And I Don't Want to Live This Life : A Mother's Story of Her Daughter's Murder

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Book
Review: This book is a must read. I wish I had read it a long time ago. Told by her mother this is a story of her daughter Nancy the frequently known girl who was murdered by her boyfriend punk rocker Sid Viscious. This is one of those books that ultimatly makes you cry as you journey through Nancys' life with her mother. If you have a child who is beginning to travel down the wrong path read this book! Make them read this book! They will thank you for it. This really puts life into perspective and makes you think. Buy it I promise you wont regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: Deborah Spungen writes her daughter Nancy's biography. Nancy was a "blue baby" and did not receive enough oxygen at birth, which her mother believes led to her behavioral and learning problems. It was unfortunate that the one place that helped Nancy, a camp with a great counselor, couldn't keep her. Numerous visits to doctors and hospitals effected no change and offered no hope. Strangely, for all those who blame Ms. Spungen's for Nancy's downward spiral into drug's and other self-abusive behavior, Nancy's younger brother and sister had no such problems and were "normal". Nancy finally found the group who would accept her as she was and where she felt she fit in. Unfortunately it was the Sex Pistols and other people like them. Sid Vicious beat her and didn't have much smarts to his name. Ms. Spungen elaborates on the pain she felt when Johnny Carson made fun of her daughter's death, and how cold and rude the woman working at the morgue was to her. Nancy led a short and depressing life, and caused much pain to her family, so, in a way, her mother admits that she is glad that Nancy no longer had to suffer. But she was still angry, of course, with Sid.

The book is well-written. Ms. Spungen reveals her heartbreak of raising Nancy the best she could, only to have her murdered by someone who professed to love her.

Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: this was an ok book but I couldnt help but notice nancy's mother trying to justify every thing she had done to "help" nancy. this book is more about her struggle than nancy. although I think nancy was crazy slut who was ultimatly the cause of sid vicious's death I couldnt help but feel sorry for her and I really dont blame her for turning out the way she did due to how she was raised and treated. the fact that she was waiting and almost hoping for nancy's death made me sick and the way she ignored susan and david (nancy's brother and sister) prooves how good of a mother she was. I really dont recomend this book unless you really want everything there is about sid n' nancy

Rating:
Summary: A powerful read...
Review: And the sad thing is,that this story is true.For those who put Nancy Spungen in a bad light,blaming her for the death of Sid Vicious and despising her from the media potrayal...well you only have about half the story right.Read this book.It changes your whole insight.What she did,why she did it,and what her and her family went through.Once you read this book,it will be hard to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A Sad Story!
Review: Fact-based novels don't come any more raw, honest and emotionally-charged as this one. I've read this countless times, and each time, I'm always left feeling completely drained after I finish it. The incredible pain, sadness and heartbreak that the Spungen family endured throughout Nancy's turbulent and tragic life, even continuing after her death, practically leaps from the pages and overtakes you.

The public only saw one side of Nancy Spungen, the fabricated image of her that was created by sleazy tabloid reporters who traumatized and exploited the Spungen family in their time of grief and loss. It's no secret that Nancy was disturbed and a heroin addict, but what most people fail to see is that underneath it all she was a sensitive human being who unfortunately could not find peace and happiness in life. Whatever fragments of these things she found in her relationship with Sid Vicious were also short-lived, as well as for Sid himself. He, too was searching for something that was missing in his life; he found it in Nancy Spungen and they were drawn together.

In nearly all of the negative reviews posted here (which all are completely undeserved), the reviewers foolishly point to Mrs. Spungen as a "whiny loser" and a "terrible parent"...did you people even READ the book before making such ridiculous comments? What would YOU have done if YOU were in her shoes? Unless you've gone through what she has, you have absolutely NO CLUE and don't know what you're talking about!

Every facet of Nancy's life from begninning to end is laid painfully bare and nothing is held back; with every word, you feel Mrs. Spungen's emotions as if they were your own. Following Nancy's death, Mrs. Spungen created the Philadelphia chapter of Parents Of Murdered Children (POMC) in an effort to reach out to other parents and families whose lives were shattered by the murder of their child. Would a "whiny loser" or "terrible parent" or someone in search of personal notoriety do this? I think not. It's a labor of love from a mother whose daughter's murder remains unsolved nearly 26 years later. If Deborah Spungen is in search of anything, it's closure.

I recommend this book very highly and praise Deborah Spungen equally so for her remarkable strength, courage and love.


Rating:
Summary: If I could've rated this 2 1/2 stars, I would have
Review: I did not know anything about the infamous duo 'Sid and Nancy' outside of the fact that I was aware of the basic details of the murder and that there had been a movie made about them some time ago which I have not seen yet.

At first glance this book seemed like a tragic memoir recounted by the mother. However, about 75 pages into the story, it was clear that it would be a page-by-page exercise in frustration to read.

Over the course of the book, Mrs. Spungen recounts her daughter's unchecked behavior that escalates on a free-fall velocity from the time she was born. Over and over again Mrs. Spungen blames doctors and what she unscientifically thought was neurological damage at the time of birth as the cause of Nancy's erratic, uncontrollable, frightening behavior. Over and over again she describes her and her husband's, Nancy's father Frank's, permissive reaction to it.

From early on, Nancy was permitted to outright curse and manipulate her parents and siblings with literally NO punishment or discipline. This early pattern set the tone for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Spungen didn't seem to realize that children want boundaries set for them. When parents don't fulfill that need, a child will continue to push the limit (or rather, as Mrs. Spungen put it, 'to draw and redraw the line she set for herself'). I believe that children innately know that discipline equals love and caring. The Spungen parents seemed completely and utterly incapable of parenting Nancy, who, granted, was most likely a more difficult personality than the average kid. Mrs. Spungen repeatedly consulted psychologists, doctors, and other professionals for help. The interesting thing that was repeated by the "professionals" over and over again to Mrs. Spungen was "take Nancy home and love her." Well, part of love is setting ground rules for the house and sticking by them. Nancy's parents could threaten till they turned blue but they would never stand true to their word. How could it have been a surprise to them, then, to see Nancy spiral downward as the years went on? How did Mrs. Spungen, while writing this book, not see the tragic error of her ways?

The other victims that were not really recognized as such were Nancy's brother and sister. They grew up in a hostile, dangerous and biased environment where life revolved around Nancy. I don't know how those children did not grow up to deeply resent their parents.

More than a book that supposedly reaches out to other parents of murdered children, this is a tale of how NOT to parent your child.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: i've never been one who reads for enjoyment, but i must say, deborah spungen keeps your eyes glued to the pages in this book. her words pain the story out. you cna literally picture exactly what she's talking about. it's an amazing story of a mother's struggle with her troubled daughter.

Rating:
Summary: Loser Mother Whines
Review: If you want to know how Nancy wound up being a drug addicted prostitute, look no further than her overbearing, nauseating mother. Don't enrich this wench by buying this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Awesome Book Ever!!!
Review: The book i read was awesome. I'm not a big reader, but this was great! I really liked it! My mom turned me on to it and it really made me think. I was sorry, i was sad, i was shocked. Its great for teens and for anyone who listened to the sex pistols. It makes you feel luck to be so normal. It makes mothers with good kids feel glad their kids aren't so bad. It makes mothers with bad kids realize their not the only ones out there with bad kids!