Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! [Large Print]

By Liza Minnelli

Book Overview

"A bombshell, jaw-dropping memoir"
--People Magazine

Global icon Liza Minnelli shares her inspiring story: stepping out from the long shadow of a mega-star mother and legendary film director father, fighting a lifetime battle with addiction, and emerging from it all to become a once-in-a-lifetime artist.

Kids, Wait Till You Hear This is the autobiography of EGOT icon Liza Minnelli. This fascinating, untold story reveals the intimate truth of the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up close: Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking.

Liza decided at the age of 16 that "sympathy is my mother's business. I give people joy." That veil of joy, however, masks a lifelong struggle with Substance Use Disorder ("SUD," which Liza inherited from her mother's branch of her family), boundless love to give and an equal need to receive it, broken marriages, multiple miscarriages, and hospitalizations--the highs and lows of unparalleled artistic success and lifelong friendships, as well as chronic anxiety and the threat of financial ruin.

Despite every challenge, Liza's is a life wrapped in laughter and her tremendous capacity to give and receive love. Today at nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. Liza's book celebrates supreme artistry and, more importantly, her human rights activism.

"It's time to tell the truth," Liza says, "and help people heal, as I have, one day at a time."

• Format: Paperback
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1538779188
• ISBN13: 9781538779187
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

"Liza's Long-Awaited, Remarkably Candid Memoir":

"Gather around, I've got a story to tell," Liza Minnelli sang in her 1972 Emmy Award Winning TV Special "Liza With A Z". And boy... does she ever!! "Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!" is the biggest entertainment memoir of the year. Liza has lived such a roller-coaster life in the public eye, it's no surprise the memoir reads like a show-biz soap opera. But "Hear This" is remarkably candid and honest. Her father, film director Vincente Minnelli was a gentle source of stability and encouragement; in sharp contrast to the chaos and confusion that often surrounded her mother, the dynamic and legendary Judy Garland. No doubt, Liza inherited talent, but she also inherited a genetic predisposition for Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The dynamics between Judy and Liza were extraordinarily complex, and Liza's memories of her superstar Mama are extremely bittersweet. Liza began building her own career, and, at 19, became the youngest actress to win a Tony Award in a musical (for "Flora, The Red Menace" in 1965). Liza had an amazing impact on entertainment throughout the 1970's; with an Oscar for "Cabaret" (1972), an Emmy for "Liza With A Z" (1972) and another Tony Award for "The Act" (1979). Liza's performance persona was shaped by Kander and Ebb, Bob Fosse, and Charles Aznovar. Designer Halston gave her beauty, chic, and glamour. Ever-loyal Liza famously saved Kander and Ebb's original 1975 production of "Chicago" from closing early when Gwen Verdon was sidelined by emergency surgery. During Kander and Ebb's ill-fated "The Rink" in the early 1980's, Liza crashed and burned, beginning her first of several stays in various drug rehab centers. Liza seems impetuous, even reckless, in her personal romantic relationships. But her three marriages (to entertainer Peter Allen, producer Jack Haley, Jr., and artist Mark Gero) all ended with love, lasting friendships and mutual respect. Not so with her last husband, the creepy late "producer" David Gest. I'm sure Liza herself is still scratching her head over why, exactly, she married Gest, and is grateful to have escaped him. In recent years, Liza's life has been more stable, thanks to the support of stalwart friends like Michael Feinstein; even if her multiple surgeries and near-death experiences have been cause for great concern. The memoir is occasionally exhausting, but Liza tells everything (triumphs, tragedies; the good, the bad, and the ugly), with such down-to-earth candor, authenticity, and honesty, you can't help but love her.