Disclaimer: For everyone who loves press releases and believes a publicist's every word, this biography is for you. For those of us who think biographies should be written more objectively, put the book down and run, don't walk, away.
I wondered at the cover, but since it was on the shelf and had a 921, I assumed (my own fault, I do know the wise saying) that it was next on my shelf pick. After I saw the first page I rechecked the spine and noticed the YA. And you know what? That only made it worse for me. Shame on you MaryJo Lemmens, shame on you. For writing such an unquestioned piece of fluff and delivering it to a youthful audience you should be ashamed. Did you merely solicit Christina Aguilera's agent/publicist/manager/lackeys as your background sources? Did it cross your mind once(?!) to avoid even the slightest bias? Was the relative lack of worldly knowledge or the general naivete of your proposed audience simply a green light to insult them with your "work"? Does it mean anything at all to you that you had a golden opportunity to reach a youthful audience and enhance their knowledge and critical thinking through a subject that might attract otherwise nonreaders and instead you threw it away? You should be relegated to
Teen Beat, since it appears you are incapable of writing anything more than promotional publicity.
One of my biggest problems with this biography is the lack of objective investigation into Aguilera's background. Case in point. Aguilera's father was in the Army. She states that moving so often caused a lack of close friendships and difficulty in her life. Her parents divorced when she was seven, how many close friends do you have in kindergarten and first grade that are irreplaceable? How many best friends do you have when you're three?
Moving on from that, admittedly minute, argument, here is the larger one. Aguilera states her father was abusive. I am not disputing that. I am taking umbrage at her painting the military in general as being rife with domestic violence. Aguilera is quoted in a
USA Weekend magazine as saying, "The MPs would come, but a lot of them were doing the same things [to their wives and kids]." ????????? Her mother divorced her father when she was seven; again, how much could she really have known about the world around her?! A lot of the MPs were beating up their families?! And it just gets a pass? In a book? That's supposed to be nonfiction? No contextual framing? No fact checking? Nothing?!
I know I don't know what she heard growing up. I know I don't know how the situation was handled at the time. I know that I was not there. But is it possible, just possible, that perhaps things weren't done because charges weren't filed? Perhaps her mother was reminded, by her husband or someone else, that her husband's career and their livelihood would be affected by charges. But, even were that the case, wouldn't the decision to file have been her mother's and not anyone else's? Does it really mean that "domestic violence was quite common on military bases"? Is someone who was seven and younger capable of determining that charge? "In her experience...there were few support systems families could turn to for real help." Wow, I didn't realize that by the time you turn seven you have learned how to access services and determine that they have been exhausted. Way to leave it at that Ms. Lemmens. Way to drop that unchallenged picture on any kid who picks up the book and then walks away with that nugget as golden based purely on the location of your book. Because if it's nonfiction it has to be true, right?
The book is rife with how beautiful, talented, wonderful, etc., Christina Aguilera is. When the slightest negativity about her personality or approach is mentioned, the Aguilera spin on why she behaved or said what she did is the last word on it, thereby giving Aguilera's point of view the last impression.
Had this book been an autobiography I would have found it less insulting; you expect people to write about themselves less candidly and more myopically than an outsider. But who needs to do it for themselves when someone else can do it for you. As the writer says, "She may not be the squeaky-clean role model of modesty and virtue that some people would like her to be but she is a role model in another way; she is a strong woman who can stand up for herself, fight for what she believes in, and always stay true to herself. As far as positive messages in the media go, that's about as good as it gets." Brava, MaryJo Lemmens, brava.
Overall Opinion:
I hated it. It's an insult to kids by completely dismissing any opportunity to treat them to a book written intelligently and engagingly.
Favorite Quote:
Not being a large fan of bootlicking, I couldn't find one.
Rating:
A
complete waste of time!!!
