In this book - at once a biography, the intimate portrait of an extraordinary family, and a peculiarly American tragedy - Patricia Bosworth has re-created an entire era: Roosevelt's New Deal, the triumphant Left, the victory of World War II, and then the fall of liberalism and the dawn of the Cold War. Political turmoil followed; anti-Communist hysteria ruined many lives full of promise. Among them was that of Patricia Bosworth's father, Bartley Cavanaugh...

The book celebrates the Duke's life and legacy through film stills, backstage photos, and snapshots, ranging from his cinematic masterpieces to a surprising variety of early career, leading-man films. Also included are a wide selection of fan mail art; family albums, photos from friends and loved ones, and the many treasures gathered over the years in his immense archive.

Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus falls in with Lionel Sweeney. Sweeney is an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become one of the most revered photographers of the twentieth century. Diane's strange, new world unlocks her deepest secrets, awakens her remarkable artistic genius, and launches her path to becoming the artist she is meant to be.