Rating: 
Summary: A Compelling Survivor's Tale and Call to Reform
Review: I think it's important to recognize here that Christina Crawford doesn't simply dismiss her mother as "evil"--Joan Crawford is portrayed throughout as a deeply troubled person with a raging alcohol problem, who struggled with a dirt-poor, fatherless upbringing, and who fought for nearly every acting job she got in an industry that prizes false glamor above all else. Christina's memoir draws attention not only to the hatred she often felt toward her abusive mother, but to the love as well. For that I think the book achieves its worth--it shows Joan as a human being, a person who seriously needed help and intervention, but was unable to get it because of her image, fame, wealth, and, yes, her own stubbornness. Christina sought help for herself and her mother throughout, but everyone from juvenile correction officers to Joan's pill-prescribing doctors felt helpless or afraid to step in. It is easy to call this book "trash" or simple "venting," but much more difficult to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that child abuse occurs in every segment of society, even among the Pretty People. If Mommie Dearest broke the code of silence that allows the rich and famous to live above the law, then so be it. Child abuse is a problem that is not going away, and the more awareness, the better.
Rating: 
Summary: Christina tells story of child abuse by the rich and famous.
Review: Christina Crawford tells a story that has gone on for years in this country. Child abuse can happen to any family. Unfortunately some narrow minded folks seem to think this only happens in poor or uneducated families. It can and does happen to anyone. Thousands of children are abused and/or killed in this country each year. We hardly hear enough stories about it to scratch the surface. It's a sin and a shame on this whole country that rich people can buy anything, even children. Some have called Christina a "cry baby". Is that perhaps because you feel that since she seemingly lived in a wonderful mansion and had every little frill a child could dream of? You can live in the most marvelous of mansions and have everything your little heart desires. It would still be a living hell if you had to share it with an abusive and/or mentally ill person who controlled your every move. Someone who has never seen the movie or read the book called it, "Sickening and an abomination" that she would do this to her "foster" mother. I'd like to remind you that she was SUPPOSED to be a little more than her "foster" mother. She legally adopted these children which means she was supposed to love and protect them as any mother would. If she was unfit mentally then she shouldn't have used them to make a publicity splash or at least realized that she wasn't giving them the love they deserved. The only thing sickening and an abomination was that there were people around who witnessed all this and chose to turn their heads and a deaf ear because she was "Joan Crawford. Hollywood Glamour Star." I too was abused but I don't have the courage that Christina has because most people don't want to "get involved" or they simply don't want to believe that someone could act so nice in public and be so different behind closed doors. So the victims go on in silence. Ms. Crawford spent 60 years developing her film career? Well, good for her. I'm so glad she was so narcissistic that she chose to spend all her time on her selfish vain needs and "bought" these poor children to live in misery for her own selfish vain need to be looked upon with respect. It only took Hitler 14 years to rise to dictator of Germany and only a few years to kill 6 million Jews and 5 million other people he considered to be mentally deficient or political enemies. So what? It doesn't take hard work to be vain. Sickening and abominable? Yes that this country will turn it's head and let these things happen because we are so enamored with the rich and famous. I will go on in silence working behind the scenes at abuse shelters and charities. I can sleep at night. Good for you Christina. God bless you. I hope you too can sleep at night now, without fear of a drunken crazed woman coming in to wake you up with her latest torture. God bless America, and thank you for trying to open some of our eyes to the facts of child abuse and to this horrible habit of worshiping people with money and fame.
Rating:
Summary: Riddle me this...
Review: If a woman can adopt children for the sake of making herself a certain way to her fans, then why is it so unbelievable that a child can be horrifically abused? I, for one, do not think that CC is lying. How can you tell someone (when you were not there), "Oh no, your life did not happen that way." And I have not seen many of JC's movies, but if she comes across the way most people say she did onscreen, why is it hard to accept that maybe, just maybe, that demeanor did in fact exist outside of the studios? And the fact that both Christopher and Christina were left out of the will has to say something.
Rating:
Summary: A Frank Review of "All that Glitters is Not Gold"
Review: Whoever worried about grammar errors and said "get over it" or didn't read it and anything that discredited Ms. Crawford's work should be ashamed of themselves. I saw the movie for the second time on cable today (they rarely play it) and have read the book. I think that Ms. Crawford is very brave for comming out and telling the world about what Joan Crawford did. It's a shame what Joan did because of the problems that she had with Hollywood, her relationships, and flaws in her character. I know people and friends that have been abused and have been neglected as foster children, and to survive that is amazing and if people want to discredit something that people weren't ready to tell at that era, that is a shame because all that glitters is not gold. As a movie buff, Joan Crawford had great success, but in the dark, she must have had a hard time to deal with the let downs of Hollywood, and Hollywood made her crazy. Not all people have both a successful career and a wonderful home life, as Christina Crawford tells. I think that this book (and the movie) was to make people more aware of abuse and that it has always been here, no matter if its one child of a household that speaks up, or none.
Rating:
Summary: I believe her!
Review: I am one of the people who thinks every word of "Mommie Dearest" is absolute truth. Not just because I love the story, and it is so brilliantly written with humor and honesty. But I like Christina Crawford as a person. All one has to do is watch her speak publicly, like the documentary on the "Mildred Pierce" DVD, or any Joan TV biography. She is very genuine and sincere and is not avaricious at all. Not one bit. I do not believe she wrote this book before her mother died, but even if that were true, GOOD! The reason this book was written, I believe, was to dispel the myth about Hollywood fantasy. She recieved a lot of abuse after this book came out, and in her book Survivor she writes "why is it so wrong to defend one's self?". I agree. Joan must have known the language in the will would become public and embarrass Christina and Chris. I applaud Christina for coming forth and sharing her story. I would love to meet her some day.
Rating: 
Summary: KACHING~! Christina cashes in...AGAIN
Review: The most ABOMINABLE thing that I associate with this wretched and sensationalized autobiography, is just how willingly and gleefully people swallow it's "facts" whole, and then feel justified in trashing a human being who was never able to tell her own side of the story. I would never condone child abuse, or any kind of cruelty, and that includes the treatment that is dished out in this tabloid style "tell all". Readers of this book seem to be divided into two camps: 1) Those who consider it to be the gospel truth. Some then feel justified in demonizing Joan Crawford. Somehow I think, this makes them feel better about themselves, and their own short comings. 2) Those who consider it to be a pack of lies, designed to make buckets of money for Christina...who, motivated by greed or not, is protected by the safety umbrella of being a victim of abuse. Personally, I feel that the real truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. Joan Crawford was not a saint, but she was not a monster either. Clearly the woman had issues, as so many Hollywood stars of her era did. If you know anything about her life at all, you would understand why she became the person that she became. Christina herself says that she believes that her mother was bipolar, in a time when such a condition was not well known as it is today. Crawford did become an alcoholic, and I believe that definatley affected how she raised her children. People don't want to admitt it, but physically punishing a child used to be common place. That is no excuse, but it is true. MGM trained it's actors to live their lives as press fodder, so it must have seemed as natural as breathing to Crawford to work the motherhood angle for publicity. It is being done by politicians and media stars even today, and ever shall be. But I truly believe that she wanted children to love, and that like many people she screwed up royally...especially in the case of her first two children. I don't mean to say Crawford was justified in her behavior, but it makes more "sense" if you really look at her life. And it MUST be noted that her two younger adopted daughters (who are indeed twins, although not identical), speak very lovingly of their late mother. They have said that she was tough as nails, but loving and nurturing. Clearly she had learmed some lessons from the first time around, yes? Christina has often stated that her mother was sometimes jealous of her budding acting career, and when Crawford was in her declining years, that is no doubt a fact. But the reverse seems to be even more true, and who could blame Christina? Her mothers film career is legendary. I think Christina's story has much truth, but it definately smacks of being sensationalized...and embroidered with fiction. Take the entire "Box Office Poison-Joan trashes the Rose Garden Night Raid" story (TINA! Bring me the AXE!). When that article was published, Christina hadn't even been born! The inconsistencies in Christina's tome are NUMEROUS. There are many facts that she presents that simply do not match actual history. And indeed, and most tellingly, the book "Mommie Dearest" was written and sold to a publisher a FULL YEAR before Joan's death, and Crawford caught wind of it. Christina was removed from the will, and Christina and Christopher CONTESTED, and won several thousand dollars each. It is interesting to note too, that Christina tried her hand at all-out fiction, with a book called "Black Widow" (with a very Crawford-esque type villianous). That is very telling, isn't it? The book bombed, so Christina wrote her true follow-up to "Mommie...", called "Survivor". Christina continues to tour promoting "Mommie Dearest", and at times with a female impersonator in full Joan drag. She has survived very richly on the money made from her National Enquirer style story (they mix fact with fiction, too). The "little girl who never got any love" is pushing 60 now, and she is doing more than well, thank you. I would never deny her the right to tell of her life, and to heal, as I believe she suffered things no child ever should. But if you don't think she isn't laughing all the way to the bank, or if you believe every last thing she has written is the unvarnished truth, then I have some oceanside property in Kansas that I'd like you to consider buying. The woman has much to answer for. In the wake of "Mommie Dearest" much attention has been brought to the world issue of child abuse and that in itself in invaluable. It is unfortunate however that persons of low self esteem choose to throw stones at a dead woman who cannot defend herself. Speak up for Joan, and you are condoning child abuse, as far as they are concerned. Question Christina's motives, and you are said to be blinded by Joan's status as a MOVIE STAR. What a shallow and self serving way to look at this complicated, and multi-faceted situation. Even for all of it's tragedy (and it is there, no matter how you choose to look at it), crucifying Joan Crawford is not the answer. Damning Christina as a liar, or making an angel out of either of them is a mistake too. Trying to UNDERSTAND both of these willfull, wonderful and seriously flawed women...would serve you far better than buying and reading this trashy-epic of half-truths and tall-tales ever will. The fact that a great many people think that it is more "fun" to believe the worst of Joan, and actually take pleasure in rading the violent passages of the book over and over again, makes them every bit as sick as the person that they are damning in the first place! It's time to grow up, and move on.
Rating:
Summary: The, uh, mother of all tell-alls
Review: I skipped this book first time around, though like any pop culture fan, I could chant, "No wire hangers!" However, it took this oddly affecting book to inform me that Joan Crawford's mother conscientiously crocheted covers for all of the hundreds of wooden hangers in the family closets, but she herself was scarcely allowed in her wealthy, famous daughter's house. The atrocities just keep on coming, written at a stream-of-consciousness rate that leaves the reader gasping for breath. Crawford maintains a tone of uncompromising honesty, especially as she matures and realizes how destructive the process of trying to "get along" with her adoptive mother can be, most notably to Christina herself. Many letters from Joan Crawford are quoted in their entirety, with Christina offering mordant background on what subjects were really at stake. She noted that her mother signed her letters "Mommie," complete with quotation marks, "as though she was playing a role." Which by now, we know she was. The author scrupulously protects the identities of a number of the friends who observed, supported, and championed her, and offers brief essays written about her from others willing to go on the record. She also remains tactfully mum on the present-day location of her adopted twin younger sisters, as well as her beloved younger brother Christopher. Like all four of Joan's movie-prop children, Christopher was illegally adopted. (The "family's" first infant "Christopher" was forcibly reclaimed by his birthmother--smart girl!) Christopher's treatment by Joan was, if anything, even worse than his older sister's: He served six months in jail for taking part in a trivial joy-riding incident, because nobody could or would take responsibility for him; Joan wanted him sent to Elmira Reformatory, a fate he escaped through the persistent efforts of a tenacious and savvy lawyer identified only by an initial, who took the case pro bono after Christina, just nineteen at the time, begged him to help them. Chris subsequently served in Vietnam and reportedly lives a quiet life with his wife and family on Long Island. Christina Crawford showed great courage in breaking down the royal-icing wall of sugary Hollywood publicity. So much so, in my opinion, that I easily forgave her the innumerable misspellings, errors in grammar and punctuation and proper names, that would have driven me nuts in another book. So much of her young life was starched, posed, orchestrated, terrorized, isolated, ostracized, financially deprived, and deliberately misunderstood by her adoptive mother (and her band of sycophantic secretary/fans), that her stream-of-consciousness, can't-wait-for-a-copy-editor prose seems only an appropriate response to an intolerable life. What kind of mother, after setting up dozens of hurdles to jump before enrollment is permitted, sends a child to study at Carnegie Tech., but refuses to supply winter clothing against the brutal Pittsburgh winters? Brrrr! By changing her grammar--mistaking "it's" for "its," say--why fence her in now? Reportedly Christina is living a quiet normal life in Idaho. The price she paid to get there is incalculable.
Rating:
Summary: Survivor Story-Life with Joan Crawford
Review: Mommie Dearest is one of those books that is just too good to put down. It grabs you, and pulls you in to the story right from the very beginning, and even though you are horrified at some of the incidence described in the book you want to read more just to see what Joan Crawford had up her sleeve for her daughter next. Mommie Dearest is the true story of the life of Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of screen legend Joan Crawford. In the book Christina describes the years of abuse that she and her brother Christopher had to endure at the hands of "Mommie Dearest." The book starts off by telling the story of Joan Crawford's own life. Christina tells the reader that Joan was born Lucille LeSuer in the Midwest and was very poor. Christina tells of Joan's early career as an exotic dancer before ultimately being a singer on Broadway to signing a contract with MGM and being the daughter in law of Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood themselves Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Christina tells that the marriage to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ended in divorce as well as Joan's marriage to fellow actor Francot Tone. Christina then tells of how she came to the house of Joan Crawford. She tells that her parents were young and a lawyer knowing of Joan's interest in having a child gave the little baby with no name to her. Christina then goes into details about her early childhood at first being called Joan Jr. and having to go everywhere with her mother the time when she was nearly one and Joan adopted her and changed her name from Joan to Christina. Christina then goes into her childhood memories. In this part Christina recalls the marriage between her mother and another actor named Phillip Terry and the adoption of Phillip Terry Jr. who became Christopher Crawford after Phillip and Joan divorced three years after their marriage. The next part of the book is the saddest. Christina then goes into the abuse that she faced at the hands of her adored "Mommie Dearest." She recalls how it started with Christina doing the dishes at the age of four as well as the occasional slap to Joan forcing Christina to do things that she was not physically able to do over and over and over again until Joan thought it was perfect to the time that Joan actually tried to kill Christina after an altercation they had about school and then having a cop come to the house to arrest Christina for being incorrigible. During this time, Christina goes into detail about her love of school and how she was constantly moved up in grades. Christina tells about when she was twelve and Joan decided that she did not want Christina around anymore so she sent her to a boarding school nearby. Christina then talks about some of the stunts that Joan did during Christina's time at Chadwick's (the boarding school) including the time that Joan found out that Christina had worn her jacket to school one day and as a revenge had somebody come to the school the next day and take all but two dress and a pair of shoes for her to were, or the time that Christina called Joan to see when to come home for Thanksgiving and Joan found out Christina had not done her Christmas card list so as a punishment all four of Joan's adopted children (Christina, Christopher, and twins Cathy, and Cynthia) were not to come home and they were not to continue at Chadwick's either. The next part of the book details Christina's life after Chadwick's. She tells of her life at the Catholic Boarding School her mother made her go to and then her year at collage before dropping out to become an actress. Christina details her successes as an actress such as a stint on The Secret Storm and performing in musicals. She leaves off this book by telling about going back to school and how her (then) husband David was such a help to her during that period. The very last things Christina talks about is the death of her mother and how Joan left both her and her brother Christopher out of her will and how that made headline news. This is a very good book and I recommend this book if you want a story about a survivor (the title of her next book) or are just looking to know more about Joan Crawford and her family.
Rating:
Summary: Christina Has Balls!
Review: I have to admit that I laughed and felt sick all the way through this book. There is no doubt that Joan Crawford was a narcissist and suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. It's a shame - the whole story, but it's a good lesson and a gauge with which to judge former Hollywood stars and the power they percieved they had (and did have). It seems that Christina learned a great deal form her mother after all. Joan would have done the same thing to Christina if she were the mother star. Enjoyable, but slightly perverse book.
Rating:
Summary: I've Read the Original
Review: I have not yet had the pleasure of reading this new version of the 1978 book. (I only recently found out that there was an anniversary edition!). I'm not going to offer much opinion on whether Christina is telling the truth or not, since I am still balancing the original MD against other bios I've read/am reading about Joan, but I can say this: I do believe that sibilings in the same family can be treated very differently by the same parent. I think that could very well explain why Joan's younger two girls have stated that there was no abuse. Perhaps for them, there wasn't. They are about 8 or 9 years younger than Christina, so that would make them very small when she left for boarding school at age 10, and only about 6 or seven when Joan married Alfred Steele. I got the impression from MD that Joan's life was on a much more even keel then. With less financial worry, and a husband that she claimed to love, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if she was *able* to be a better mother to Cindy and Cathy than she was to Christina and Christopher. Having grown up with a very strong-minded parent, I can also speculate that if Christina's depiction of Joan's general mind-set is accurate, she may well have desginated Christina and Christopher as her "bad" children and the twins as her "good" children, and then treated them accordingly. And too, there is the simple fact that most people can and do learn from their mistakes. Even if she never admitted to hurting Christina, I could also see Joan looking at the younger girls and thinking "Okay, I have these two children left, and I DON'T want to have such a conflicted relationship with them." So, who of Joan's children is telling the truth? Both, I imagine.
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