Dolly Parton is basically the only person left in America that everyone can agree on. Whether you grew up on 8-track tapes of "Jolene" or discovered her through her viral TikTok challenges and the Imagination Library, she occupies this weirdly sacred space in our culture. But if you really want to understand the woman behind the rhinestones, you have to look back at Dolly My Life and Other Unfinished Business. It isn't just another celebrity cash-grab book. It's a time capsule.
Released in 1994, this memoir caught Dolly at a fascinating crossroads. She was already a legend, sure, but she was also navigating a shifting Nashville landscape and a Hollywood career that had seen its share of ups and downs. It's a gritty, funny, and surprisingly blunt look at a life that started in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains.
The Raw Reality of Sevierville
Most people know the "Coat of Many Colors" story. It’s a staple of her brand. But in Dolly My Life and Other Unfinished Business, she goes deeper into the actual poverty of her childhood. It wasn't just "quaint." It was hard.
She talks about being one of twelve children. Think about that for a second. Twelve kids in a cabin with no electricity or running water. She describes the smell of the mountains and the sound of her mother’s voice, but she also doesn't shy away from the hunger or the feeling of being looked down upon by the "town folks" in Sevierville. Honestly, it’s that chip on her shoulder that probably fueled her insane work ethic. She had something to prove.
Why the Unfinished Business Title Matters
The title always felt a bit cryptic to fans. "Unfinished Business" suggests there was more to do, which, looking back from 2026, is an understatement. In 1994, Dolly was dealing with the fallout of leaving the Porter Wagoner show years prior—a move that resulted in lawsuits and a lot of bad blood in the industry.
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She uses the book to set the record straight on her relationship with Porter. It wasn't just a professional split; it was a messy, emotional divorce of sorts. She loved him, but he wanted to control her. Dolly Parton is many things, but she is not someone you can control. The "business" she was finishing in these pages was reclaiming her narrative from the men who thought they made her.
The Business of Being Dolly
One of the most interesting parts of the book is how she views her own image. She’s incredibly self-aware. She knows she looks like a "bimbo," and she’s the first one to make a joke about it. "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap," is the classic line, but the memoir explains the why.
She modeled her look after the "town tramp" in her childhood home. To a little girl with nothing, that woman—with the bright lipstick, high heels, and bleached hair—was the height of glamour. It’s a psychological deep dive that explains her aesthetic better than any interview ever could. It’s armor.
The Struggles We Forget
We tend to think of Dolly as an unstoppable force of positivity. But the book touches on her dark times, too. She writes about the "female problems" that led to a partial hysterectomy in her 30s, which triggered a deep depression.
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She was honest about her weight fluctuations and the suicidal thoughts she had during that period. It's jarring to read because we’re so used to the smiling, wig-wearing icon. Seeing her at her lowest point makes her eventual triumph feel a lot more earned. It reminds you that the "Backwoods Barbie" persona is a choice she makes every day to stay on the bright side of life.
Navigating the Nashville Boys' Club
Nashville in the 60s and 70s was a shark tank. If you were a woman, you were usually relegated to "girl singer" status. Dolly refused. She was a songwriter first.
In Dolly My Life and Other Unfinished Business, she details the grit it took to keep her publishing rights. That’s the real "unfinished business." She understood the value of her intellectual property long before most artists did. When Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted half the publishing rights to "I Will Always Love You" in exchange for Elvis recording it, Dolly said no.
Think about the guts that took. It’s Elvis. But she knew that song was her family’s "college fund." Years later, Whitney Houston’s version made Dolly enough money to buy most of Nashville. That’s not just luck; that’s the business mind she reveals in the memoir.
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Key Takeaways from the Book
- Own your masters: Dolly’s insistence on keeping her songwriting rights changed the industry for women in country music.
- Authenticity is a tool: She leans into her roots rather than trying to hide them to fit into high society.
- Forgiveness as a strategy: Her ability to move past the Porter Wagoner drama allowed her to survive when others would have been crushed by the bitterness.
The Legacy of the 1994 Memoir
Reading this today is a trip. You see the seeds of everything she’s become. The Imagination Library, which has gifted over 200 million books to kids, is rooted in the fact that her own father couldn't read or write. She mentions his literacy struggles in the book with such tenderness.
It’s also where she clarifies her marriage to Carl Dean. People have speculated for decades because he’s never in the spotlight. She basically says, "He’s my rock, he stays home, and that’s why it works." It’s a simple explanation for a complex, lifelong partnership that has outlasted almost every other celebrity marriage.
How to Apply Dolly’s Logic to Your Life
If you’re looking for a roadmap for a long career, there are worse places to look than this book. Dolly treats her life like a business, but her heart like a ministry.
- Don't apologize for your "look." Whatever your version of rhinestones and big hair is, lean into it. If it makes you feel powerful, it's working.
- Say no to the "Colonel Tom Parkers" in your life. Don't trade your long-term equity for a short-term ego boost, even if it’s a big name asking.
- Address your "unfinished business" early. Don't let old grudges or lawsuits fester. Write them down, face them, and move on.
Dolly Parton is still writing her story. But Dolly My Life and Other Unfinished Business remains the essential primary source. It’s the rawest version of her we’ve ever gotten, before she became a literal living saint. It’s the story of a woman who knew exactly who she was, even when the rest of the world was just looking at the wig.
To get the most out of Dolly's philosophy today, start by auditing your own "unfinished business." Whether it's a creative project you shelved or a professional boundary you never set, Dolly’s life proves that addressing those gaps is the only way to move forward into your own "rhinestone" era. If you haven't read it yet, find a vintage copy; the 1990s perspective offers a unique window into her transition from country star to global phenomenon that her newer, more polished books sometimes gloss over.