Rating: 
Summary: Reader from Atlanta
Review: I agree with the psychologist who reviewed this book earlier. This book looked like an opportunity to vent. I have never been a Joan Crawford fan, so I read the book objectively, and if anything, was on the author's side, however, I also think that the author needs help to deal with this anger, no matter how justified that anger is. She needs to get on with her life, and get Joan Crawford out of her system. It appears to me that Joan Crawford still has a bizarre hold over her. As for content and style from a literary viewpoint, I would rate it a -10
Rating: 
Summary: The Trailblazer
Review: As a matter of fact, I have read the Guiles book, "The Last Word," and consider it to be quite obvious and silly trash. Imagine the courage Christina must have had to write this book. As she herself stated, there was no certainty it would ever be published. If she had not been connected to a famous person, I'm sure it wouldn't have been, but can anyone honestly blame Christina for that? In addition, the reviews that mention spelling and grammatical errors are exceptionally bizarre. I can only think that the readers were so threatened by the truths about child abuse that they frantically latched onto any criticism they could find. I am planning and currently writing my own non-fiction book about our family's hundred year history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness,and attempted murder. I could never even dream of writing a book like this, nor imagine the possibility of getting it published, if not for Christina Crawford. She paved the way for me-- and so many others.
Rating:
Summary: A Truth That Needs to Be Told
Review: Regardless of what some people my think about these "trashy" novels, all they lose are those bitter illussions that they themselves have built up about figures such as Joan Crawford. The truth in Christina's story shows us that the only difference between Hollywood darkness and the darkness in the real world is merely the glitzy facade that Joan fought so bitterly to keep. I personally enjoyed hearing Christina's story because it just goes to show us that what we believe these stars are and what they are in reality are often two completely different things.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most disturbing non-fiction books I've ever read
Review: THe only other biography I've read anywhere near this frightening was Frances Farmers' autobiography. I can't decide who had a more wretched life, her or Christina (maybe Christina, because she seems to be happy now). There are the Hollywood/celebrity 'divas'- Fay Dunaway, Diana Ross, Demi Moore, then there are the definite b-tches - Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, etc- and before I read this book as an adult I thought Crawford just fell into the b-category. I saw the movie in junior high school and it just seemed so unrealistic and campy I couldn't really take it seriously. When I read this book (twice, once when it first came out & later with the anniversary edition) I started out thinking, and then saying out loud to myself, "what a b--h!" over and over. THe horrible physical abuses when Christina is too small to fight back are bad enough. But you don't really start to think of her mother as a monster until you start reading their correspondence that took place when she sent Christina away to boarding school (she was sent away first to a strict boarding school, then to a sort of home for wayward girls where she was literally a prisoner). SOmewhere around the middle of this section I actually decided the woman was evil. As another reviewer said, I violently hated someone I'd never met. Maybe I got more emotional because of a couple incidents of abuse in my past (which seem VERY mild compared to this-and it was not my mother) and also worked directly under a woman for years who had the personality of JC. The movie made JC much more sympathetic than it should have, and now I feel bad for laughing at the campy parts. There is the scene in the film where JC loses it and starts to strangle her teen daughter when she actually bravely stands up to her. What really happened was, JC literally tried to kill her, beat the living you-know-what out of her, and would have probably strangled her to death if someone in the next room hadn't pulled her off her. If her mother wasn't rich and famous, she probably would have been placed in protective custody, but instead an officer of the juvinile court comes to the house to talk to Christina in private (she was never taken to a doctor) and, while sympathetic, tells her she must try harder to get along with her mother or she will have to be taken by the police and locked up in juvinile prison. In fact, this is what JC wanted him (ordered him, probably) to come and do in the first place. I applaud Christina for keeping her dignity and patience, because if I were in her shoes I probably would have snapped and driven over to her house and kicked the *&^% out of JC (if not killed her, after telling her to pick on someone her own size). Instead, she got rid of her repressed anger by writing her mother a very controlled, detailed, civilized letter in which she explains exactly what her mother's sadism has done to her, why it was wrong, and why she will not put up with it anymore. Then she is able to move on. I don't think at all the book was written out of spite or payback, but even if it was, good for her- that woman deserved every word.
Rating:
Summary: A tragic venting of anger
Review: This book is about a very sad situation. It is even sadder because Joan Crawford was a public figure. In exposing her mother's evil actions, her daughter is creating unhappiness throughout all her mother's former admirers. She's also creating sadness and turbulance among abuse victims. On the positive side, she may be exposing some common abuse secrets that are often swept under the rug. However, I think this could have been done just as effectively without using real names. I'm sorry that Ms. Crawford is so full of hate and anger that she has to lash out with such venom. She could have equally well used her status to work for abuse victims without exposing her mother's failings. As a practicing psychologist,I have seen the damage that inappropriately displayed anger can do to oneself and those around one. I sincerely hope she gets a good therapist who will help her with anger management so she can learn to express her emotions appropriately to help others, instead of hurting others and their memories.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and gripping
Review: Whether this book was written for attention, or to expose the truth, I enjoyed it very much. Those who mentioned the errors in grammar better check their own spellings of words, while they're at it. I found quite a few in their reviews!Anyone who "follows" celebrities has to know that most of the time, they wear 2 faces--their private face and their public face. Many times, there is not too big a difference between both, but sometimes, there is. It shouldn't be a shock to learn that there ARE dysfunctional people out there, in all walks of life! Just because a person is a rich celebrity, it doesn't make them immune from being a horrible person!
Rating:
Summary: Trashy, but entertaining
Review: A very quick read, and an interesting glimpse of mid-century Hollywood. Joan was a true monster and her daughter captures that well. I was so "inspired" by the book I immediately went out and rented one of Joan's movies, "Queen Bee," which Christina says made her shriver it was so true to life. Recommended if you're looking for a diversion.
Rating:
Summary: Morbid Curiosity Works
Review: Although I first picked up this book in response to morbid curiostiy...I am glad I did. I grew up knowing about the terrible fear that Christina lived with-in my own home. I cannot believe anyone would knock her for speaking out! That is why child abuse and other violence has festered to the point it is today...SILENCE. Go Christina. Who cares about the material possessions that psycho didn't leave you. She stripped you of something far more valuable than that-your self-worth. Reclaiming that, by whatever means possible, is what is most important. I think you did a wonderful justice for yourself and many others who are still silent vitims.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: I am amazed Christina Crawford could be so tactful in her writing, because some of the things she lightly brushed over indicated to me that there was a lot of worse things happening to her and her siblings that she really didn't come right out and say. I hope this book serves to help the public open their eyes to child abuse at all levels of income and walks of life. As another reviewer wrote, children are our future - so we'd better take good care of them. I am no longer surprised at the number of people that deny that child abuse occurs. Even abusers don't feel it is abuse (they really feel the child deserves such severe punishment for very minor infractions of "the rules"!). Kudos to Christina for her book, no matter what her original intent for writing it was. I truly hope the book will open the eyes of family and friends of children that are being abused, and encourage the adults to take action to reverse the abusive trends directed towards those children.
Rating:
Summary: Grammatical errors aside, this book is very good.
Review: Yes, there are a lot, no a TON of grammatical errors, many that could have been corrected with a simple press of the spell check button. But that is not the authors fault. It is the proofreader and editors. The book itself is a great story that is often shocking and yet sympathetic. It is a great guilty pleasure. Anyone that has seen the over-the-top movie. Will love this. It would get 5 stars if it were not for the errors.
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