Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reading of a tragic family situation.
Review: I have read and re-read this book over many years. I can identify with Nancy and her outbursts of uncontrolable anger. Even though I am an adult with a family of my own now, I still have to work hard and pray to not fly off the handle and say things as if no one else has feelings. I conratulate Mr. and Mrs. Spungen and her children for having to go through with their plite with Nancy and for trying to always do the right thing. This book really tells a tale of what lead up to the death of Nancy Spungen and I wish that someone would make a movie of it. It's been long over due.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful, riveting, at times disturbing. A must-read.
Review: I first read "And I Don't Want to Live This Life" a couple years after it was published, and was so gripped by it that I stole it from my local public library! I justified my theft by reasoning, "I'm the only person who checks it out, anyway." Nevermind the fact that I checked it out so many times that I probably gave no one else a chance to read it! More than a year ago, I loaned that copy to an acquaintance. Ultimately, I decided she probably needed it more than I did because she has a disturbed daughter that doctors keep saying is "normal." While Christmas shopping last year (1998), I found the book had been published in soft cover and decided to purchase it. Since then, I have read the book again at LEAST four times; it remains powerful and moving, no matter how many times I read it. I have the utmost respect for the Spungen family for their endurance and survival in the face of situations that would have irreparably shattered many less-cohesive families. As for one reader's thought that the details of Nancy's life were drawn out too long before getting to the crux of her problem, I think this is an appropriate literary set-up. After all, Frank and Deborah Spungen's search for answers to Nancy's problem were similarly drawn out before they finally (too late) were given a label to explain their daughter's behavior, troubles and pain.
Rating: 
Summary: what I thought about the book
Review: I thought that the book was overall a good book, although I felt like the language could have not gone to such extremes. I understand that is what type of personality Nancy and Sid had, but enough was really enough. I felt that Nancy's troubled like was drug out ... it took forever to get to the point of her problem.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating,touching,and honest story of feirce love+loss
Review: Great book for not only punk fans, but those who are curious about what true love, chemical imbalance, and drugs can do. Not a comedy, I cried plenty. I also think it's good because it doesn't glorify Sid Vicious. Though I am a fan of the Sex Pistol's, he was certainly not a hero. Beautifly written, and makes you sad for the real victims. Nancy's family.
Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: I've read this book probably 10 times since I bought it. I originally bought it because Sid and Nancy have always fascinated me. After reading the book, though, I realized that they were both radically different than what the media portrayed them to be. Nancy was a very disturbed person who was always looking for anything that would dull her constant pain. She wasn't just a junkie or a slut. She reached for drugs and sex because they would ease her pain, if only for a little while. Deborah Spungen did an excellent job of showing us that Nancy was a person, and she had many good traits and qualities, and she also suffered just like anyone else. The media was so quick to label her, without giving any thought as to why she acted the way she did. They made fun of her, and they said she was a bad, worthless person. And Deborah Spungen shows us that that just wasn't true. This is truly one of the best books ever written, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Easily the greatest book I've ever read.....
Review: Actually, I've never completely, thoroughly read a book before "And I Don't Want To Live This Life." I've attempted to read 100's of books but none of them caught my interest enough to want to read the rest of the book. The books that I DID read all the way through, I was motivated NOT because of indulgence in the book, but more for the SAKE of just getting through the book. Because of this, my mind would skip a lot of detail in the book. Not that it matters cuz I didn't enjoy the book anyways. On the other hand, from the moment I laid eyes on the first few words of "I Don't Want to Live This Life," my motivation to read this book was unconscious. I just read and read, and absolutely loved it the whole time. In school, they require students to read so many books. They're so boring and ironically teach a lot of kids to dislike reading(me being an example). But this book revived my faith in literature. This book should be required for every junior in high school to read. Toni Morrison is all about hype, Deborah Spungen is about reality and beauty and pain and me and you and the world around us(what literature should be about). God, this book made me cry. This book will always have a place in my heart. I'm not going to go into detail about the emotion and brilliance involved in this book, all I'm going to say is that it's the best book I've ever read and if there's one thing in life you should do, it's read this book.
Rating:
Summary: I liked this book because I like Sid and Nancy
Review: This book was a good book because it gave the reader an in-depth look into Sid and Nancy's life together and gave the reader an idea about how much in love they were. It is a very real and very touching story, and even the biggest punk would enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Painful, I could barely read on,yet I couldn't put it down
Review: This book was recommended to me because my son is struggling with bipolar and possible brain damage from a similar birth experience. It was difficult for me to read this disturbing account, yet I could NOT put it down. As a punk rocker in the late 70s-early 80s, sid and nancy were important to us. Being bipolar, I struggle with life. Now mine is intertwined with my son's mental struggles and I feel this story from all sides. while reading this book I was thoroughly absorbed,and pained. I applaud Deborah for telling this difficult story, and using her experience to help others.
Rating:
Summary: This book was exellent and totally absorbing
Review: I was so impressed with the painful honesty Deborah Spungen shared concerning the tragic life of her daughter Nancy. I think many people can relate to the impossibility of dealing with difficult children, and then being told that it must be their (the parents) fault.Recent medical research has shown that some people do indeed suffer from bio-chemical mental problems which are now being truely recognized, and in some cases can be successfully treated with modern medicines. I believe had Nancy been born 20 years later she would have had a chance at treatment and quite possibly a much more peaceful and normal life. Unfortunately though, ignorance still abounds in these matters, and many people still want to "blame the parents" of these destructive, strong-willed children without even trying to understand the situation. This will always be one of my favorite books because besides the deeply moving account of the Spungens' life with Nancy, it also portray! s the good and evil sides of human nature in how various people reacted to the tragedy. I also applaud Deborah Spungen for her work in helping other parents who have gone through the horrific experience of having a child murdered. This book touched me deeply.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly moving.....
Review: The media portrayed Nancy Spungen as a strung-out, worthless tart. The media couldn't have been more wrong. Hearing from Debbie Spungen, a mother who obviously sacrificed much for her child's well-being, is refreshing and gives a brand new perspective to the media's portrayal of public figures and their lives. I had originally picked up this novel to read about The Sex Pistols, and instead found a moving, often sad, and yes, often joyful portrayal of a mentally disturbed little girl that grew up to become a bright, often tortured young woman. Nancy's intelligence shines through in this book. So does her family's love. And so does the media's often cruel, heartless behavior toward families of public figures, whether willing or not. You'll never forget this book.
|
