Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Now a Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer, Self Made (formerly titled On Her Own Ground) is the first full-scale biography of "one of the great success stories of American history" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Madam C.J. Walker-the legendary African American entrepreneur and philanthropist-by her great-great-granddaughter, A'Lelia Bundles.

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Sarah Breedlove-who would become known as Madam C. J. Walker-was orphaned at seven, married at fourteen, an...