I'm a Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness

Rating:
Summary: Lighten up and enjoy it
Review: Dolenz proves to be an intelligent, educated, talented man who has written a light, entertaining book about his experiences in life and show business. If you're one of those people who are still, decades later, ranting that the Monkees weren't authentic, maybe you should skip this autobiography (better yet, read it and pay attention--you'll learn you were mistaken). However, if you're able to take a lighter perspective on pop culture, you'll find the book quite enjoyable. After all, it's only rock and roll, not exactly the core of Western culture.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing
Review: Dolenz provides an informal and illuminating look at his own career, with a humorous tone. If you are a big Monkees fan, you will learn many interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Particularly intelligent is the introduction, which calls on the reader to lead an active life. It's not great literature, but this book is a quick read and a fun one.

Rating:
Summary: Micky Tells It Like It Is
Review: I checked Micky's book out of the library, and I must say, it's very gretel. (New word for you, there. Monkeefans might get it: check the episode "Fairy Tale".) He's very honest and extremely funny in his anecdotes on his life of "Monkees, music and madness". It's also very informative on Micky's life before and after the Monkees, and gives you a little insight to what it was really like to be part of the biggest group in America at one point, and what it was like to work with Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork. A must-read for every Monkees fan- and it could also appeal to people who just like a bit of nostalgia, too. :) Now, shoo! Go read it!

Rating:
Summary: An interesting book to read...
Review: I do admitt I am a Monkees fan, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to love anything about them/by them right away. There are a lot of Monkee biographies that are *boring*. They tell you the facts, with no thought of telling them with more energy and excitement. However, I think Micky's book was great because it was hilarious and very real. He wasn't going to just tell you the facts, but rather how he felt and his own experiences. Through him you saw his relationship with the Monkees. I'm not even a Micky fan, I like Davy best- but I still found the book very interesting. It really is one of the few books that can make you smile, laugh, and cry all in one reading.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a Believer: MY life of Monkees, Music and Madness
Review: I found Micky's book to be very entertaining, and it cleared up many old rumours about the Monkees from way back when. The way Micky 're-enacts' conversations and events as he remembers them, is one of the best parts of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a must have for any Monkee fan!

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Summary: This is a totally kickin' summary of Micky's life!!
Review: I have always been a Monkees fan, especially a Micky fan. So I was delighted to read his book. It was very insightful and interesting and i couldn't put it down!! I love this book, it is written ingeniusly as only Micky can do. It also has pictures that really complete the story. I totally recommend this book to all people, and if you are not already a Monkees fan, after you read this you will be.

Rating:
Summary: I read this book in two days
Review: I just couldn't put it down. Though I already knew alot about the Monkees, I didn't know much about Micky before and after. This book is very funny because Micky is a very funny person. It's good to see what he thought about the Monkees and to see everything written from his view. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who cares anything about the Monkees or Micky, if you can still find it.

Rating:
Summary: Micky's Book
Review: I'm almost done with this book. I only have 2 more chapters to go on it.
So far so good. I'm excited to find out what happens at the end of the chapters.
I have had a lot of laughs with this book! He's got some great metaphors, etc.
Check it out! I love it!

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious midlife autobiography!
Review: I'm really glad this book is finally back in print. I've read my own copy countless times, and each time it's as funny, cute, and irreverant as the last. Micky had a great attitude towards writing his memoirs, despite initially feeling he was too young at 48 to do that. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and points out at the beginning that this isn't meant to be some dry and strictly factual analysis of his life like too many autobiographies are. He also doesn't focus only on his years in The Monkees; though he admits that will always be a huge part of his life, he realises it was far from the only part of his life, and that important things happened both before and after he was in the band. There are so many anecdotes, vignettes, funny stories, fantasy scenes, scenes written in screenplay format, and flashback in here, one of the reasons why it's so enjoyable and readable. It makes it more interesting and fun. Micky also tells the reader not to take it too seriously, and that perhaps some of the things he describes may not have happened exactly as he depicts them, and says that when you finish reading you should go out and do something to help your community, not just put the book back on your shelf and walk away.

There are some valid criticisms about how some things aren't detailed much, but maybe it's because Micky didn't want to hurt the people involved (like his first wife Samantha or his oldest daughter Ami) by revealing too much personal private information to the public. It's enough that we know Micky's first marriage ended in divorce because of the kind of reckless and wild lifestyle he was living in the Seventies; we don't need to know all of the graphic details or who he may have cheated on her with. He respects his loved ones too much to expose them to public humiliation and embarrassment by revealing things that are best kept private. It's a very different style from Davy Jones's autobiography, a book with more graphic and scandalous details. And perhaps Micky didn't reveal the name of his second wife, Trina, whom he had Charlotte, Emily, and Georgia with because they were divorcing at the time this book was originally published, and he was too upset over it to use her name. On so many levels this book is refreshing and a welcome change from the average self-absorbed autobiography with too much information and things that the average reader didn't really want to know about.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a Beliver Awaiting the updated version
Review: I, like many Monkee fans, read Micky Dolenz' book when it was first released. I am currenty waiting for the updated version from Micky and Mark Bego. I loved reading about his take on life even after all the hard knocks. Great reading for any devoted fan.