Rating: 
Summary: Icing, But No Cake...
Review: The bookcover is very nice. I was a little disappointed with this book because I anticipated more than what was included in this book. I feel like Aretha could have gone deeper. David Ritz should have pulled more out of her as they wrote this book.
It is clear that Aretha praises her father. This seemed to be a "let me put some people in check" book. Aretha dishes up DUST on several people that she has had negative encounters with over the course of her life (personal and professional). If she was going to air the laundry, she should have just put all the DIRT right on out there for the readers. She mentioned some names and then for some she kept their identity a secret. She only provided the icing, but no cake...so why tell it at all?
She handled the Sam Cooke issue very lightly. Since she knew him personally and shared some things about them...I wanted to know her true feelings about the mystery that surrounded his untimely death. But like the rest of the book...she left readers hanging and wishing that she had given more. At any rate, I believe that she accomplished her mission or purpose which in my opinion was to set the record straight about her parents breakup. Also to let all who had ever offended her, stepped on her toes or dissed her, know how she feels.
It was of personal interest to me to learn how Rev. Jasper Williams came to be involved with her father's funeral. So, I was surprised to see the details of how that came to be included in this book.
One odd and unexpected thing that I did get from this book was some medical knowledge. She mentioned an illness identified as "Pleurisy". Since I had never heard the term before I researched it and it just so happens that I developed it after a two week bought with the Flu. Thanks Aretha! You helped me explain my symptoms to my doctor which led to a more speedy diagnosis and treatment.
I am still a BIG FAN of The Queen of Soul regardless of this book. Even though I rated this book with one star, I recommend reading it if you are a fan, want to stroll down the music memory lane, want to brush up on your some gospel and soul music history and civil rights history.
Rating: 
Summary: Like other fans, I don't like the putdowns
Review: While I wasn't bored by this book (as a musical retrospective of her career, it is good) I was put off by Aretha's comments about other singers. She comes off as cold, arrogant and self-serving. I was particularly disappointed in her comments about Cissy Houston and especially Gladys Knight (she says that Gladys has been under "stress" due to "career disappointments" and that she will pray for her. Whatever). That is a cheap shot and Ms. Knight is totally undeserving of that comment because 1)despite some lows, Gladys Knight has had many successes in her career and 2)it only makes Aretha look petty. While Aretha does give herself too much credit in terms of her musical influence (humility is not one of her strong points), you cannot deny how integral she has been to the growth of modern pop/soul music. I did enjoy reading about the making of the "Amazing Grace" album and its aborted film project (which remains unrelased, unfortunately) as well as her years at Atlantic and Arista, respectively. It would have been nice if there was some additional text from her music producers and collaborators. I do recommend the book if you are interested in reading about her music career. But just hold your tongue whenever her pen embarks upon writing about other female singers.
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