Janny Scott: Secrets and stories of a prosperous family

Janny Scott grew up in a blue-blood family on the Main Line. But, as she discovered researching for The Beneficiary, her family had secrets.

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Photo/Janny Scott

Photo/Janny Scott

In her memoir, The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of My Father, journalist JANNY SCOTT delves into the history of her wealthy Main Line family and their long buried secrets. Scott grew up in a privileged, blue-blood family on the Main Line outside Philadelphia. Her grandmother was said to be the inspiration for the socialite character Tracy Lord played by Katharine Hepburn in film,The Philadelphia Story. But it wasn’t all glamourous. As Scott discovers – there was a suicide, extramarital affairs, absent parents and her own father’s struggle with alcoholism and depression. Scott comes in to talk about her childhood, about class, and about the family that she uncovered.

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