Dr. Laura : The Unauthorized Biography

Thomas Dunne Books, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. The word unauthorized pretty much guarantees that a biography isn't going t o be flattering, and, no surprise, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, radio's finger-w agging "shrink" (her doctorate is in physiology), gets a pretty good drubbi ng here. In this case, though, the author didn't have to work all that hard to dig up the dirt; Schlessinger's well-publicized antics over the years g ive Bane plenty of fodder. Those who have read the unflattering piece about Dr. Laura in a 1998 issue of Vanity Fair will find much of this material f amiliar: Schlessinger hasn't spoken to her mother and sister for years, she is notoriously thin-skinned, and she seems to have used a stiletto on almo st everyone she has ever worked with in radio. (Many of those former collea gues were more than willing to be quoted by name in these pages.) Bane, who se writing style can best be described as clunky, does make attempts at eve n-handedness: she confirms that Schlessinger is bright, a quick study, and a natural on the radio, and she includes comments by those who have a more favorable opinion of Dr. Laura. But what will attract readers, especially t hose who don't like Laura, are the many dishy details that expose where Sch lessinger's public persona and private actions clash.