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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I asked a friend for the best biography of Judy Garland (Judy being her favorite actress of all time) and got this as the answer.
I don't know how to feel about this. One the one hand, I learned a lot. I knew very little about Judy Garland, MGM and the golden age of Hollywood before reading this, and it certainly raised interesting questions for me to continue to research.
On the other hand -- the whole book was biphobic as shit and clearly written by an older white man. There were GLARING examples of this over and over again and it bothered me, his insistence on examining all of Judy's relationships through this narrow lens of perception (he kept on implying she slept with other women but always had to preface it with "SHE WASN'T A LESBIAN!" ... yeah, no shit Sherlock). The obsession with her sex life was odd in part because it seemed so barren in actual detail: we got more speculation than hard fact, so it felt like the author was just jerking himself off to the idea of Judy Garland having sex with a bunch of people.
Which isn't to say she wasn't, it certainly seems like she had an active and vivid sexual history, but I'm reading a biography -- I'd like there to be more in here than a tabloid interest in catching the star under the table giving her boyfriend head.
That said, it was enlightening and interesting to read about Judy Garland. It's billed as one of the most complete works on her, which is probably true, spanning from her great grandparents down to her children. As an overview it was well done. The writing was engaging and easy to read.
It was just a little much at some points.
I don't know how to feel about this. One the one hand, I learned a lot. I knew very little about Judy Garland, MGM and the golden age of Hollywood before reading this, and it certainly raised interesting questions for me to continue to research.
On the other hand -- the whole book was biphobic as shit and clearly written by an older white man. There were GLARING examples of this over and over again and it bothered me, his insistence on examining all of Judy's relationships through this narrow lens of perception (he kept on implying she slept with other women but always had to preface it with "SHE WASN'T A LESBIAN!" ... yeah, no shit Sherlock). The obsession with her sex life was odd in part because it seemed so barren in actual detail: we got more speculation than hard fact, so it felt like the author was just jerking himself off to the idea of Judy Garland having sex with a bunch of people.
Which isn't to say she wasn't, it certainly seems like she had an active and vivid sexual history, but I'm reading a biography -- I'd like there to be more in here than a tabloid interest in catching the star under the table giving her boyfriend head.
That said, it was enlightening and interesting to read about Judy Garland. It's billed as one of the most complete works on her, which is probably true, spanning from her great grandparents down to her children. As an overview it was well done. The writing was engaging and easy to read.
It was just a little much at some points.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This is certainly the most well written and in-depth Garland biography out there but I’m surprised by what the author chose to gloss over and/or not include altogether. The chapters concerning her childhood and MGM years are richly and exhaustively detailed, yet the ones about her later career and death are missing a lot — the author doesn’t mention her recording contract with Capitol Records whatsoever, lots of irrelevant celebrity gossip is discussed, and details surrounding her decline and death felt rushed.
When you think that you are overwhelmed with the problems of day to day living, pick up this book and give it a whirl. Yikes, is all that i can say. Isn't it bad enough to have a stage mother (from Hell) without having that mother dole out drugs and launch her young daughter into life-long addiction? Or maybe the thing that freaked me out was the pattern from mother, to daughter, to granddaughter (Liza) to marry men that you would subsequently find in your bed engaging in homosexual relations? Change the sheets, please!!! This is a biography of a very talented, but deeply emotional and mentally flawed human being. It is ultimately very, very sad with moments of pure joy. Read on a sunny day surrounded by a supportive family.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I really didn't like the author adding his (in my view, misogynistic) opinions. I did love learning more about Judy Garland though. She's a babe.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This book, Get Happy, is a biography on icon Judy Garland. Published in the year 2000, this is one of dozens of biographies on Garland but since this the first I've read, I couldn't tell you if it stands out compared to the many others out there.
I went into the book with an open mind since I could only tell you a few things about the actress such as 1) Wizard of Oz and 2) she died due to an overdose. The biography told me lots about her but I wouldn't say any of it shocked me. She was a troubled, sad woman who was hounded by movie execs and men throughout her life. A woman who yearned for love and attention and often found it in all the wrong places. Her multiple cries for help were often ignored or swept under the carpet until it was too late and she tragically passed away at 47.
I was way into the book but was taken out, quite suddenly, with some word use, including the r-word (meant to describe the special needs population if you need a hint) which would be fine if it was quoted but it seemed to come right out of the pen of the author and even written 23 years ago, he should have known better. It made me uncomfortable enough that I had no choice but to lower my rating.
I went into the book with an open mind since I could only tell you a few things about the actress such as 1) Wizard of Oz and 2) she died due to an overdose. The biography told me lots about her but I wouldn't say any of it shocked me. She was a troubled, sad woman who was hounded by movie execs and men throughout her life. A woman who yearned for love and attention and often found it in all the wrong places. Her multiple cries for help were often ignored or swept under the carpet until it was too late and she tragically passed away at 47.
I was way into the book but was taken out, quite suddenly, with some word use, including the r-word (meant to describe the special needs population if you need a hint) which would be fine if it was quoted but it seemed to come right out of the pen of the author and even written 23 years ago, he should have known better. It made me uncomfortable enough that I had no choice but to lower my rating.
slow-paced
I am, always have been, a huge Judy Garland fan. That said, it has taken me ages to read this book because I have been afraid to. I learned a ton about specific times in her life. I was a little put off about the structure of the book, however. The end of her life seemed very rushed, which bothered me quite a bit. The author also seemed to take her earlier life and spin everything to be pro-Judy and then abandoned that once her life grew more difficult after she was fired from MGM. I thought that pace was strange. Overall, I'm glad I finally read it!