Cher's quasi-autobiography is divided into anecdotal mini-chapters, each with a title including "first" ("My First Memory," "My First Plastic Surgery"). The gimmicky format results in a lack of both continuity and depth?the text reads as if it were transcribed from tape recordings, and frequent passages of re-created dialog seem awkward and false. Scattered throughout, however, are entertaining reminiscences and infrequent glimpses of a likable and straightforward person. Especially touching are fragments that reveal the vulnerable child who survived a chaotic upbringing by idolizing Holly Golightly, listening to Broadway scores, using clothes to express herself, and dreaming of stardom. These moments of enlightenment make one hope for a thoughtful autobiography in the future. Cher has been the subject of a few biographies, the best of which is Lawrence J. Quirk's Totally Uninhibited (LJ 8/91). Recommended for public libraries with a demand for celebrity biographies.
Bruce Henson, Georgia Inst. of Technology
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

ISBN: 0684809001
Size:7.5 x 9.5 1
Format: HC/DJ-1998
Pages: 270
SOG: VG=Very Good, book tight, slight scuffing on DJ due to shelf wear
Shipment weight: 2 lb.