Donna Summer: Her Life and Music

Rating:
Summary: Love to Love this book? No.
Review: If you are a new Donna Summer fan, then this book is great at getting you acquainted with Donna, learning all about the highlights of her wonderful career and has a decent discography to help you get out there and start buying up all her music. I would also add, don't believe everything you read. Since this is an unauthorized biography, I tend to feel some of the material is inaccurate. For those of us who are EXTREME fans who worship this DIVA and are always clammoring for more and better....I am sad to say I read it once, was bored with the pictures I've seen over and over again and haven't picked it up since. The cover photo is nice and is displayed in my home for others to notice. I feel like the book is a compilation of clippings, articles, photos, etc. of items I already have in my collection. I feel like I could have written the book myself! I'm more excited about HER book coming out this fall: Ordinary Girl: A Memoir I'm hoping and praying I will finally get what I want. In any case, I didn't mind paying for the book 'Her Life and Music' because it is one more mandatory addition to my huge Donna Collection. Thanks, but try again.

Rating:
Summary: Decent Donna book
Review: Overall this book for the most part was ok. It was fairly interesting, I actually read it in one day, and it serves as a great book to read if you are not familiar with Donna. However I question why the author chose to write a book about Donna as he seems to diss her through alot of the book to the point of it becoming annoying. Granted she had her downs, the 80's was not all that kind to her, he seems to bring up things that should not come up, along with "that rumor" in which he questions Donna's own honesty, he has negative comments for many of her albums, including the fan favorite 'Once Upon a Time' and also disses her physical appearance. Not to mention he uses an awful picture of her on the cover, you can't tell until you have the book in your hands, but her skin appears rough and blotchy. Another minus is that he uses photos that everyone has seen, and they are not even good quality, they look as though he made copies of them from a public library printer. Bottom line, if you have no idea who Donna Summer is, or if you are an obsessed fan who must have anything associated with her, then get this book. Otherwise, skip it!

Rating:
Summary: Running for Cover...running from this book.
Review: Perhaps having been a fan of Donna Summer's for 25 years and having met her twice now, the information provided has revealed nothing new in this book. One major feeling generated though was how determined and driven she was to be heard and how creative she was to reach millions a whole decade before Madonna. The last few chapters seemed to condense the recent past two decades cheating the readers of how much Donna Summers' voice and music has grown and how it continues to get stronger and better like a fine wine over time. The major criticism is the authors subjective opinions and attack on Donna Summer's image and physical appearance as well as her appearance in print, film/television,and album covers. I felt it inappropriate and offensive to it's readers and fans. I know Donna's fans young and mature look forward to her own story due out later this year...perhaps readers should wait for that book than waste money on such a limited read.

Rating:
Summary: Sour grapes squeezed to its absurd end, indeed.
Review: This is a very superficial treatment - tapdancing on the footlights of Diva Donna's illustrious and remarkable career. There's, however, not very many other comprehensive sources out there for comparison. The only other book in English about Donna is even worse and so-o-o-o-o poorly written - ... The only saving factor is that it comes in hardback! The author's inability to get a personal interview with the diva manifests itself in his wry comments, and uninspired spiels of Donna's, mostly, disappointng shortcomings. I agree that her "Live and More" album was, perhaps, her best release ever, and the public agrees with that based on immense sales, but her many other brilliant releases are far from chopped liver. Borrow a copy if you must read it, it's realy not worth the paper it's printed on. What's even worse, is that I splurged on a pre-release copy, and then, an author's signed copy for about five times the price it's being offered here at Amazon. It's very light reading that merely dusts the surface of the diva's illustrious career. What this book doesn't have is "passion," which the diva has just an overwhelming amount of. I can't wait for her autobiography to be released.

Rating:
Summary: Sour grapes squeezed to its absurd end, indeed.
Review: This is a very superficial treatment - tapdancing on the footlights of Diva Donna's illustrious and remarkable career. There's, however, not very many other comprehensive sources out there for comparison. The only other book in English about Donna is even worse and so-o-o-o-o poorly written - ... The only saving factor is that it comes in hardback! The author's inability to get a personal interview with the diva manifests itself in his wry comments, and uninspired spiels of Donna's, mostly, disappointng shortcomings. I agree that her "Live and More" album was, perhaps, her best release ever, and the public agrees with that based on immense sales, but her many other brilliant releases are far from chopped liver. Borrow a copy if you must read it, it's realy not worth the paper it's printed on. What's even worse, is that I splurged on a pre-release copy, and then, an author's signed copy for about five times the price it's being offered here at Amazon. It's very light reading that merely dusts the surface of the diva's illustrious career. What this book doesn't have is "passion," which the diva has just an overwhelming amount of. I can't wait for her autobiography to be released.

Rating:
Summary: All you need to know!
Review: What a great find. A friend told me about it. I'm 20 years old guy really into dance, R & B and disco music. This book taught me all i needed to know about Donna Summer, Casablanca Records (the biggest dance label of the 70's) and disco music in general. The best parts are when the author brings you into the studio with Donna as she makes the great "Love to Love You Baby", "Last Dance" and her killer album "Once Upon A Time". A MUST READ for anyone interested in popular music or 1970's culture.

Rating:
Summary: Love to love it
Review: What is clear is that Howard has painstakingly researched his subject and presents it in a thoughtful, fair and structured way. What's better, is that I began perusing this book on the subway--somewhere in the middle--but when I sat down to read it from the beginning, I simply could not put it down! If you are a fan of Donna Summer, this book is a must. I look forward to more from Josiah Howard.

Rating:
Summary: Love to love it
Review: What is clear is that Howard has painstakingly researched his subject and presents it in a thoughtful, fair and structured way. What's better, is that I began perusing this book on the subway--somewhere in the middle--but when I sat down to read it from the beginning, I simply could not put it down! If you are a fan of Donna Summer, this book is a must. I look forward to more from Josiah Howard.