I have written an article about memoirs you should read before, but that was before we had a year like this one. This year we have lost some big names, people who have made their mark on the world as well as people gone too soon.
Don't Stop Believin' by Olivia Newton-John: For more than five decades, Olivia Newton-John has been one of our most successful and adored entertainers. A four-time Grammy Award winner, she is one of the world’s best-selling recording artists of all time, with more than 100 million albums sold. Her starring roles in the iconic movies Grease and Xanadu catapulted her into super-stardom.
In addition to her music and screen successes, Olivia is perhaps best known for her strength, courage, and grace. After her own personal journeys with cancer, she has thrived and become an inspiration for millions around the world. A tireless advocate for countless charities, her true passion is as the founding champion of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Olivia has always radiated joy, hope, and compassion - determined to be a force for good in the world.
Now she is sharing her journey, from Melbourne schoolgirl to international superstar, in this deeply personal book. Candid and moving, Don’t Stop Believin’ is Olivia Newton-John’s story in her own words for the very first time.
Still Women Enough: A Memoir by Loretta Lynn: Loretta Lynns first memoir, Coal Miners Daughter, was a #1 national bestseller that sparked an Oscar-winning movie and left fans hungry for more. Now Loretta finishes that story, and the second half of her life is every bit as remarkable and inspiring as the first. In a friendly, down-home style that belies her stature as country musics most celebrated performer, Loretta writes candidly about the price of fame and the stresses of stardom; tells of friends and family shes loved and lost along the way; and shares secrets not included in her first book. But at the heart of this memoir is her stormy relationship with Doo, the man she married at thirteen and stayed with until he died, through his drinking, their violent arguments, and their passionate reconciliations. Loretta reveals the devotion behind one of the hardest love stories in the world. Filled with intimate portraits of country legends, and brimming with folksy humor, this personal tale of grit, determination, and loyalty will enthrall Lorettas countless fans and anyone who adores a good old-fashioned love story.
If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White: It-girl Betty White delivers a hilarious, slyly profound take on love, life, celebrity, and everything in between.
Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood. Longtime fans and new fans alike will relish Betty's candid take on everything from her rumored crush on Robert Redford (true) to her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color my hair is and I never intend to find out") to the Facebook campaign that helped persuade her to host Saturday Night Live despite her having declined the hosting job three times already.
Featuring all-new material, with a focus on the past fifteen years of her life, If You Ask Me is funny, sweet, and to the point-just like Betty White.
Just As I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson: “Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and a mother, a sister and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by his hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say.” –Cicely Tyson
