by Diahann Carrol

This entertainment veteran was the first black actress to star in her own television series in 1968’s “Julia,” and in the 1980s Diahann Carrol garnered a new generation of fans when she starred in the popular nighttime soap opera “Dynasty.” Now, Carroll has a new book chronicling her experiences called “The Legs Are the Last to Go.”

Here she shares her life story with the admirable honesty of someone who has seen and done it all.

With wisdom that only aging gracefully can bestow, she talks frankly about her four marriages as well as the other significant relationships in her life, including her courtship with Sidney Poitier; racial politics in Hollywood and on Broadway; and the personal cost, particularly to her family, of being a pioneer. Whether she’s recalling an audition for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” reflecting on her marriage to Vic Damone, or talking about her experience with breast cancer, Carroll’s storied history, blunt views, and notorious wit will be sure to entertain and inform.

Her autobiography shares her life’s story with surprising candidness!

“The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying & Other Things I Learned the Hard Way,” by Diahann Carroll, Amistad, $24.95, 271 pages.