 Madonna : An Intimate Biography is a book by American author J. Randy Taraborrelli , chronicling the life of American singer Madonna . The book was released in April 2001 by Sidgwick & Jackson in the United Kingdom , and in August 2001 by Simon & Schuster in the United States . Taraborrelli first considered writing the book in 1990 , but , realizing the project might be premature in respect to Madonna 's fledgling career , set it aside . He began writing the book in 1996 , when Madonna gave birth to her daughter Lourdes . 
