My Father’s Daughter: A Memoir
My Father's Daughter: A Memoir
A startling, compelling, yet affectionate portrait of an American entertainment legend by his youngest daughter, who for the first time writes about the man, his life, the accusations, and about the many people who surrounded him -- wives, friends, lovers, users, and sycophants -- from his Hoboken childhood through the notorious "Rat Pack," and beyond.
Complete with many never before seen photographs taken directly from family albums, and placing special emphasis on his later years and his marriage to Barbara Marx Sinatra, Tina's personal exploration of this difficult final period in her father's career will solidify our image of Sinatra as a great performer and reinforce him as something even greater: as a father, and as man.For Sinatra fans, 2000 was a very good year. First came the discography Put Your Dreams Away; then, the newsy exposé of the Chairman's FBI dossier, The Sinatra Files; and now, his life story as seen by his younger daughter Tina. Besides inside family stuff, Tina knows about Frank's life from having produced the CBS miniseries about him. The most publicized item in the book concerns Frank's kind words with the Mafia on behalf of JFK's campaign. But, beware the common belief that the Mafia stole the election for JFK--this is dubious--and don't miss out on all of the more interesting stories in the book. There's irony: JFK personally persuaded United Artists to make Sinatra's best film, that classic of Presidential-assassination conspiracy, The Manchurian Candidate. There's squalor: Before the Mafia helped him through his career slump, Frank walked past an Eddie Fisher movie marquee and promptly attempted suicide. There's poignance: "I'm not home much, but I'm a pretty damned good father," Frank unconvincingly claimed. Nancy Barbato Sinatra--the mother of Tina, Nancy, and Frank Jr.--comes off as saintly. Ava Gardner was nice to the kids, but a comparably neurotic brawler with Frank. Mia Farrow, Tina's schoolmate, was delightful, inclined to intense relationships with father figures (Salvador Dalì, Yul Brynner), eccentric, and not as frail and malleable as she looked and Frank probably hoped: "She was just as career-driven as Ava, and probably more independent," writes Tina. "Mia was more of a day person, while the only dawns my father saw were on the back end of a hard day's night." Barbara Marx Sinatra, according to embittered Tina, made Frank's last 12 years a living hell. (Barbara has declined to comment on Tina's charges.)
In straightforward prose that's studded with interesting facts (did you know Frank would tip 0 if you parked his car?) and 86 photos, Tina Sinatra paints a lively portrait of her inconsolably lonely pop-star pop. And she did it her way. Deal with it. --Tim Appelo
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Rat Girl: A Memoir
- ISBN13: 9780143117391
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
In 1985, Kristin Hersh was just beginning to find her place in the world. After beginning her music career at the age of fourteen, the precocious child of unconventional hippies was enrolled in college while her band, Throwing Muses, was getting off the ground, amid buzzing rumors of a major label deal.
Then, everything changed. Her emotional troubles were diagnosed as bipolar disorder, and - just after the band was signed - Hersh was processing news of a very different sort: she was pregnant. Suddenly, she found herself wondering whether antidepressants could be mixed with prenatal vitamins, how to balance a guitar on her swollen stomach, and whether a rock band could tour with an infant.
Written in beautifully evocative prose, and filled with unforgettable characters, Rat Girl is the story of one pivotal year in Hersh's extraordinary life, a year that taught her strength and forced her to grow up much faster than she'd planned.
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