Kaleem Aftab's authorised biography of Lee chronicles his film work in definitive detail, but also explores the many social issues and controversies that the work has addressed and generated; also the inspirational affect Lee has had upon his own and subsequent generations of black film-makers (he gave Halle Berry her first break, and early lead roles to Denzel Washington and Samuel Jackson). Every one of Lee's films has tackled a subject and caused a stir: from female sexuality in She's Gotta Have It to New York race riots in Do the Right Thing and jazz in Mo' Better Blues; interracial sex in Jungle Fever; revolutionary pan-Africanism in Malcolm X; the 'War on Drugs' in Clockers; Louis Farrakhan's 'Million Man March' in Get on the Bus; black poverty and pro-basketball in He Got Game...As such Lee has made himself a spokesman on US race relations, but he is also an entrepreneur and a provocateur. This biography, prepared with Lee's co-operation and with input from his friends, family and collaborators, tells the extraordinary life story of a true American original.