[Cher]’s frank autobiography is a testament to resilience.” — New York Times

“Turns out the alluring woman gracing the book’s cover is the same one who appears in these pages: intelligent, sensitive, and engaging.” — Los Angeles Times

"Utterly candid." — Washington Post

"Packs intricate details about her difficult childhood; her early singing experiences... the emotional roller coaster that was Sonny Bono; and her unshakable love for Gregg Allman." — USA Today

"Fabulous [with] heartbreaking honesty." — People

“The book is as raw and unfiltered as one would expect from Cher.” — Rolling Stone

"Sparing no detail, and missing no opportunity for a laugh." — Oprah Daily

"Cher's memoir is the story of a hard-luck kid transformed by her own personal magic. It's irresistible."
— Slate

"From hustler parents to a rocky marriage with the controlling Sonny Bono, this first half is a fascinating read." — Salon.com

"Her wit and candour shine through as she shares stories of love, loss, and resilience. For fans and newcomers alike, the memoir is a vivid reminder of Cher’s enduring influence and the fearless spirit that make her a timeless queen of the industry." — Glamour

"[Full of] her signature wit and humor." — The Skimm

"...A rock 'n' roll memoir like no other." — Daily Mail (UK)

"A must read." — Stylist (UK)

:Full of unforgettable memories and insights." — Cosmopolitan (UK)

"I practically inhaled it…it’s a riot: a revelatory, self-deprecating tale." — The Times (UK)

“Impossible to put down, this rollicking memoir is well-written, thoughtful, and will have readers eager for the second volume.” — Library Journal

The truly one-of-a-kind life story of Cher, told by the superstar herself, tracing from her humble origins to the remarkable heights she’s reached and everything in between. It’s honest, authentic and incredible.”

Oscar-winning actor, respected singer, and self-declared icon whose comebacks and reinventions have had their own comebacks and reinventions, Cher offers the first volume of her memoir. She alternates narrating with actor and friend Stephanie J. Block--who portrayed Cher in a short-lived Broadway musical biography. Both narrators are charming, effective, and pleasing to the ear. However, some of the narrative transitions are so sudden that the shift, once realized, is disconcerting. It's all here: the years with musical partner Sonny Bono, collaborating with Phil Spector, and meaningful background on her many early creative efforts, including hit records, concerts, and television appearances. The work is intimate and revealing while sparing listeners gossipy details. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

★ 2024-11-20
The diva recounts the action-packed first half of her life story, an all-American rags-to-riches dream.

Like Barbra Streisand, this iconic woman, born in 1946, is going to need about a thousand pages to tell the story of her amazing life and career—but she has chosen to do it in two volumes. This one ends about eight years before she won her Oscar forMoonstruckin 1988, but having started her partnership with Sonny Bono at the age of 16, there is plenty to cover. She begins at the beginning: “I mean, jeez. My family. You couldn’t make it up.” Though Cher grew up with sour milk, ants in the Rice Krispies, and saddle shoes held together with rubber bands, her mother always won the “misery Olympics” with stories of her own past: “Did your dad ever try to gas you in your sleep?” Georgia Holt, this beautiful man-eater actress mom, was married six times (twice to Cher’s “smooth-talking Armenian father,” Johnnie Sarkisian), and Cher’s relationship with her, which included quite a bit of difficulty over the years but always landed on love, seems to presage her history with Bono. He died in 1998, creating an opportunity for affecting candor and self-reflection about their trajectory, which included a divorce on the basis that “Sonny had held me in ‘involuntary servitude,’ in direct violation of the US Constitution’s Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery.” Their comedy act continued to thrive after their split: She loved this man, and always will. The story of Sonny & Cher is a story of the ’60s and ’70s, of the growth of the music and television industries, of fashion and celebrity culture, of the evolving role of women in the 20th century. And the skinny on her relationships with music mogul David Geffen, second husband Gregg Allman, and Kiss frontman Gene Simmons is just as riveting. “We talked so long on the phone he ended up with a $2,800 phone bill,” she writes of Simmons. “That’s when he blurted out that he loved me….What is it with these men?”

The vicarious experience of wealth, glamour, and romance is rarely this much fun. A truly great celebrity memoir.