Aretha From These Roots

Rating:
Summary: Aretha, Please
Review: Aretha,
Why didn't you tell what you know.
You should have explained fully what it was like being a mom at 14 and having to face the criticisms of a large congregation.
What about your father's illness? Did you not think that the church would not hire another minister to take your Dad's place?
The WORD will be preached regardless of the vessel.
You act as if your father owned New Bethel, The church belongs to GOD.
Why should Erma have had to take off from her job when you didn't have anything else to do but care for Carolyn.
Your book makes you out to be somewhat shallow and unhumble but I believe that you would not have made it this far without humility.
Please leave the writing to the pros!!!

Rating:
Summary: "These roots" are tangled and nappy.
Review: I belong to a book club, in which several of those members have commented on this book. I withheld my comments(mainly because i didn't read the book in its entirety) but now i have done so and I am ready to speak (Derrick, Shayna,watch out).

I was terribly disappointed in this book. I am saddened to reveal that I share the views of the many who reviewed this book since print-And I adore this woman- but how could she be so delusional and misleading.

From the babies to her ode to sing, sing, and sing, I did nothing but shake my head in sympathy that such a talented woman can be caught up in such a state of confusion and denial.

She seems to offer no remorse to her family for her behaviors, especially after they appearingly raised her children in her absence. She speaks very little of the children and does not even offer the reader a glimpse of their faces. I was a bit saddened for her, as it appears that she still has not dealt with the desertion and eath of her mother, which she tries poorly to write off as a lie. Her not being reared by her mother, however, clearly explains her relationship with women. She is a tad cruel and condescending towards her sisters, acting as if they were always trying to take from her or begrudge her. And when she finished with them, she moved onto the cousin. I am sure they could write a pretty memoir on her, as well.

I mean, this attitude that eludes from this book, I sincerely hope this is not the real Aretha, for if it is, I truly feel sorry for her and everybody around her.

I really wish I had held my ground and never read this memoir. For all you others out there who truly love this woman, this is not the book to read.

p.s. However, Aretha Girl, I want to give you a bravo for romancing Dennis Edwards. He was absolutely gorgeous in our day.

Rating:
Summary: I Love To Sing And Eat .... But Mostly I Love To Eat!
Review: I have been a life long fan of Miss Franklin's. I have listened to her promise a book that would set the record straight abought rumors, innacuracies and fables for along time. Was this it?

Aretha wants us to believe that her father was a paragon of virtue and a dedicated pastor though he lived with a woman to whom he was not married (Lola). He seemed to be no fine example of Christian morality perhaps that is why he was so cool with her two pregnancies. I personally did not need to know the names of her children's fathers but something, even a little something of what is was like to be a teen mother not once but twice before she was 17. I am well aqauinted with black church culture and I KNOW there was a lot of drama there especially in the era she became pregnant.

Aretha left out many relevant points of her life (and her father's) that would have made a more honest and readable tome. We really learn nothing about the lady's true feelings about nothing; other than her father.

Miss Franklin reveals herself as a petty, ego-rich diva; talented but vey shallow. If this is not the case then she should've written a more detailed and honest book.

The best parts of the book are her remembrances of all the food she ate throughout her life and career. These are vivid and full of lucious detail. In one part of the book, in a mere 4 paragraphs there were no less than four food references; they seem to be memory starters for her. She can recall with great verve and relish the food experiences she's had; from the Apollo Theater in New York to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. I wish she'd been more forthcoming with her life experiences.

This book was a true waste of my hard earned money. I enjoyed Patti Labelle's memoirs much more. They were honest, balanced and did not always paint the author in the most flattering light. In other words she was real. C'mon Auntie Ree what's the real deal. Give me something I can feel.

Rating:
Summary: The Queen of Soul Is Petty
Review: I love Aretha's music. She and Etta James are my favorite singers in the whole world. But I dislike Aretha's attitude and this book in another example of it. Why is the Queen of Soul so petty? Her feud with some of the biggest divas of all time disturbs me deeply. This book does the Queen no justice. It really makes her look bad. She avoids talking about heavy subjects like her parents, her husbands and her brothers, but rips into her sisters Erma and Carolyn like there is no tomorrow. It's amazing that she was the one with all the fame and glory, but is still jealous of her sisters (who by the way was AMAZING singers). I also HATED how she kept talking about food all the time. As I was reading this book, I started timing her to see when the next subject of food will pop up. This book is trash. I am no closer to learning about the Queen. The only thing that I learned from this book is that she is PETTY. I will forever love her music, but I can do without her pettiness and meanness.

Rating:
Summary: Queen of Soul... falls off her throne.
Review: Lord, I love me some Aretha!!! But I sure don't this book. what was she thinking y'all? Was she ever a guest star on Fantasy Island because it's obvious she never left. I mean, no sense of reality here. Her odes of advice giving and support to Whitney, Natalie, and Lauryn were so laughable, for it seems that they can offer her some useful tips. I wanted to know why she split from Glynn Turman. Didn't happen. I also wanted to know about the drastic chnage in her Atlantic years that resulted in their lack of promotion in their once most prominent star in the late 70's. Didn't happen. And just of glimpse of her sons would have been nice. Grandkids, if any. This book was horrible. She blames everybody else for the wrongs in her life and takes no accountability whatsoever. So sad. and then the blatant lies!!!
Give me a break-she couldn't remember why she wasn't married in her dad's church to Ted White. And 'who's' drinking ultimately destroyed that marriage-his or hers?
I love this woman and I will purchase any of her recordings. But written work? Never again. And I would urge all readers to do the same.

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: Aretha's From These Roots Just Made Me Hungry!
Review: This book was a disappointment and I should have known it would be. Aretha is never candid or openly confessional in her interviews on television or print, so I should have known she wouldn't be too forthcoming about her personal life.
I was also amused by the numerous references to all the food she's eaten. Hell, all those memories of her favorite foods just made me hungry. I must say, she didn't lie about how tasty a Vernor's Float (a beverage made of Vernor's Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream). I'm a former Detroiter and have had many of those sweet treats.
This has to be one of the most disappointing rock biographies off all time. I'm waiting for a well-researched and much more candid biography by some other author. Lady Soul didn't give it up!

Rating:
Summary: A waste from a great talent
Review: Where have I been! I was totally clueless that the Queen wrote a memoir. But believe me, this is no royal piece of literature. I did not get the impression that Aetha is being totally honest with us readers, and in viewing others comments, I see we are on the same page. I did not know she was having children at such a young age. And I am no idiot to believe that she "is unaware" of any controversy that resulted in the church after she virtually births two children almost back to back. I think ole C.L would have smacked her right down if he read that "Bravo daddy" comment- Some things you just keep to yourself. Unfortunately, she did just that in relation to her relationship with Ted White, which has always been alleged to be filled with action and confusion.
I guess Divas will always have their share of catty-tudes with other performers, but Aretha takes the cake. It's real cute near the end of the book when she names specific divas in her book. As if now, that she has christened these women divas, they have now entered Diva-Dom. Yeah right!
This book leaves you with a sour taste and does not give off the perception of Aretha being a nice person. I am so disappointed. I think this book alone will destroy any chances for future comebacks. I really did not enjoy this book.

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.