by Sarah Ferguson
Atria, 2011
This is a woman who has struggled all her life to find self-worth. Challenging enough for anyone, but especially for someone who's lived much of her life in the public eye, and made so many public blunders.
It was such a seeming-blunder that set Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, on the path to self-discovery. She needed to know why she continually made poor choices and wound up in scandalous predicaments.
While I am not a fan Oprah or New Age philosophy, and can therefore not agree with the spiritual conclusions Sarah reaches, I do admire her for taking on the difficult task of "finding" herself. At the end of each chapter, she offers "nuggets" to help the reader who may be on a similar journey or be strugging with the same sorts of issues. Some of these "nuggets" would seem common sense to many of us; some, I would opine, are on the "flaky" side.
Sarah emerges from the latest scandal a stronger person for finally facing her past and gaining self-understanding. She is blessed to have many resources at her disposal that the ordinary person would not have. Not everyone can go to Thailand, Hawaii, or the Northwest Territories as part of their healing process. Not everyone has the circle of friends Sarah does.
The best conclusion Sarah comes to is that God loves her and God has forgiven her of all that she has done. With all due respect, her definition of God is suspect, but otherwise it's a statement that could potentially be true.
One of my favourite lines from the book: "Pouncing on your pride is a greater sign of strength than pounding on your chest." (p. 81)
Showing posts with label autobiography celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label autobiography celebrities. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
What I've Been Reading
I had hoped to report on these titles individually, but time is passing and I'm remembering less and less about them. If you click on the title(s) you're interested in, I'll take you to Amazon or Chapters, where you can read up on content and reader reviews.
You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded) by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. Waterbrook Press, 1999. Parenting. Discipline. Strong-Willed Children. Highly recommended.
Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin Van Ogtrop. Little, Brown, 2010. Parenting. Motherhood. Marriage. Also see this review, which first spurred me to read the book.
Glom Gloom by Jo Dereske. Backinprint.com, 2006. Juvenile Fiction. Teen Fiction. Fantasty. For the record, I really enjoyed this one.
Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Kensington, 2011. Mystery. Hannah Swensen novels are usually an entertaining and enjoyable read, and this one was no exception.
All That is Bitter and Sweet: a Memoir by Ashley Judd. Ballentine Books, 2011. Memoir. Celebrity Biography. Though we're not on the same page on everything, after reading this book I have an increased respect and admiration for this talented actress and activist.
You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded) by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. Waterbrook Press, 1999. Parenting. Discipline. Strong-Willed Children. Highly recommended.
Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin Van Ogtrop. Little, Brown, 2010. Parenting. Motherhood. Marriage. Also see this review, which first spurred me to read the book.
Glom Gloom by Jo Dereske. Backinprint.com, 2006. Juvenile Fiction. Teen Fiction. Fantasty. For the record, I really enjoyed this one.
Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Kensington, 2011. Mystery. Hannah Swensen novels are usually an entertaining and enjoyable read, and this one was no exception.
All That is Bitter and Sweet: a Memoir by Ashley Judd. Ballentine Books, 2011. Memoir. Celebrity Biography. Though we're not on the same page on everything, after reading this book I have an increased respect and admiration for this talented actress and activist.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Against all Odds: My Story
by Chuck Norris with Ken Abraham
Broadman & Holman, 2004
Chuck Norris tells the story of his life from birth to the present (2004). A "blue baby" at birth, he certainly had good reason to be blue, living with an abusive, alcoholic father until his mother finally walked away from the marriage when Chuck was fifteen. After her divorce, his mother met and married Chuck's stepfather, George, who became a positive, encouraging figure to her three boys.
Immediately after high school, Chuck enrolled in the military, and it wasn't long before he was serving in Korea. While on base, the men had three options for filling their spare time - drinking to excess, taking academic classes, or studying martial arts. Not being a drinker or academic, Chuck opted for the martial arts, and the rest - as they say - is history.
Norris talks about his martial arts schools; his fights; his friendships with the likes of Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Arnold Schwarzzeneger, and George Bush; getting married too young and his divorce years later; his remarriage; life as a father; and his involvement with charitable organizations, including the one he founded - KICKSTART - to help youth in impoverished communities. A believer in Christ, he also talks about his journey of faith and how it has transformed him over the course of his life. He admits that he has been far from perfect, and points to God's grace and work of salvation.
I found this book really interesting and well-written. If you enjoy celebrity biographies and are looking for a change from the usual sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, you will find it here.
Broadman & Holman, 2004
Chuck Norris tells the story of his life from birth to the present (2004). A "blue baby" at birth, he certainly had good reason to be blue, living with an abusive, alcoholic father until his mother finally walked away from the marriage when Chuck was fifteen. After her divorce, his mother met and married Chuck's stepfather, George, who became a positive, encouraging figure to her three boys.
Immediately after high school, Chuck enrolled in the military, and it wasn't long before he was serving in Korea. While on base, the men had three options for filling their spare time - drinking to excess, taking academic classes, or studying martial arts. Not being a drinker or academic, Chuck opted for the martial arts, and the rest - as they say - is history.
Norris talks about his martial arts schools; his fights; his friendships with the likes of Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Arnold Schwarzzeneger, and George Bush; getting married too young and his divorce years later; his remarriage; life as a father; and his involvement with charitable organizations, including the one he founded - KICKSTART - to help youth in impoverished communities. A believer in Christ, he also talks about his journey of faith and how it has transformed him over the course of his life. He admits that he has been far from perfect, and points to God's grace and work of salvation.
I found this book really interesting and well-written. If you enjoy celebrity biographies and are looking for a change from the usual sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, you will find it here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Still Growing: an Autobiography
by Kirk Cameron,
Regal, 2008
If you're familiar with the old television series, Growing Pains, you'll remember Kirk Cameron, who played likable goofball, Mike Seaver, during the show's seven-year run.
In Still Growing, Kirk shares his story of growing up in a pretty regular family, with three younger sisters and parents who loved and guided them well. He tells how he was introduced to the entertainment business at the age of 9 after his friend Adam Rich (Nicholas Bradford on Eight is Enough) put the Cameron family in touch with legendary Hollywood agent, Iris Burton. After learning the ropes of the audition process, Kirk landed several television commercials before being selected for his famous role on Growing Pains, which also starred Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Tracey Gold, and Jeremy Miller as main characters.
Solid family grounding coupled with Kirk's own personality kept him miraculously away from the traps that snare many young celebrities - drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, run-ins with the law. At age 18, as he began contemplating the larger questions of life, he started dating the sister of a "very pretty girl on the set," and was invited to attend their church. After listening to several sermons and doing a lot of independent reading, Kirk made the decision to follow Christ. It was a decision he took seriously and it gave him a new lens through which to view his television character and Mike Seaver's choices. Often enough it caused problems with the writers and directors of the show, who were accustomed to Kirk's previous willingness to go with the flow.
Much was made of Kirk's conversion to Christianity, and his conversion has informed and transformed his life. Kirk admits that he made some mistakes early on in his faith as he was figuring things out. His stance on moral issues and on roles he is willing to play have certainly cost him work. He quotes one famous scriptwriter as saying "for an actor in Hollywood, you sure picked the one unacceptable religion, didn't you?" (p. 200). That must be the understatement of the century, and one has to give Kirk a lot of credit for standing firm in an industry where pretty well everyone is willing to compromise and it is difficult to see the difference between actors who self-identify as "Christian" and those who do not.
I admired Kirk before I started reading this book, and I admire him even more now. Here is a worthwhile role model for those who wish to live out their Christian faith, whatever their chosen profession. Here is a book worth reading.
Regal, 2008
If you're familiar with the old television series, Growing Pains, you'll remember Kirk Cameron, who played likable goofball, Mike Seaver, during the show's seven-year run.
In Still Growing, Kirk shares his story of growing up in a pretty regular family, with three younger sisters and parents who loved and guided them well. He tells how he was introduced to the entertainment business at the age of 9 after his friend Adam Rich (Nicholas Bradford on Eight is Enough) put the Cameron family in touch with legendary Hollywood agent, Iris Burton. After learning the ropes of the audition process, Kirk landed several television commercials before being selected for his famous role on Growing Pains, which also starred Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Tracey Gold, and Jeremy Miller as main characters.
Solid family grounding coupled with Kirk's own personality kept him miraculously away from the traps that snare many young celebrities - drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, run-ins with the law. At age 18, as he began contemplating the larger questions of life, he started dating the sister of a "very pretty girl on the set," and was invited to attend their church. After listening to several sermons and doing a lot of independent reading, Kirk made the decision to follow Christ. It was a decision he took seriously and it gave him a new lens through which to view his television character and Mike Seaver's choices. Often enough it caused problems with the writers and directors of the show, who were accustomed to Kirk's previous willingness to go with the flow.
Much was made of Kirk's conversion to Christianity, and his conversion has informed and transformed his life. Kirk admits that he made some mistakes early on in his faith as he was figuring things out. His stance on moral issues and on roles he is willing to play have certainly cost him work. He quotes one famous scriptwriter as saying "for an actor in Hollywood, you sure picked the one unacceptable religion, didn't you?" (p. 200). That must be the understatement of the century, and one has to give Kirk a lot of credit for standing firm in an industry where pretty well everyone is willing to compromise and it is difficult to see the difference between actors who self-identify as "Christian" and those who do not.
I admired Kirk before I started reading this book, and I admire him even more now. Here is a worthwhile role model for those who wish to live out their Christian faith, whatever their chosen profession. Here is a book worth reading.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Woman I Was Born to Be: My Story
by Susan Boyle,
Atria Books, 2010
I remember seeing Susan Boyle's first audition on Britain's Got Talent, then showing it to my son when he got home from school. When she opened her mouth, he said, "That's not her singing, is it?" He thought it was a trick. No one expected that voice to come from that visual. But God truly uses the humble things of this world to shame the proud, and He gave Susan a beautiful talent.
Susan tells her own story in The Woman I Was Born to Be. After a brief prologue, she begins with the story of her birth in Bangour Hospital, Scotland. It's ironic that she was born on April 1st, considering how everyone was fooled by first appearances. God's sense of humour, perhaps, knowing what was to come? Doctors told Susan's parents from the start that since she'd been deprived of oxygen, they wouldn't be able to expect much of her, and this early determination coloured much of her life afterwards. School was a struggle, though Susan persisted; relationships were challenging. She was somewhat spoiled by her mother and one sister, but the love of her family was a blessing, and Susan enjoyed a very special connection with both of them.
Raised in the Catholic faith, Susan draws much strength and comfort from her religion, and gives thanks to God and "Our Lady" for all good things that have come her way. She is down-to-earth despite her new-found fame, and seems like she would be great fun to have as a dinner guest (you might just want to save the beans for another meal).
This is a non-traditional celebrity bio - you won't find any drinking, drugs, or wild sex here. Susan has lived a life of few regrets, but her story is fascinating nonetheless.
Atria Books, 2010
I remember seeing Susan Boyle's first audition on Britain's Got Talent, then showing it to my son when he got home from school. When she opened her mouth, he said, "That's not her singing, is it?" He thought it was a trick. No one expected that voice to come from that visual. But God truly uses the humble things of this world to shame the proud, and He gave Susan a beautiful talent.
Susan tells her own story in The Woman I Was Born to Be. After a brief prologue, she begins with the story of her birth in Bangour Hospital, Scotland. It's ironic that she was born on April 1st, considering how everyone was fooled by first appearances. God's sense of humour, perhaps, knowing what was to come? Doctors told Susan's parents from the start that since she'd been deprived of oxygen, they wouldn't be able to expect much of her, and this early determination coloured much of her life afterwards. School was a struggle, though Susan persisted; relationships were challenging. She was somewhat spoiled by her mother and one sister, but the love of her family was a blessing, and Susan enjoyed a very special connection with both of them.
Raised in the Catholic faith, Susan draws much strength and comfort from her religion, and gives thanks to God and "Our Lady" for all good things that have come her way. She is down-to-earth despite her new-found fame, and seems like she would be great fun to have as a dinner guest (you might just want to save the beans for another meal).
This is a non-traditional celebrity bio - you won't find any drinking, drugs, or wild sex here. Susan has lived a life of few regrets, but her story is fascinating nonetheless.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
High on Arrival
by Mackenzie Phillips with Hilary Liftin,
Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009
Sex, drugs, rock 'n roll. There you have them - the key elements of your standard celebrity bio. And Mackenzie Phillips - best known for playing Julie on the sitcom, One Day at a Time - writes about enjoying a plethora of all three, but especially the drugs. Daughter of John Phillips, most notably of the Mamas and the Papas, it was almost inevitable that Mackenzie herself would succumb to the snare.
It's been said - and rightly so, I think - that every girl seeks her daddy's love and approval. But John Phillips was a self-centred man - a man bent on pursuing hedonism to the utmost, as Mackenzie well describes. While she yearned for a close relationship with him, what she often experienced was abandonment. Deeply into the drug subculture, Phillips used narcotics and women freely and without care, and allowed his children to live as they pleased, without any boundaries or rules. When he invited Mackenzie, age 10, to learn how to roll joints for him and his friends, she was a willing participant. Maybe by being useful, she would get more attention. Maybe by emulating him, she would enter more fully into his world. It wasn't long before she was using drugs herself. It wasn't long before her life would enter a downward spiral that would take years to exit.
After reading about many of Mackenzie's escapades, I laughed out loud at her description of herself as "a good girl" (p. 78). It's amazing how we can deceive ourselves, and evident how desperately Mackenzie wanted to be accepted. What's more amazing is that even after years of self-abuse (including drugs and presumably unprotected sex with multiple partners), incest and rape, Mackenzie is still alive to tell the story.
It's a story she writes in order to set out the truth so that she herself might become "real and whole." It's a fascinating, ugly story, full of insanity, bad choices, hopelessness and despair, interspersed with periods of sobriety and well-being. It's a cautionary tale for those who might think the drug life is linked to freedom and fun when it is anything but.
Mackenzie's book sparked a lot of controversy when it first appeared. People don't like to talk about incest. Family members and friends didn't want to believe that Papa John could be quite that depraved. But I believe Mackenzie is right when she says that under the influence of drugs a person will do anything. And so perhaps the best service the book provides others is to encourage discussion of this taboo topic. As the author says:
Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009
Sex, drugs, rock 'n roll. There you have them - the key elements of your standard celebrity bio. And Mackenzie Phillips - best known for playing Julie on the sitcom, One Day at a Time - writes about enjoying a plethora of all three, but especially the drugs. Daughter of John Phillips, most notably of the Mamas and the Papas, it was almost inevitable that Mackenzie herself would succumb to the snare.
It's been said - and rightly so, I think - that every girl seeks her daddy's love and approval. But John Phillips was a self-centred man - a man bent on pursuing hedonism to the utmost, as Mackenzie well describes. While she yearned for a close relationship with him, what she often experienced was abandonment. Deeply into the drug subculture, Phillips used narcotics and women freely and without care, and allowed his children to live as they pleased, without any boundaries or rules. When he invited Mackenzie, age 10, to learn how to roll joints for him and his friends, she was a willing participant. Maybe by being useful, she would get more attention. Maybe by emulating him, she would enter more fully into his world. It wasn't long before she was using drugs herself. It wasn't long before her life would enter a downward spiral that would take years to exit.
After reading about many of Mackenzie's escapades, I laughed out loud at her description of herself as "a good girl" (p. 78). It's amazing how we can deceive ourselves, and evident how desperately Mackenzie wanted to be accepted. What's more amazing is that even after years of self-abuse (including drugs and presumably unprotected sex with multiple partners), incest and rape, Mackenzie is still alive to tell the story.
It's a story she writes in order to set out the truth so that she herself might become "real and whole." It's a fascinating, ugly story, full of insanity, bad choices, hopelessness and despair, interspersed with periods of sobriety and well-being. It's a cautionary tale for those who might think the drug life is linked to freedom and fun when it is anything but.
Mackenzie's book sparked a lot of controversy when it first appeared. People don't like to talk about incest. Family members and friends didn't want to believe that Papa John could be quite that depraved. But I believe Mackenzie is right when she says that under the influence of drugs a person will do anything. And so perhaps the best service the book provides others is to encourage discussion of this taboo topic. As the author says:
- "If nobody ever rocks the boat, if real stories of love and incest and survival are kept behind the closed doors of therapists' offices and judges' chambers, then current and future victims are destined to do what I did, to weather it alone, to blame themselves, to hide behind drugs or whatever other lies and oblivion they can find. It happens, it happened to me, and the desire to preserve my father's legacy is not reason enough for silence." (p. 188)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted
by Todd Bridges, with Sarah Tomlinson
Simon & Schuster, 2010
Here's another title for those of you who enjoy the no-holds-barred, tell-all, celebrity bio. As for me, I don't need to know every little thing, and there's a lot I could have done without in this book. I didn't need all the sexual detail, I didn't need to know how to make crack, I didn't need to know the twisted details of how suppliers punish the users who owe them. And from a guy who claims that God has had His hand on him and saved him from the brink, I certainly didn't need all the bad language.
I don't know much about Sarah Tomlinson, other than that her only other celebrity bio appears to be on the lovely Tila Tequila, but for someone who's supposed to be the professional writer here, there's way too much repetition in this book for me to say it's well-penned. Also, neither she nor the editor seem to have caught Bridges' contradictions. A couple of examples: Bridges says his dad beat him and was "always" drunk, and in the next breath tells us his dad was on his best behaviour when other kids were around and that the house was full "all of the time." He also talks a lot about racism and how people didn't like him because of the colour of his skin, then goes on to share how his love-crazed fans relentlessly pursued him in Chicago. I don't dispute that his father was abusive or that he experienced racial profiling, but the writing could have been more careful.
Then there's this big editorial gaffe: the sentence "Pretty much everything Billy and I did together was a lesson in some aspect of running a drug business" appears on page 154, then is precisely repeated two paragraphs down on the following page.
Ah, well. People aren't going to buy the book for the quality of the writing. They want the dirt, man, the dirt. And they're going to find it here. Bridges' years playing Willis on Diff'rent Strokes were idyllic in his estimation, but he did an effective job of killing him (hence the title) during his drugged-out decade. It's a true miracle that he didn't wind up dead, with an STD, or doing life in prison. He's blessed to have a mother who loved him so fiercely (as I'd hope most mothers love their children), a lawyer who represented him so well (the famous Johnnie Cochran), and eventually the determination to do what it took to stay sober. I wish him well in this new leg of his journey, and do think his story would translate well to the screen.
Simon & Schuster, 2010
Here's another title for those of you who enjoy the no-holds-barred, tell-all, celebrity bio. As for me, I don't need to know every little thing, and there's a lot I could have done without in this book. I didn't need all the sexual detail, I didn't need to know how to make crack, I didn't need to know the twisted details of how suppliers punish the users who owe them. And from a guy who claims that God has had His hand on him and saved him from the brink, I certainly didn't need all the bad language.
I don't know much about Sarah Tomlinson, other than that her only other celebrity bio appears to be on the lovely Tila Tequila, but for someone who's supposed to be the professional writer here, there's way too much repetition in this book for me to say it's well-penned. Also, neither she nor the editor seem to have caught Bridges' contradictions. A couple of examples: Bridges says his dad beat him and was "always" drunk, and in the next breath tells us his dad was on his best behaviour when other kids were around and that the house was full "all of the time." He also talks a lot about racism and how people didn't like him because of the colour of his skin, then goes on to share how his love-crazed fans relentlessly pursued him in Chicago. I don't dispute that his father was abusive or that he experienced racial profiling, but the writing could have been more careful.
Then there's this big editorial gaffe: the sentence "Pretty much everything Billy and I did together was a lesson in some aspect of running a drug business" appears on page 154, then is precisely repeated two paragraphs down on the following page.
Ah, well. People aren't going to buy the book for the quality of the writing. They want the dirt, man, the dirt. And they're going to find it here. Bridges' years playing Willis on Diff'rent Strokes were idyllic in his estimation, but he did an effective job of killing him (hence the title) during his drugged-out decade. It's a true miracle that he didn't wind up dead, with an STD, or doing life in prison. He's blessed to have a mother who loved him so fiercely (as I'd hope most mothers love their children), a lawyer who represented him so well (the famous Johnnie Cochran), and eventually the determination to do what it took to stay sober. I wish him well in this new leg of his journey, and do think his story would translate well to the screen.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Here's the Story: surviving Marcia Brady and finding my true voice
by Maureen McCormick,
HarperCollins, 2008
HarperCollins, 2008
Seems like every celebrity bio I read these days portrays a dramatic fall from the peak of fame into sex, drugs, and (sometimes) rock and roll. Maureen's tale is no different in this regard. Hugely recognized for her role as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, Maureen struggled to separate herself from her character when the show ended after five seasons. Challenged to find suitable work, and falling in with cocaine users, Maureen sank into a deep pit of drug addiction, doing whatever necessary to feed her habit.
Halfway through the story, though, we come to a startling turning point and are suddenly in a different book. A life-changing experience, which I won't spoil for you by sharing, starts her on a better path. Though she continues to make questionable choices at times, she is blessed to meet and marry a wonderful man, whose commitment to their marriage is remarkable, considering how much Maureen tests it. Eventually she is diagnosed as bipolar and finds relief through Prozac.
Her book concludes with the words "And that's the story", but I know it isn't really finished. I look forward to hearing more about the life of this actress as her story continues.
By the way, for Brady Bunch fans, Maureen does discuss the show and relationships between cast members.
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