren't only Gypsy's monument; they were also her chance for monumental revisionism.” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe2/karen-abbott-13658_chance_gypsy-rose-lee-was-a-masterful-storytell_259518.jpg)
![“The cousin said that Gypsy [Rose Lee] took a full fifteen minutes to peel off a single glove, and that she was so damn good at it he gladly would've given her fifteen more. So this story got me thinking, who was Gypsy Rose Lee? Who could possibly take the simple act of peeling off a glove and make…” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/424/karen-abbott-13658_articles_the-cousin-said-that-gypsy-rose-lee-took_512540.jpg)
![“I thought both she [Gypsy Rose Lee] and her story would be ill-served by a conventional, birth-to-death narrative, and so I structured the book like one of her stripteases: revealing a peek of shoulder, then a glimpse of knee, pulling back a bit before you go a bit further, until all is revealed…” quote by Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ba0/karen-abbott-13658_birth_i-thought-both-she-gypsy-rose-lee-and-he_637177.jpg)
