Celebrated for her indelible, Oscar-caliber performances in some of the most memorable films of the 1980s and 1990s, Debra Winger, in "Undiscovered," her first book, demonstrates that her creative range extends from screen to page. Here is an intimate glimpse of an artist marvelously wide-ranging in her gifts.

In fact, as this beguiling book reveals, Winger is that rare star who dared to resist the all-consuming industry that is Hollywood becoming her entire reason for being. "I love the work," she states, "and don't much care for the business." Yet she cares deeply for the people who have inspired her. We meet them (most famously, James Bridges, Bernardo Bertolucci; most dearly, her mother, husband, and sons) here, as Winger passionately makes her case for forging a life beyond acting -- and shows how she has done just that.

Winger's screen performances have long been celebrated for their breathtaking emotional range, a quality that shines through in these pages. "When I was little," she writes, "someone told me that when you age, you turn into the person you were all your life." In this intriguing mix of reminiscence, poetry, storytelling, and insightful observation, a portrait of a life well-lived is strikingly rendered.

An FBI agent engages in a battle of minds with a woman she suspects of multiple murders in this thriller from director Bob Rafelson. Investigator Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger) becomes obsessed with proving glamorous socialite Catharine Petersen (Theresa Russell) is a murderess responsible for the deaths of several millionaires who died suspiciously soon after marrying. Believing her to have assumed a new identity each time, Agent Barnes sets out to prove her suspicions are true, but soon finds that she too is falling under the Black Widow's spell.

Choir drama starring Dustin Hoffman. Following the death of his mother, eleven-year-old orphan Stet (Garrett Wareing) is encouraged to join the elite American Boychoir School run by Master Carvelle (Hoffman) after his talent is discovered by his public school principal Ms. Steel (Debra Winger). After being granted admission to the prestigious establishment, courtesy of the father who abandoned him (Josh Lucas), the undisciplined Stet finds himself warring with confident lead singer Devon (Joe West), a rivalry encouraged by Carvelle's ambitious assistant Drake (Eddie Izzard). But the choirmaster soon acknowledges that the group he has assembled is too talented to waste and they may represent the best chance to cement his legacy before finally retiring.