The book received relatively positive reviews from critics. In her interview with Oprah, she explained she was not trying to deny her past: "I found you can run, but you cannot hide." Critical response Lords promoted the book on numerous talk shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live. The paperback version of the book was released on Jwith an additional chapter and photos. Traci Lords: Underneath It All was first released in 2003 by HarperCollins. On November 4, 2000, when Lords was a guest on The Howard Stern Show, she was again asked about the book but said she had no intentions of putting it out at that time.
However, the project was shelved due to problems with the publishing deal. Later, in July, it was confirmed that a book entitled Out of the Blue: The Traci Lords Story was in development.
Lords first talked about her plans to write a book during an interview with Ross Shafer on April 18, 1988. From there she appeared in numerous adult films and magazines until authorities discovered she had been a minor and started an extensive investigation of all her co-workers. After appearing in a nude centerfold in Penthouse magazine (she was only 15 when the photos were taken), Kuzma became nationally known as Traci Lords. She ran away from home and ended up on the streets of Hollywood where she landed a job as a nude model. Her new ID, with the name of Kristie Elizabeth Nussman, stated she was 22 rather than 15. Lynn offered to help her solve her job problems by getting her a fake driver's license ID. Searching for a job in order to get money for an abortion, Kuzma was introduced to Roger's friend Lynn for whom she started working as a babysitter. At 14, she became pregnant by her high school boyfriend. She began attending Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. At the age of 12, Kuzma moved with her mother and sisters to Lawndale, California, along with her mother's boyfriend Roger, who was a cocaine dealer. When she was 10, she was raped by a sixteen-year-old acquaintance. Her parents divorced when she was 7-years-old due to her father's abusive behavior, and she moved with her mother and three sisters to her great-grandmother's house. Lords was born Nora Louise Kuzma in Steubenville, Ohio. However, the book met with criticism from adult film industry insiders, some of whom accused Lords of lying. It debuted at number thirty-one on The New York Times Best Seller list. Traci Lords: Underneath It All received positive response from critics and was a commercial success. It also chronicles her childhood, transition to mainstream films and musical career. The book primarily details Lords' career in the adult film industry, when she appeared underage in dozens of pornographic films and became one of the most notable pornstars of the 1980s. It was reissued as a paperback on June 29, 2004, with an additional chapter and photos. Traci Lords: Underneath It All is an autobiography by American actress and singer Traci Lords, first published on Jby HarperCollins.