I, RHODA

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Valerie Harper tells her life story in an entertaining, informal way. Harper’s tone is energetic, positive, and friendly—and especially so when she recounts the fortunate turn of events in 1970 that resulted in her being cast as Rhoda in Mary Tyler Moore’s classic television series. Harper, who is not Jewish, relishes that people thought she really was a Jewish native New Yorker like Rhoda; little did viewers know that the character’s weight and self-esteem issues were hitting close to home for her. Details of her marriage and more recent stage work as Tallulah Bankhead in LOOPED are fascinating, especially as the process of developing the production is described. Harper warmly delivers the many behind-the-scenes stories without their ever seeming like gossip. W.A.G. 2014 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2013]