Rating: 
Summary: Should have just Sat Down And Talked It Over
Review: And maybe this book wouldn't have been such a flop. It was long anticipated and shifted to at least three publishers that I was notified of before it went to press. Reading it, one understands why. The author has a bone to pick with his subject (over what, one can only speculate--but his treatment of the rumors and facts around the alienation of the gay community allegedly spawned by Donna's comments belies the purported message of mistaken intentions), and is not very objective in his immature, ill-informed analysis of her talent, motivation, and life choices. The work is little more than a high school term paper, complete with an extensive bibliography of articles and interviews that we've all read over the past 25 years. In short, the author is quite emphatically not happy that his four requests for personal interviews were met with no reply from the artist or her management. The spurn is reflected in his disdain for her musical stylings, attempts at creativity, personal appearance, and image-making efforts, as well as the aforementioned peacepipe and apology passed to the gay community over the past 15 years. Save the money and read the articles he referenced on the internet. They are all there and you will be more informed. Buy Donna's own book when it is out later this year. Donna Summer is an amazingly talented woman, and those who know her know the truth about her and her gifts.
Rating:
Summary: Should have just Sat Down And Talked It Over
Review: And maybe this book wouldn't have been such a flop. It was long anticipated and shifted to at least three publishers that I was notified of before it went to press. Reading it, one understands why. The author has a bone to pick with his subject (over what, one can only speculate--but his treatment of the rumors and facts around the alienation of the gay community allegedly spawned by Donna's comments belies the purported message of mistaken intentions), and is not very objective in his immature, ill-informed analysis of her talent, motivation, and life choices. The work is little more than a high school term paper, complete with an extensive bibliography of articles and interviews that we've all read over the past 25 years. In short, the author is quite emphatically not happy that his four requests for personal interviews were met with no reply from the artist or her management. The spurn is reflected in his disdain for her musical stylings, attempts at creativity, personal appearance, and image-making efforts, as well as the aforementioned peacepipe and apology passed to the gay community over the past 15 years. Save the money and read the articles he referenced on the internet. They are all there and you will be more informed. Buy Donna's own book when it is out later this year. Donna Summer is an amazingly talented woman, and those who know her know the truth about her and her gifts.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read...but then it all falls apart....
Review: Being a huge Donna Summer fan for most of my life...I was eager...yet skeptical...to read this book on her life and music. Unfortunately..without the cooperation of some key people involved in Donna's career...including the Diva herself...the book falls way short of giving any real insight into most topics covered (especially the ones fans really want to know about). Due to this lack of real information..the author spends way to much time simply reviewing Donna's albums...videos...photographs. Many of his opinions are valid...though a few of them ring pretty absurd. In spite of all the shortcomings, this should have been a simple fun ride through memory lane for Donna's large following. However..near the end of the book the author make a huge mistake in his timeline of events which totally disqualifies the validity of this entire book. If you can't get the dates correct in a biography....well....none of it really matters. Because of this glaring goof...I have to give this book one star.
Rating:
Summary: fairly weak
Review: considering the Subject matter i expected more details than some things that were long ago known.this Book feels more like a copy&Paste.Donna Summer is a Foxy lady&Has Made some Very Important Music&this Book doesn't capture that at all for me.looking for Her Book later this year.
Rating: 
Summary: For the uninitiated...
Review: For the uninitiated, less informed Donna Summer fan (that would be me) this is the perfect jumping off place to find out about one of the most underrated singers of our generation. While I understand how the reviewers below might've been disappointed, these readers obviously had expert knowledge of Donna before reading the book...I had almost none, although I've been a fan of her music since "Love to Love You Baby". And thanks to the info in this book I'm now a fan of some of the far lesser-known cuts that preceded her biggest successes (check out her "Lady of The Night" cd, all recorded before she was known in the US...I never even knew this stuff existed). I was especially happy to find out a few details about my second favorite of her albums, "Another Place And Time". If that makes you wonder what my favorite album is, for me nothing beats "Four Seasons of Love", despite what the author has to say about "Winter Melody"! I pretty much devoured this book in two days, and if it had been twice as long with more pictures, you'd be reading a 5 star review instead of a 4.
Rating:
Summary: Buzzworthy, if nothing else
Review: Hmmmm.... This book was interesting. I picked this up only after reading Donna's book first, and then reading some of the other user reviews on this site. I got it cheap, and I must say I enjoyed it, flaws and all. It's no doubt entertaining, as I read it in just a day and a half. It's a very comfortable read. However, at times it seems like little more than a smear on Donna Summer rather than an unbiased, well researched chronicle of her life and career. While there are many revelations here that she did not make in her own book, some of the things he says seem based solely on his own opinion. His claim that she was never really accepted by blacks (particularly all the comments about the "On The Radio" album cover photos) seem like opinion stated as fact. I know plenty of black folks, young, old, straight and gay, who like her. His claim that the album cover has been feverishly discussed was not backed up at all. I'm black, and I've never heard such talk! I really liked the information about her early singles and the photos of those early picture sleeves... he definitely did his homework in some areas. Some of the quotes and things he pulls out of the cut directly contradict some things she said in her book (in this respect, you can tell he's a journalist). His whole account of the "Enough is Enough" sessions is extremely interesting. But at other times he does not seem to like his subject a whole hell of a lot. He constantly criticizes her appearance. He dogs her hair, make-up and costumes, and even dogs the photos from the "Live and More" LP jacket. I mean come on... even a passing pop music fan identifies Donna Summer with that photo of her singing, eyes closed and head tilted back. I always thought the album was nicely packaged with great pictures, but the brother is entitled to his opinion I guess. I also thought his account of her fallout with gays was very biased, seemingly calling her honesty into question. It's obvious he thinks she made the remarks denouncing gays based on the articles he chose to cite throughout that chapter. I guess I'm looking at it from a journalistic standpoint, but the book is just not very balanced at all. In his defense, I found the photos in this book more interesting than the ones in her's, and the discography and TV appearance sections were worlds better than that pitiful discography in Donna's autobiography. However, much of the book is poorly edited... I had to resist the temptation to take out my red pen and mark it up. But overall, it's pretty entertaining, light reading. You'll find out some things you didn't know, and if nothing else it's a nice bookend to Donna's less revealing "Ordinary Girl."
Rating:
Summary: Buzzworthy, if nothing else
Review: Hmmmm.... This book was interesting. I picked this up only after reading Donna's book first, and then reading some of the other user reviews on this site. I got it cheap, and I must say I enjoyed it, flaws and all. It's no doubt entertaining, as I read it in just a day and a half. It's a very comfortable read. However, at times it seems like little more than a smear on Donna Summer rather than an unbiased, well researched chronicle of her life and career. While there are many revelations here that she did not make in her own book, some of the things he says seem based solely on his own opinion. His claim that she was never really accepted by blacks (particularly all the comments about the "On The Radio" album cover photos) seem like opinion stated as fact. I know plenty of black folks, young, old, straight and gay, who like her. His claim that the album cover has been feverishly discussed was not backed up at all. I'm black, and I've never heard such talk! I really liked the information about her early singles and the photos of those early picture sleeves... he definitely did his homework in some areas. Some of the quotes and things he pulls out of the cut directly contradict some things she said in her book (in this respect, you can tell he's a journalist). His whole account of the "Enough is Enough" sessions is extremely interesting. But at other times he does not seem to like his subject a whole hell of a lot. He constantly criticizes her appearance. He dogs her hair, make-up and costumes, and even dogs the photos from the "Live and More" LP jacket. I mean come on... even a passing pop music fan identifies Donna Summer with that photo of her singing, eyes closed and head tilted back. I always thought the album was nicely packaged with great pictures, but the brother is entitled to his opinion I guess. I also thought his account of her fallout with gays was very biased, seemingly calling her honesty into question. It's obvious he thinks she made the remarks denouncing gays based on the articles he chose to cite throughout that chapter. I guess I'm looking at it from a journalistic standpoint, but the book is just not very balanced at all. In his defense, I found the photos in this book more interesting than the ones in her's, and the discography and TV appearance sections were worlds better than that pitiful discography in Donna's autobiography. However, much of the book is poorly edited... I had to resist the temptation to take out my red pen and mark it up. But overall, it's pretty entertaining, light reading. You'll find out some things you didn't know, and if nothing else it's a nice bookend to Donna's less revealing "Ordinary Girl."
Rating: 
Summary: Donna Summer:Her Life and Music by Josiah Howard
Review: i thought the book was very well researched,i was impressed by the early rock n roll band stuff i didnt know Donna did(and im a big fan since the beginning!)i was completely SATISFIED by the uncovering of the "gay scandal" stuff...all in all i COULDNT put this book down!it left me wanting to know MORE, MORE, MORE about Donna the woman, mother, and wife...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Rating:
Summary: Take "Summer" to the Beach
Review: I'm a straight white girl who's always loved Donna's voice and wanted to know more about her. This book thoroughly satisfied my curiosity. The story of her rise to fame and her life as a star is laid out simply and refreshingly. It's deepened my interest in Donna and confirmed my reasons for loving her. It's a quick read, easy and bright, perfect for the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Great source of musical info
Review: I'm not a Donna Summer collector or expert, but as a general pop music fan, I've been waiting to read something which gives her proper historical due and delves into more of the music than just the biggest disco hits. This book gave me a lot of the information and analysis I wanted. It's true that the author didn't have access to Donna Summer herself, but the book does include the fruits of his interview with super-producer Giorgio Moroder, as well as other arrangers and musicians she worked with. Parts of the book are certainly critical of Summer, but it is not, on balance, negative about her life or career. If you are a fan who worships the ground that Donna Summer walks on, then this book will indeed disappoint you. However, if you want a solid account of her life and career, peppered with one author's opinions about both her successes and failures, this is the source. There hasn't been a book on Summer in 20 years, and her own book is unlikely to cover a lot of the same ground -- particularly the details on her recordings -- so Donna Summer: Her Life and Music nicely fills the information gap.
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