Being Martha

Being Martha is a personal-at times a searingly personal-account of Martha's life from the inside, by a friend. It's fascinating-very anecdotal and very emotional. It won't be like anything else you've ever read about her.

-John Small, editor of SaveMartha.com

From Being Martha

"Martha has taught people to do many things and not in the way an ordinary teacher would, but in her own particular way. She taught people about the good things in life-the simple things."

-Martha Kostyra, Martha's mother

"My mother and I have always been close. We are not closer since the trial and prison-we've always been close. . . . Don't we all want a better life? No matter what they say about my mom, all she ever does is teach the world good things that will help them in life. So what if she shows you the perfect way to do it? Would you want your professor at school to do anything less in any other subject? Her fans know what she's all about."

-Alexis Stewart, Martha's daughter

"It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions."

-George Christiansen, Martha's brother, about the early years

"Martha raised the bar for me and made me think big. . . . We have an alley cat, Ricky, that lives next door at the deli, and he roams in and out of the neighborhood. Ricky has no tail, he's dirty, and he acts like a dog. One morning during the trial, Martha was in the salon wearing a three-thousand-dollar Jil Sander suit. She was sitting on one of the chairs in the back. Ricky came in and jumped on top of her and was all over her, licking her neck and putting paw marks all over her. Martha said, 'Oh my God, this cat is so dirty, this is such a dirty little cat!' But she let him crawl all over her. She just dusted the hair and dirt off. She really has a lot of kindness in her."

-Eva Scrivo, Martha's friend and hairdresser