Angel on My Shoulder : An Autobiography

Rating:
Summary: At times interesting, but leaves a bad taste
Review: When I picked up this book I was aware of Natalie Cole's drug problems as well as family feuds and bad marriages. These sections were interesting though I got frustrated with some of her mistakes she made after rehab. The strongest parts of the book are her accounts of growing up as Nat King Cole's daughter and the circles her family moved in. And I thoroughly enjoyed the passages in which she talks about her music and the recording of various projects. Especially the Unforgettable project. There should have been more about this. What turned me off was Natalie's excessive and self righteous and vulgar religiousity. She is prone to making statements about how God has chosen her for a special mission and He has allowed her to live so that her story can inspire. More offensive were her accounts of a pimp/pusher friend being struck down dead because he did not give praise to God for saving his life. Quite a God that she worships who would be so insecure and spiteful to kill someone because He was not on the receiving end of praise. This theology that she holds is another example of why some people have such a dim view of a certain strain of Christian belief. I was also put off by her closing inspirational story in which she prays over some homeless person. The next day he is not at his corner so Natalie concludes that she is now his angel. Perhaps she scared him away or he met some unfortunate fate. How arrogant to presume that praying over him and Bible thumping him did some good. I am sure that she is well intentioned and means well and I still like her music but I think she is now involved in yet another form of excessive behavior that will eventually harm her just like drugs and the life she "built" with her second husband.