Composers Books

This is not a book to read in one or two days, it is filled with information and details never known before. It gives you an altered view of the famous diva. It must have taken the author years of dedicated work to interview all persons that possibly had some information of value and to go through a lot of documents and newspaper reviews. In fact this is almost like an academic dissertation, but written in an understandable way. As a great Callas fan I can not put this bok away for more than a very short time, I leave other things behind to be able to return to the biography and all fascinating facts revealed.

This is by far the finest biography I have ever read of Maria Callas. So much of her life is still surrounded by myth (mostly propogated by herself and her hagiographers) that a fascinating, scholarly, non-sensationalistic book is truly special.
This book mostly covers Callas's early years in New York and Greece. Far from being an "ugly duckling" the photos and descriptions of Mary/Maria in this book suggest an attractive, ambitious young soprano who by the time she left Greece already had several lovers and admirers. Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis somehow managed to interview every surviving neighbor, student, singer, soldier, and friend who knew Callas and her family "way back when" in Athens. He also did the impossible and got Callas's sister Jackie to speak candidly of her much more famous sister. The stories do not always match exactly, and Petsalis-Diomidis is remarkably sensitive to the viewpoints of all the sources. He is careful not to sensationalize anything. Even though the details are often horrifying (including Jackie's essentially becoming a semi-prostitute to support the family and Litsa's crude attempts to prostitute both her daughters) the tone of the book is always scholarly and respectful.
Maria Callas, even in her early years as a teenaged soprano in the Greek National Opera, tended to arouse strong feelings, both positive and negative. To her "enemies", she was crass, grossly ambitious, ruthless, mean, and worst of all, a collaborator with the occupying forces (Italians and Germans). To her admirers, she was enormously talented, intelligent, basically good-hearted, and a worthy investment of time and energy. I came away from the book feeling that both views were essentially right. Petsalis-Diomidis should be congratulated for writing such a fascinating, insightful, scholarly book.

Despite the volumes of material that have been written about her, Maria Callas remains a fascinating enigma both as a person and as an artist. Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis has taken an important step in filling in some of the gaps that remain in our understanding by tracing in exhaustive detail the singer's early musical life in Greece, where she moved with her mother and sister in her early teens and remained until returning to the United States in 1945.

The perception that her Greek sojourn was a relatively unimportant preamble to her "real" career was in part propagated by Callas herself. Petsalis-Diomidis shows that the eight years she spent there were, on the contrary, an essential part of her musical development. It was in Athens that she received her first formal vocal training from Maria Trivella and Elvira de Hidalgo (the author is careful to give the former due credit in Callas' education), and sang her first leading roles onstage with the Athens Opera. Among her credits there were operas that would form the core of her later repertory, such as Tosca, and others that she would never sing again, such as Fidelio.

Perhaps even more fascinating than her musical history is the multitude of detail about Callas' personal life during this difficult time. Though he tries to be evenhanded, Petsalis-Diomidis is ultimately unsparing in his condemnation of Litsa, Callas' mother, whom he regards as an amoral and destructive parent. His collection of anecdotes about the hardships of war and the professional difficulties encountered by the young Callas make for fascinating reading. Occasionally his passion for research makes the narrative seem fussy and overburdened with detail (was it really necessary to give the diva's exact weight at various times in her career?), but in the main this carefully researched volume is an essential addition to the already voluminous collection of Callas writings. Credit must also be given to the fluent and readable English translation.

"The Unknown Callas" is uniquely devoted to Callas' early life as a child, student, and young professional in Athens during the 1930-1940s, and is without question, the finest biography of the singer ever. This powerful intimate portrait is essential to understanding the complex woman and musician of the climatic years in the 1950s and 1960s.

Petsalis-Diomidis researched this work like an archaeologist seeking every surviving document and artifact, but presents it in biographical form as a psychologist with a deep understanding of human nature. The whole is framed by discussions of the politics of the time and the harsh realities of daily life during the war. Though this is the work of a scholar, it is also that of an artist, where every care has been taken to paint a three-dimensional backdrop and recreate the atmosphere for each scene.

While much of the original research for this book consisted of interviewing every surviving person associated with the family, conservatory, neighborhoods, etc. in those years; the author never accepts statements mearly at face-value, always examining every angle. The search for truth is ever apparent, and though his devotion to Maria is unquestionable, he never gives her unearned benefit of doubt.

Beautifully typeset and printed with copious photographs, the book unfortunately does not include the many photographs of programs for school concerts and early opera performances that were featured in the original Greek version. Albeit many of these programs were in Greek, some were also printed in German and Italian during the war, and afterwards in English. Likewise, the index does not present proper names in their original Greek alphabet, so the original version is now a nice scholarly cross reference for this new English book.

But for those intimidated by scholarship, this book tells a moving story with just enough gossip to keep things interesting. For fans and detractors alike, it's a story of a girl with modest gifts and very modest beginnings, fighting to survive adolescence and make a name in the world of opera, a fight that would continue throughout her life.

This book has contributions from several of Warhol's factory insiders (Victor Bockris, Gerard Melanga) who were personally involved with the Velvet Underground's groundbreaking shows in NYC (in addition to their status as card-carrying members of Warhol's film-and-silkscreen juggernaut). Their recollections, letters, and photographs from their time with the band paint a vivid picture of a beautifully chaotic scene peopled by colorful, indulgent artists and hipsters in a shimmering New York. The city is a character in its own right; an actor of nearly perceptible intent.

The photos alone are worth the price of admission. They are beautiful and artful records in black and white of the band and the surrounding Factory maelstrom through the most vivid and productive period of their shared existence. Despite the insider access of the photographers, they do little to deflate the Velvet's dark mythology. Rather, they distill perfectly the self-created mythology of the band as they birthed it.

There are great stories here, too, that could only have been told by firsthand participants. They offer rich portraits of the band and supporting cast, with intimate details of the band throughout their existence. From Lou Reed's early influences, to Warhol's insertion of Nico as the band's icy continental seer of doom, to accounts of their wild psycho-sexual art-rock shows, to their uncomfortable role on the fringes of fame, to the deterioration of the relationship between Reed and Cale, this is an essential text for any serious fan of the Velvet Underground.

UP-TIGHT is an invaluable sourcebook for VU fans and those simply curious about the band that inspired their mere 10,000 fans to start 10,000 bands of their own, as the cliche goes. I'm delighted to see that it is back in print.

Bockris wisely lets the participants speak for themselves, for the most part. Since virtually all (save Lou Reed) had retreated from public life (that is, gotten straight jobs) at the time the book was written, they provide a refreshing perspective as compared to what one usually sees in this type of book.

The standard of writing and research here is much higher that your typical 'rock book'. Not only does it give Velvet Underground the serious treatment they deserve, it is also a worthwhile resource for those interested in Andy Warhol.

An intelligent and entertaining approach to one of the most influential (read: they didn't sell a lot of records in their heyday)rock bands ever. Great pix too. The Velvets epitomized a time when artists didn't feel narrowly compelled to practise any ONE discipline, but rather people were less afraid to combine ideas, cross genres and disciplines. The spirit of the time, to me, suggests Possibility. Yes, Warhol et al. could drift into pretention, but that's the price (and it's really not such a costly one) you pay for being daring. You may go too far sometimes, and by today's (stupid?) standards, perhaps some of the VU "happenings" might appear contrived. But I don't think so! Altogether, VU rules. Way ahead of their time, and before it too. And beside it.

Buy this book, but more importantly, buy into the Underground.

Some 20 years after it's first publication, UP-TIGHT remains the definitive history of The Velvet Underground, and is also one of the essential glimpses into the social and creative world of Warhol's Factory.

Very well illustrated, with many black and white photos documenting the era, Bockris compiles and edits an oral history of the time, with valuable input from all of the key players.

Highly recommended for those with any interest in the Velvets, or Warhol, and an essential snapshot of America's 60s cultural landscape.

-David Alston

Having spent my teen years in the late 50s/early 60s and being a big fan of the music from that era I definitely could relate to Dee Dee Phelps story. But truthfully, with the exception of the song "Turn Around", I never got particularly excited about Dick & Dee Dee's catalog of music and I picked up this book imagining that it would be a relatively lightweight piece of fluff. Very quickly I found out that Dee Dee was pulling no punches in describing both the light and the dark side of the 60's music industry and her partner Dick St. John (who comes across as somewhat of an obnoxious egotist). Her accounts of recording sessions and adventures while touring the country by bus with other music notables make for great reading. Highly recommended!

Dee Dee Phelps did a wonderful job on this book and capturing her adventures as a teenager thrusted in the music industry and the ups and downs of touring the world. Great stories thruout the book -- if you love 60's Rock and Roll -- This is a must read! Thank you Dee Dee for telling this wonderful part of Rock and Roll History!

I like this book 'cause I could easily relate to it.... kinda'. Dee Dee is just like me... she is one of us -- a every-day kid growing up in the 50s and 60s. That was me... riding in the car, listening to the music. I could imagine the DJ playing my song. Only Dee Dee din't just imagine it. She did it. It was the beginning of a decade-long ride on the roller coaster of rock and roll. Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee rubbed shoulders with all of them. There were good times and there were bad times. This is her "behind the scenes" story. It's pretty cool.

Vinyl Highway: A Memoir is the true-life story of singer Dee Dee Phelps. Packed with stories that tell both the bright and dark sides of fame, Vinyl Highway relates the experiences of performing with such legends as Dick Clark, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and other memorable recording artists of the 60s; Dee Dee's role in creating five Billboard gold records; and her routine as a semi-regular on the ABC show "Shindig". An up-close and personal reminiscence of the thick of the 60's music scene, and a treat for anyone who remembers the sounds of the 60's fondly.

Living Blues Magazine has long been the champion of the common man with uncommon talents. These interviews from this fine magazine are drawn from a wide range of blues masters, now all but gone. In their own words, they reveal not only the sense of purpose that marked their lives, but something about their music, something of the hardships of growing up and old in a racist society.

The reader cannot easily distance himself from this fact. This alone can make it a tough, but fascinating read. The violent life in the ghetto is not new and it took many a bluesman's life early. The cry for justice is at the core of the blues, as these voices recount. Their words paint a picture of hope and angst in colors as vivid as the best Van Gogh.

This is really a great book, if you want to hear about the blues from the men who created it first hand. The blues is often either treated as an academic subject with big sincerity or as a subject of legends. This way the it is undramathized and becomes much more alive, but without losing the fascination. For example read about Houston Stackhouse drinking canned heat together with Tommy Johnson in the delta or how Muddy Waters felt when he heard his first single being played from every house as he was walking down the street just a few days after its release. The book is packed with stories like this as well as the opinions and thoughts of these great artists.

Voice Of The Blues gathers many lengthy interviews with pioneering bluesmen under one cover, revealing their life and times and an unusual participation in a dialogue over the history and directions of the blues music genre. These interviews first appeared in the pages of Living Blues magazine and here have been reprinted for the first time in book form.

Living Blues magazine has always been the leading periodical in the field in the US; one reason for this is the superb interviews with bluesmen/women that have graced its pages since its founding in the 1970s. Allowing artists to tell their stories fully and freely, often prodded on by knowledgeable and probing question by the interviewers Jim O'Neal and Amy Van Singel, produced important first-hand documentation of the art form. This book compiles a dozen of those interviews, ranging from Georgia Tom Dorsey to Muddy Waters, Eddie Boyd to Little Esther. One of the most fascinating is the very long (the longest in the magazine's history) interview with Delta blues legend Houston Stackhouse who was able to relate first-hand information and reminiscences of just about all the great bluesmen who worked in Mississippi and Arkansas going all the way back to Tommy Johnson. But all of the interviews plumb deeply into each artist's background, career, opinions, and memories, and that's what makes them (and the book) so interesting and indispensable. Hopefully additional volumes of more Living Blues interviews will be issued.

Ernest Newman's book remains the best introduction to Wagner's operas. He is astonishingly good on Wagner's sources, and on the draft processes Wagner went through as he transformed source material into his final forms. Other books deal with different aspects of individual operas in more depth, but this is still one of the books to start with. Everybody interested in Wagner should - well, the first thing to do might be to listen to excerpts from "Die Walku:re", "Tristan" or "Parsifal", say, and be awed by the music - but once you've heard the music, if you're still interested, you should get this book.

Laon

Nobody ever wrote more insighfully, brilliantly and accessibly about the titanic contribution of Richard Wagner to western culture than did E. Newman. This is a classic that should be read by all and anyone interested in what all the fuss is about. It's an old book but it's not dated. Take his translations seriously. Even though there are a lot of anachronisms (thou sayest...etc), they were anachronisms that RW intended when he wrote the poem. May I also recommend the Solti Recording of the Ring; the Furtwangler studio recording of Tristan; the Jochum Meistersinger and (gasp) the Levine Parsifal (the Knappertsbusch is sublime in so many special ways you may have to buy both. May I also recommend the Ring Interactive CD Rom. It is a blast.

Scholars and critics say that Herr Wagner's talent was in synthesis. The negative critics, e.g., specialists in a field from which they feel Wagner has stolen, tend to discredit Wagner for that. The grail was not, alas, the cup used at the last supper, prior to the opera "Parsifal" anyway. What's more the Grail theme was plagiarized from Mendelssohn. The plot of the Ring was not, alas, the same plot as the German novel "The Nibelungenlied." Wagnerians like myself, rather, see that synthesis as a symptom of Wagner's genius. He was able to take a series of sources, stories, novels, epics, songs, and cement them into a supreme art form, Gesamptkunstwerk, better than the sum of all the parts.

Newman comments intellegently on all aspects of the operas. He includes musical themes--surely a necessity in the work of that expert user of the leitmotif!--and even the psychological dimensions of the music. (Before I saw "Tristan und Isolde," I attended a presentation of a musicologist who nearly broke into tears as to the depth of the music in that opera. His comments reminded me of those of Newman regarding the same piece, which reminds me of Jung, one, whom you might say, was a product of some of the same Germanic trends of the late 19th century. But, enough on that...)

I read each review before I see the opera to which it applies. I read them again periodically. They are magnificent, allow for reasonable criticism. But they also give the devil his due.

I cannot recommend the book more strongly for anyone interested in Wagner, especially if you plan to hear or see the operas. Then leave the volume next to your bed. It's well worth re-reading, learning all dimensions of the music of perhaps the best composer who ever lived.

Is that extreme? Perhaps. Was Wagner's genius extreme? Off the scale.

Read and enjoy it.

I won't repeat the praise that other reviewers have expressed for this volume. This book is a classic by a Wagner scholar who really knows what he is talking about. It is an indispensable reference for any Wagner enthusiast.

In this book, M. Owen Lee grapples with the issue of whether we can (and should) enjoy Wagner's art, in the knowledge of Wagner's notorious flaws (such as his fiery anti-semitism, etc.) Drawing from classical Greek mythology, Mr. Lee discusses how it is common for great artists to have flawed personal lives, and that the value of the artwork should therefore be judged independently of its creator. Indeed, the artist creates his art as an act of self-healing. He therefore encourages the enjoyment of the music of Richard Wagner. (Yep, the Wagnerholics of the world can now listen without guilt. :-)

A lot of the material is taken from the book, "Aspects of Wagner", which M. Owen Lee acknowledges as a source. Since I had read these books back-to-back, the repetition of material was easy to see.

There is also a discussion of the opera "Tannhauser", which is discussed in about the same level of detail as his commentaries on the Ring.

Although this book consists of merely three lectures, and can be finished off in about 2 or 3 hours without difficulty, it has as much fresh insight as many other titles that take much longer to study. The first lecture exploring the influence of classic Greek mythology and cultural recognition through artistic expression - ie roughly how the Greek society established itself through artistic endeavour - gives the reader a pretty clear idea what Wagner was trying to accomplish for Germany through his music dramas, and also confirms a pretty outlandish level of self-confidence to even make such an attempt. The second lecture has some material which has already been covered in other books - notably Aspects of Wagner by Magee - but is still interesting. The final lecture with a detailed study of Tannhauser is excellent, the most interesting commentary on this opera I have read to date. The choice of Wassily Kandinsky's Die Nacht, inspired by Act II of Tristan und Isolde, for the front cover was very appropriate. Strongly recommended.

Father M. Owen Lee, who is known for his erudite commentaries on Metropolitan Opera broadcasts has recently published another book about the Wagner's Ring Cycle, called "Athena Sings. Wagner and the Greeks." Father Lee is a Classics scholar, so it should be no surprise that the Greeks also inhabit "Wagner: The Terrible Man and His Truthful Art." One of the chief characters that Wagner is compared to in this slender book is Philoctetes, who was given a great gift by the god Apollo, but was also maimed with an incurable wound.

The three essays that make up this book were written to be given during the 1998 Larkin-Stuart lectures at the University of Toronto. These lectures are devoted to religious and ethical concerns, and Father Lee took the opportunity to examine the relationship of the artist, Wagner to his art.

The first lecture, "Wagner and the Wound That Would Not Heal" tells the story of Philoctetes, who was shunned by his fellow soldiers because of his unhealing wound. Finally, they exiled him on an island on their way to conquer Troy. In their tenth year of war, after the death of Achilles, the Greeks heard a prophecy "that the city would never be taken unless the wounded Philoctetes was brought to Troy with his bow (the gift from Apollo)." The Greeks sailed back to the island where they had abandoned Philoctetes and persuade the wounded, bitter man to use his gift to help them.

Father Owen is not a Wagner apologist, but he asks us to recognize our debt to the "hateful, wounded man [we] are in need of"---he whose music can penetrate deeply into our psyche and bring us, if not peace, then at least self-knowledge.

The second lecture, "Wagner's Influence: The First Hundred Years" discusses the effect that Wagner exercised, for good and ill, on music, art, literature, politics, and psychology. The author quotes philosopher Bryan Magee as being able to say: "Wagner has had a greater influence than any other single artist on the culture of our age."

Of course, the worm at the core of this lecture is Wagner's "unquestioned influence on Adolf Hitler." There are still people who won't listen to Wagner's music, and Father Lee acknowledges this artist's blatant anti-Semitism: "He probably wreaked more havoc on himself with his essay 'Judaism in Music' than with anything else he wrote." A hundred years later, Goebbels was able to use it as vicious propaganda.

Can we acknowledge this hateful, wounded man and still be pierced by the beauty of his music? The author goes on to quote Leonard Bernstein's article in the 'New York Times,' entitled "Wagner's Music isn't Racist:"

"...And if Wagner wrote great music, as I think he did, why should we not embrace it fully and be nourished by it?"

The third and last lecture that completes this book is entitled, "You Use Works of Art to See Your Soul." Father Owen Lee concentrates on Wagner's early opera, "Tannhäuser" to prove his point, with help from authors such as Baudelaire and Goethe. He is even tempted to wonder if Wagner had Martin Luther in mind when he created his tormented young hero, "who was gifted in song, clashed with the Pope, sought refuge in the Wartburg, defied the society he knew, and profoundly changed it."

Or perhaps, Wagner was thinking of Wagner.

These essays have convinced this reviewer at least, that a seriously flawed human being can produce indispensable, undying, truthful art.

M. Owen Lee is perhaps best known to opera lovers through his appearances on the Texaco Opera broadcasts, some of which have formed the core of two of his previous books. In his latest book, Father Lee demonstrates the personally committed criticism which is characteristic of his radio lectures. This is no mere apologia for Wagner. The author is painfully aware of Wagner's human failings, not merely the oft-discussed anti-Semitism, and he is troubled by the fact that the music of such a monster could move him so deeply. This book gives us a wonderful insight into the author's soul as he grapples with this question. I especially enjoyed the discussion of "Tannheuser" in the final chapter. (A few years ago I wrote to him about his love of Wagner, and he cared enough to write me a detailed letter in response--another sign of his genuine commitment to the subject). This book tells us not only about Wagner but also about the author himself, who has a unique capability of engaging the reader in a genuine dialogue.

I have always been a huge fan of Whitney Houston. I read it a few years back before her divorce and new comeback. I hope they update the book or someone writes a new book. She is a talented artist and I found some things I never knew about her.

Whitney Houston is rarely out of the tabloids,so you may think you know all about her. Leave it to Mr. Parish to get beyond the headlines and give us a well-rounded look at this diva. This is not the just the story of Whitney Houston, but of her family, esp. mother Cissy and of the era of pop in which she came of age. From the projects to mansions, from ups and downs, it is a fascinating look at a great talent. It gives an in-depth look at her marriage to Bobby Brown, a marriage that continues to defy predictions of doom. Whether a fan or not this is a very enjoyable book.

This was one I could not put down untill I finished it. Completely up to date, covers her life,rise to fame,and ends on trip to Israel. Mr. Parish has walked the tightrope of keeping his feelings out the book, but still gives warts and all. Has a couple of pictures I never saw before, and is very quick moving as books of this type go. Learned some new things about my favorite DIVA!

Whitney Houston is rarely out of the tabloids, so it is tempting to think one knows all there is to know about her. Leave it to Mr. Parish to get beyond the headlines with a fascinating look at this major talent. It is a well-researched look at Whitney Houston, her family (esp mother Cissy) and an era of pop music in which she came of age. From the projects to mansions we follow every step of her rise to the top (including set-backs along the way). This is also a well-rounded look at her marriage to Bobby Brown, a marriage that has continued to defy predictions of doom. Whether a fan or not this is a highly readable book.

This book is a collection of very early pictures of the Beatles, some of which we have seen on promotional material. In my opinion several of those pictures are the Beatles' best. It is also very interesting to read Dezo's comments as to where and when the pictures were taken. He was their first official photographer. Great memories, great book!

This book is a treasure chest of professional photographs and anecdotes. This book has something for everyone, from the inveterate Beatles' fan to people who are becoming familiar with them. This book is indeed a masterpiece that will long register in the minds of those who read it.

if you are a Beatles fan you must see it, and return in a paper time machine to the beginning of the most fantastic line of the music story.

For anyone who is interested in music (and who isn't today?), this book is different in the kind of material in it. The book is comprised of pictures from the early Beatles' career, and have a captioned story line given by their first professional photographer,the late Dezo Hoffman. Any music lover should take a look because if it wasn't for the Fabs, you may still be listening to your Big Band and Swing Time, with a little Blue-Grass on the side.. (I know most of you probably aren't into that!) I thought it was entertaining, considering I am a Fab Fan.. Some pictures never-before seen.. Some interesting comments.

A wonderful book for anyone to read, especially anyone with visions of entering the madness of the concertizing world. It is hard to imagine his abilities as far as playing difficult repertoire on short notice, even recording it.
He doesn't seem to be a warm fuzzy kind of guy, but is organaized in a way that anyone must respect.
Herb

This autobiography proved immensely enjoyable for its revelations about the world of music, all the more so coming from a musician originating from a country which knew so much tragedy in the 20th century. Janos Starker's wit and wisdom shines throughout the book and he really knows how to write - he is much more than a mere raconteur intent on self-advertisement. I would definitely recommend this to any music-lover or indeed to anyone with a curious turn of mind - such a person would start off with something in common with maestro Starker.

Written without the technical competence his fingers are usually spirited with, this is still an intriguing book. Janos Starker barely disguises that he composed this book while bathing. The narrative of his life is interrupted several times with present tense statements concerning his hygiene at the time of writing. "I am flecked with pheasant grease as I compose these words" he writes. "But back to my time in Budapest, or I shall return to it soon. Presently I am bathing, removing these irascible grease spots. I remove the grease with a coarse loofah, then I write a sentence. This is the slow fugue of Janos Starker's life. A sinuous musk snakes from my armpits. The odor, she returns my thoughts to the pungency of Lady Hungary." A strange journey through the life of the notable cellist, his mind, and what is on his mind as he bathes.

In terms of quality of writing, the famous cellist might have stuck to his principal art rather than venturing into autobiography. But then we would be without this odd little gem of self-reflection. That would be a pity.

Starker makes no bones about the fact that he writes from the twilight of his life. That is part of this book's occasionally coarse charm. Like many professional musicians, Starker comes across as something of a crotchety fellow, not only determined to maintain the high artistic standard he early established for himself, but dismissive of those who prove less demanding of themselves.

It could hardly been foreseen that this Hungarian-born Jewish child prodigy, denied a passport from the land of his birth, would play in the great halls of Europe and America-and a number of less great ones far from those cultural centers-and then settle in Bloomington, Indiana with all the fierce loyalty to his midwestern university town that is typical of the emigr?-by-choice. There he became the revered teacher of a cellist friend of my wife's and so found his way onto my reading list.

The World of Music According to Starker reveals the stitchery side of the unglamorous practice room and backstage world that appears to concert-goers as a well-ordered tapestry. Starker's loyalty to his friends-for-life is endearing, as is his enduring respect for the consistently great artists like the idiosyncratic Fritz Reiner. Indeed, consistency is one of Starker's most-admired virtues and in eyes the truest measure of artistry.

Starker occasionally wishes aloud that his contribution might have enriched the lives of others. Indeed.

I loved this book; it was moving and written with an elegant grace, despite its dark content. It's difficult to write about mental illness with humor and charm, but Laura Love succeeds here where many others have failed. Excellent.

I've always found Laura Love's music and song lyrics to be thoughtful and profound, so it was no surprise to find this was a shocking but gripping true story. Frankly, I couldn't stop reading until finished and wished she had written more.

It's not a story for the fainthearted reader, because she tells all - warts and all. It's amazing that a woman could live through these experiences, yet end up with such a warm and compassionate sense of self! I also found it interesting to read about the times of Bobby Kennedy's assassination, the effects of race riots, and so many memories of the `60s and `70s from her perspective. Truly enjoyed the baby boomer nostalgia type memories. I would highly recommend this memoir!

I love a good memoir, and this book is among my favorites. The story of Laura Love and her sister Lisa is one I won't soon forget. Held hostage by a mentally unstable mother, the girls learn to tolerate a childhood of extreme poverty and insanity. The author has such a way with words, you feel as if you know her. With parts so emotionally overwhelming; I literally burst out into uncontrollable laughter, for lack of more appropriate emotions. A must read for all women or all races. A breathtaking glimpse into hell.

This book was like nothing I had read before. When I first picked it up I thought that I wouldn't be interested in it, however, once I started reading I couldn't stop. The things that happened to these little girls just breaks my heart and I had to know where their lives ended up.