Rating: 
Summary: Startlingly frank and honest
Review: I will confess that I'm not wild about Melissa Etheridge's music just because I hear a lot of her songs way too many times on the radio to a point of ad nauseum however in the past year things changed like my attitude towards her. After reading a sample of her biography in an issue of Rolling Stone and seeing a few tv interviews, I immediately became curious and picked up the book.It is amazing how a person perceives a particular celebrity because of his or her public persona and then have that perception change after reading and/or hearing about the sordid details of his or her past. Melissa Etheridge is one of those celebrities you would think you got pegged but then after reading her book and seeing her on tv a few times in brutally honest tv interviews, there was information about her that I had no idea about. VH1's episode of "Behind the Music" on Melissa didn't even scratch the surface of her past like "The Truth is...My Life in Love and Music". I thoroughly enjoyed the book on every level. Sure the book tends to come off as something that Andrew Morton would write but at least the information was coming from the horse's mouth, figuratively speaking of course. I was quite surprised to find out information regarding her older sister sexually molesting Melissa but maybe even more surprised to find out what sort of family environment she lived in where emotions weren't really expressed. I was also surprised to read the sordid details regarding Melissa's relationship with Julie Cypher. I never realized how troubled it was because of the public appearances I saw but keep in mind that Melissa is only human. No one is perfect. "The Truth is...My Life in Love and Music" was compelling. I found myself listening to Melissa's new album "Skin" a few times while reading her book which just fit together nicely. The music and the book are perfect accompaniments. After finishing Melissa's book, I could envision what sort of hell she went through while listening to her album.
Rating:
Summary: Loving the honesty
Review: Wow was this book a great read. I loved every second of it and read it in less than a day. She tells it how it is and lets us get the inside view on her life. Melissa is an amazing women and it is incredible to understand why she wrote the lyrics she did at certain times in her life. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: my most beautiful angel
Review: Okay, 5 stars doesn't justify this book. Perhaps it's dangerous for me to write a seemingly coherent review for this book, especially considering my enormous crush on Melissa Etheridge (screw the age difference...). But. On a sane note, the book is excellent. It's intriguing, sincere, open, beautiful, touching, warm, and impossible to put down. She writes with a true stream-of-consciousness style that perfects the emotions and feelings she's trying to portray. The book in my eyes is seamless and stunning. Her words touched my soul more deeply than anything has in a long time, especially in the concluding chapters... aren't we all searching for the love we're finally so ready to share? There was a particular passage (and I don't have the book in front of me to pinpoint it) close to the beginning of the book that really touched me - when Melissa was relating an experience that opened her eyes to the fact that she wasn't alone in who she was... it made me realize how lucky I am to have people around me who help me become who I am with just a gentle, safe push. The book is beautiful, Melissa is beautiful. She stuns me... she amazes me... I have the world's biggest crush on her, so of course I think the book is great. She is searching for everything I'm searching for... it would be so good... oh well, I don't stand a chance (distance, age, all that fun stuff, esp. her being famous and me, well, not), so read the book: you'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: No holding back.
Review: Melissa Etheridge has always been one to pour her love and sadness out in the raw, pulsing drive of her music, or the crystalline acoustics that so clearly define the despondency she felt as her life unraveled. In this book she explains the emotions behind the lyrics, as she climbs to the top, becoming one of the most respected female artists on the music scene today. The book also covers the life she spent with her partner Julie Cypher and their two children. The many photos delighted me, both professional and candid home shots, interspersed among the chapters. She tells how together, with the help of long time friend David Crosby, she and Julie were able to create an alternative family. Unfortunately things have fallen apart, but Melissa and Julie have back-to-back homes so the children can have some semblance of unity in their lives, even though their mothers have parted. I was touched by her words on page 208, when she talks about the dismantling of their home and life, after their break-up. A hot water tank in the attic broke, and the water just poured down from the ceilings. She writes: "We were moving and our house was crying." I have to admit it was an odd read, and not like any other book I have ever read but it was interesting and Melissa's honesty was enjoyable. I have to give her credit for following her heart and being strong enough to deal with the repercussions as the world looks on. The best in love and life to you Melissa, you are an incredible individual. Kelsana 9/14/01
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading!
Review: This a very poignant look at a celebrity's climb to recognition, a personal account of unfulfilled love, an intimate account of motherhood as well as alternative lifestyle. No whining or finger pointing here - Melissa's honest energy and feelings come through loud and clear. Although there is a focus on Melissa's relationship with Julie, this is a story anyone can relate to who has ever been in love, been a parent, strived for success, or has any kind of family issues. Melissa is very personal and professional in her approach to all facets of her life. She comes across exactly as she is - an incredibly talented, sensitive and deeply caring individual who has strived for understanding and acceptance from herself and others. THANK YOU, MELISSA
Rating:
Summary: Her Truth, Her Story
Review: I enjoyed this book. No, it is not a great work of literature but it is compelling, inspiring, and thoughtful. As she stated in the book it is her truth. I don't feel it was a media ploy, or a boo hoo story. It is her way of showing how she manages to rise above, believe in herself, and remain strong and therefore inspire others to do the same. Melissa is a very talented, caring and courageous gal!!
Rating:
Summary: The Truth will set you free - and change your life
Review: Whether you started out a fan of Melissa's or not, you will be after you read this book. I liked the song "Come to my Window" - that song, and the publicized relationship Melissa had with Julie Cypher were about all I knew of the singer before I heard that she had written a book. Thinking it would be entertaining, I bought it. Entertaining was an understatement. This book is helping me to change my life, or remember it, I should say. In "The Truth is..." Melissa reminds us how important it is to stand in your own truth, to be an active part of your own present and future and to make peace with your past. This well written, thought provoking book not only makes you feel like you know Melissa better, but like you know yourself better. Like looking into a mirror, "The Truth is..." reminds you that each one of use share the same demons in our past, insecurities in our present, and concerns about our future. This book will help to remind you to look at the truth in your own life, to be who you are. For me, this book has helped me to remember my future.... to remember all of the dreams that I had for myself in love and life, and that, if I believe in me and live for me, I can arrive at the future that I have longed for. Read the book, and let Melissa's truth remind you to embrace your own.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing's Her Little Secret Any More
Review: She had to tell the truth to put it behind her. For that message alone, this book is worth the read.
She is brutally honest first about herself. As I read I imagined that some day she would give this book to her children without apologies and say to them, as she says to all of us, "This is who I am." From that she can hope that they won't make the same mistakes she did, and those things she did well will light their way in a difficult world.
She is also brutally honest about people who hurt her and gratefully forthright about those who helped her. This is a book about shaking off the past, picking out the diamonds from the paste and just going forward. It's uplifting as an example of one way to survive living in the public eye, but it's just as relevant to those of us who live much more mundane lives.
I am not a big fan of autobiographies since they often seem solely aimed at selling a product (a persona) to further record or tickets sales. No so, this book. Melissa Etheridge scrubs off the persona and gives up all the secrets.
Rating: 
Summary: another behind the music episode
Review: I am not a die hard melissa etheridge fan, but 95% of the material I read in the book -- I already knew from "vh1 behind the music" or in other melissa etheridge interviews. I found the book to be melissa's platform for sympathy rather than an account of the singer's life.
Rating:
Summary: I have a fealing were not in Kansas anymore
Review: I started reading this book the day I got it, and I am glad I read it. "The Truth Is..." provides an honest account of her life--from growing up in Kansas to her attempt to make it big, to her relationship with Julie. From reading her latest, I obtained a geater understanding of a superwoman in the business. I recomend this to all fans!
It may seem like a literary version of a "Behind the Music" epsiode, but there are advantages. For one, you don't have to turn on a TV. Also,it may contain some details that were skipped. I haven't seen the BTM episode so I can't say for sure.)
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