by Barbara Cameron with Lissa Halls Johnson,
Bridge-Logos, 2006
Penned a couple of years before son Kirk's autobiography, this tells the story of Barbara Cameron, mother, wife, and entrepreneur.
Growing up in a loving but rather strict environment, Barb had self-esteem issues from a young age. She met her future husband when she was eighteen and married him within about a year. Several years older, Robert had a university education and a career as a teacher. He also had loads of confidence. It wasn't long before Barb's low self-regard plummeted even further.
Four children came along in quick succession and Barb was busy with all the duties of motherhood. When Kirk was nine years old, he and his siblings auditioned for one of the best Hollywood agents. The three youngest went on to have success in commercials and/or television at one time or another, and from the outside everything looked rosy. But eventually, terribly unhappy in her marriage, Barb surprised everyone by leaving her husband and beginning a new life on her own. Her story is largely about the events that led up to that decision and about what happened afterward.
Although Barb's book was written before his, I actually found it quite helpful to read Kirk's book first. Without having read Kirk's, I'm not sure I would have had the same interest in his mother.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in women's biography or books about women of faith.
Showing posts with label celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrities. Show all posts
Friday, March 18, 2011
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.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Losing It: and Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time
by Valerie Bertinelli
Free Press, 2008
The majority of the book dwells on Bertinelli's life so far: her childhood and entry into the entertainment industry, the years on TV's hit series, One Day at a Time, and various other acting jobs, the indiscretions that would today see her picture plastered all over the tabloids, and her 20 year marriage to rock's bad boy, Eddie Van Halen. A typical celebrity tell-almost-everything. Of course, we're fascinated by that - that's why the rags keep selling, and the paparazzi keep busy.
The part of the story that Bertinelli alludes to in the book's title, and that many women will be able to relate to, is her long struggle with weight issues. An emotional, unconscious eater, Bertinelli ballooned to 172 pounds, and became the Jenny Craig spokesperson following Kirstie Alley. In the latter pages of Losing It, Bertinelli shares how the Jenny Craig program not only resulted in a weight loss of 40 pounds (and counting), but also forced her to examine the underlying issues that caused her to make poor eating choices.
Bertinelli was not the "good girl" we all thought she was - I remember thinking "Valerie and Van Halen - what's up with that?" - she is a very real and down-to-earth person with a story that could have ended far differently.
Free Press, 2008
The majority of the book dwells on Bertinelli's life so far: her childhood and entry into the entertainment industry, the years on TV's hit series, One Day at a Time, and various other acting jobs, the indiscretions that would today see her picture plastered all over the tabloids, and her 20 year marriage to rock's bad boy, Eddie Van Halen. A typical celebrity tell-almost-everything. Of course, we're fascinated by that - that's why the rags keep selling, and the paparazzi keep busy.
The part of the story that Bertinelli alludes to in the book's title, and that many women will be able to relate to, is her long struggle with weight issues. An emotional, unconscious eater, Bertinelli ballooned to 172 pounds, and became the Jenny Craig spokesperson following Kirstie Alley. In the latter pages of Losing It, Bertinelli shares how the Jenny Craig program not only resulted in a weight loss of 40 pounds (and counting), but also forced her to examine the underlying issues that caused her to make poor eating choices.
Bertinelli was not the "good girl" we all thought she was - I remember thinking "Valerie and Van Halen - what's up with that?" - she is a very real and down-to-earth person with a story that could have ended far differently.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Could it Be Forever?
My Story
by David Cassidy
Headline Publishing Group, 2007
No one who grew up in the 1970s can forget The Partridge Family or its hunky lead actor, David Cassidy. It's telling, though, that this book was published in the UK, where David's star often shone brighter than it did in North America.
When I heard that David was coming to Centre-in-the-Square this coming February, I thought it would be cool to go and see him. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so to speak. And when I saw that he'd written this book, I thought it might prove an interesting read.
And so it is. The book covers his life pretty much from birth to the present, and in my opinion his stated purpose of allowing the reader to discover the "real" David Cassidy is achieved. In addition to his own words, the book is interspersed with the words of his family and close friends, who provide the perspective of more objective observers.
If you want an inside look into the life of a superstar, one who, at his peak, was even bigger than Elvis or the Beatles, read this book. It is definitely an eye-opener.
by David Cassidy
Headline Publishing Group, 2007
No one who grew up in the 1970s can forget The Partridge Family or its hunky lead actor, David Cassidy. It's telling, though, that this book was published in the UK, where David's star often shone brighter than it did in North America.
When I heard that David was coming to Centre-in-the-Square this coming February, I thought it would be cool to go and see him. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so to speak. And when I saw that he'd written this book, I thought it might prove an interesting read.
And so it is. The book covers his life pretty much from birth to the present, and in my opinion his stated purpose of allowing the reader to discover the "real" David Cassidy is achieved. In addition to his own words, the book is interspersed with the words of his family and close friends, who provide the perspective of more objective observers.
If you want an inside look into the life of a superstar, one who, at his peak, was even bigger than Elvis or the Beatles, read this book. It is definitely an eye-opener.
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