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ashlightgrayson 's review for:
The Meaning of Mariah Carey
by Mariah Carey
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Mariah Carey narrates her memoir herself and does have moments where she sings in it. It's quite wonderful and I do recommend experiencing this book via audiobook because it feels so much more personal that way. Carey uses very vivid descriptions to really encapsulate her experiences, especially in childhood. She goes through her first experiences with racism, her rough relationship with her parents and siblings, her romantic relationships, and her journey into the professional music industry.
Mariah talks extensively about her racial identity and how it has affected her throughout her life. She gives an example of a time she had some paternal family members try to use a hot comb on her hair. This ended up having less than favorable results with her hair essentially getting burned. Her black family was not used to her hair texture and obviously assumed it would respond like their hair did. It is one of many examples of her not fitting in. She briefly mentions how professional hair stylists often wouldn't know what to do with her hair early in her career. She gives examples of being called racial slurs by her white classmates when they found out her father was black. She also explains her experiences with the way her record label, and later her future husband, Tommy Motola, chose to market her. Mottola was often upset by any "urbanization" of her music. The way she described her relationship to him and how he perceived her shows that he was never truly accepting of her blackness. He was also incredibly controlling, to the point of being abusive. I'm glad she made her way safely out of that relationship.
Despite her reputation as a diva, I think that Mariah comes off as incredibly charming and good-humored in this memoir. It feels like the diva reputation may just be something she plays into rather than her actual personality. She has overcome a lot of darkness in her life and has ultimately found a way to shine through. I think she is one of the best vocal talents that have emerged in modern music. She writes and composes her own music, which is a separate talent of its own. I started listening to a lot of her music soon after finishing her memoir and so much of her is in the music she produces. Even if you're not a Mariah Carey fan, I would give her albums a full track by track listen. I found songs that I didn't even remember listening to before that I fell in love with.
Mariah talks extensively about her racial identity and how it has affected her throughout her life. She gives an example of a time she had some paternal family members try to use a hot comb on her hair. This ended up having less than favorable results with her hair essentially getting burned. Her black family was not used to her hair texture and obviously assumed it would respond like their hair did. It is one of many examples of her not fitting in. She briefly mentions how professional hair stylists often wouldn't know what to do with her hair early in her career. She gives examples of being called racial slurs by her white classmates when they found out her father was black. She also explains her experiences with the way her record label, and later her future husband, Tommy Motola, chose to market her. Mottola was often upset by any "urbanization" of her music. The way she described her relationship to him and how he perceived her shows that he was never truly accepting of her blackness. He was also incredibly controlling, to the point of being abusive. I'm glad she made her way safely out of that relationship.
Despite her reputation as a diva, I think that Mariah comes off as incredibly charming and good-humored in this memoir. It feels like the diva reputation may just be something she plays into rather than her actual personality. She has overcome a lot of darkness in her life and has ultimately found a way to shine through. I think she is one of the best vocal talents that have emerged in modern music. She writes and composes her own music, which is a separate talent of its own. I started listening to a lot of her music soon after finishing her memoir and so much of her is in the music she produces. Even if you're not a Mariah Carey fan, I would give her albums a full track by track listen. I found songs that I didn't even remember listening to before that I fell in love with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent