The HistoryMakers video oral history with Terry McMillan

Summary

Writer Terry McMillan was born October 18, 1951 in Port Huron, Michigan. She received her B.A. degree in journalism in 1977 from the University of California, Berkeley. McMillan's first book, Mama,...

Writer Terry McMillan was born October 18, 1951 in Port Huron, Michigan. She received her B.A. degree in journalism in 1977 from the University of California, Berkeley. McMillan's first book, Mama, was published in 1987 after she took control of the book's publicity. McMillan wrote letters to bookstores, black organizations and universities asking them to promote her book. This unique marketing approach proved successful. McMillan received several offers for book readings and six weeks after Mama was published, it went into its third printing. McMillan followed with the novel Disappearing Acts. Her third novel, Waiting to Exhale, was adapted into a successful film, in addition spending months on the New York Times bestseller list. How Stella Got Her Groove Back, an instant bestseller, was also made into a hit film. McMillan also wrote A Day Late and a Dollar Short, The Interruption to Everything and Getting to Happy.

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