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Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: I had a chance to see Barbara Mandrell in L.A. during the late sixties, but I was not a country music fan. Her cousin ("Little" Bill Ott) and his sister, Patty, were good friends of mine, as were their father and mother. I wish I had taken them up on their offer to go see Barbara, for the tremendously talented woman I would have met became an icon of country music during the 70s. As far as the book goes, it is chocked full with enough sticky-sweet uncie, daddy, sissie down-home banter, that one could watch "Hee Haw" for a year and never hear as many hoaky terms as are included in even the first chapter. Barbara, her husband, her sisters and most of her friends are high-society stars; wealthy beyond belief, and politically "connected" in Tennessee and even in Washington. Why she tries so hard to convince the reader that she was EVER so "Country", I'll never know. In any case, the book is and worth 7 bucks as a collector's item.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: I have been a big fan of Barbara Mandrell for many years now! Anyone who reads this book will be sure to enjoy it! This was a book that I could not put down. Barbara has done a wonderful job on telling her story in this book. After you read this you will really feel like you really know her as a friend. This is a book that I will treasure and a book that I could sit down and read again! Barbara is a very beautiful and talented Lady and you will be sure to see that after you read this book of hers. I know that this is a book I will never get rid of and I will always treasure it in the years to come.
Rating:
Summary: A difficult read but well worth it
Review: Let me say straight away that the reason I found this book a difficult read was simply because of the nature of the story. Half the book is about Barbara's life prior to the accident that almost killed her (and did kill somebody else unrelated and hitherto unknown to the family) and half is about her recovery from it. The recovery is sometimes a very difficult read and it may be for that reason that the book is not presented chronologically. Instead, chapters on the recovery alternate with chapters on the earlier years, so you could read about Barbara's life chronologically by reading alternate chapters.
Barbara's life was (and remains) in total contrast to so many celebrity lives. She was married to the same man throughout her career and was devoted to her family and her Christianity. No drugs, no extra-marital affairs, no hint of any kind of scandal. So although the early part of her life is of interest to her fans, of which I am one, the wider public is likely to be mainly interested in the accident and Barbara's recovery from it.
It seemed to me at the time (and subsequent events confirm it) that although Barbara made a full physical recovery - a miracle in itself - the mental scars never healed. She was less enthusiastic about her work than she had been. Perhaps this lack of enthusiasm explains why so little of her music from her peak years has ever been released on CD.
This book was in the American bestseller listings soon after publication. With Barbara's retirement from the music business, it seems that few people are interested in reading about her life any more (except her fans, who are likely to have a copy already) - this is a pity, because it's one of the more interesting country music biographies despite being a difficult read.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad and at some points offending
Review: Not to be recommended! Written poorly and of redundant content. Even though Barbara Mandrell might be a great performer and a nice person, in this book she comes across as an idiot.
Rating:
Summary: She Really "Gets To My Heart"!!!
Review: This is a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down. In fact, I have read it more than once. In this book, Barbara Mandrell tells the story of her life in her own words. Barbara takes you on a journey of her life from her early childhood through her famous adult life. You experience every emotion when reading this book. There are cute/funny moments as well as sad moments and everything in between. It is a great insight on the life of Barbara Mandrell straight from her own heart. There are also some great pictures of Barbara and her family and friends. Barbara and her family are extraordinary. They are all extremely talented, sweet, and beautiful people. I highly recommend this book to everyone whether you are a big fan or not.
Rating:
Summary: Country When Country Wasn?t Cool
Review: True fans of Barbara Mandrell have always felt like we've known her. She's sort of like the good friend whom we visit whenever possible or that distant relative who seems to have achieved just about everything but never flaunted it in our faces.Her autobiography does a good job of filling in whatever blanks were left for a woman who has spent most of her life in the public eye. However, unlike many celebrity tell-alls that rely on multiple marriages, rampant illicit sexuality, and boastful solipsism, Barbara's story revolves around her long-lasting marriage, devotion to family, and reverent Christianity. Country music aficionados will enjoy her tales of Nashville and the many intriguing anecdotes of Music City's other movers and shakers. These too lack the shock value or backstabbing glee that often oozes from celebrity biographies. A great deal of time is understandably dedicated to the Dudney family `s (Barbara and her two oldest children) involvement in a fatal accident. Tragically an innocent young man lost his life, and under a draconian Tennessee state law, they were forced to sue his family or forego every penny of the millions of dollars in insurance money they could otherwise receive. As of the book's publication, the painful litigation had not been resolved. Hopefully, the dire situation has since been rectified. Other highlights include tales of her early years on the road, the foray into television-- which forced a traditional family to live among the anything-goes Hollywood mentality, and numerous adventures that only world travelers get to enjoy. Yet it is the stories of family that make this work soar. Long before Barbara became a dutiful wife, she was and still is an admiring daughter. She plainly writes of her parents' shock upon finding an engagement ring in their 16-year-old daughter's room and how they forbid any contact between her now husband and their daughter for six months. Despite her pain, Barbara writes of her and then-fiancé Ken's unquestioning honor of her parents directive. Humorously she mentions how unfair she found their action but concedes that now as a mother, her response would be much more severe. Too many times reading a celebrity's autobiography can elicit a feeling like "what a jerk," but Barbara Mandrell proves herself to genuinely be the person her fans always hoped she was.
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Summary: Ms. Mandrell got to my heart!!!
Review: Wow. Buy this book!!! This book was impossible to put down once I started reading it. This woman has more guts and courage than anyone could imagine. It's so sad that her career never really recovered after the horrible car accident she was in. Ironically the accident happened on September 11, 1984.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Mandrell got to my heart!!!
Review: Wow. Buy this book!!! This book was impossible to put down once I started reading it. This woman has more guts and courage than anyone could imagine. It's so sad that her career never really recovered after the horrible car accident she was in. Ironically the accident happened on September 11, 1984.
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