Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme

Rating:
Summary: I learned a lot!!!!!!
Review: As a child, I listened to the radio all the time and of course, in the '60s, the Supremes dominated much of the airwaves. I loved their music, but really knew little about them. This book educated me, and no, I do not think it was a "Diana Ross Bashing Book". I believe Mary told the truth. We were just outsiders looking in; Mary was there.

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I found this book to be very interesting. So much information on the beginning of Mowtown. The struggles of stardom and the effect it had on the friendship of three young ladies. The nitpicking Mary does on Diana went a little overboard, but otherwise very entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: I originally purchased a used copy of this book at a Goodwill store for the purpose of re-selling it in Amazon auctions. After browsing through a few chapters, I immediately revised my auction with a "too high" price so no one would bid on it and I could read the book before I sold it. Now, I'm not selling it. Why? Well, not because it was literay genius but mostly because I was a disc jockey during the "Supreme" years and could identify with much of the story line. However, there was SO much I didn't know about this group until I read the book.Who would have dreamt that these girls were at one time making $5.00 to $10.00 when the cut a record? Who could imagine the depth of dissension that built up between these young friends who had worked so hard to gain their careers? How did fame and success finally split the group beyond repair? The book not only covers the lives of the Supremes, but also details some of the artists and talents of other groups working for Motown. Her descriptions of "Hitsville" were colorfully accurate and I could easily picture her and the other talent crammed into small studios rehearsing and using the toilet as an echo chamber. All the Motown greats are mentioned in this book (as well as most of their romances). I also learned a great deal more about the racial tensions of that era and how things changed through the years for black performers. I could actually feel the conflicts because of Mary's astute descriptions.There were times when I thought the flow was somewhat choppy and I was disappointed that there wasn't a more detailed description of the group's first appearance at the Apollo theatre. After all the build up, only one paragraph about the show and that just dealt with the fact that they finally did play there.However, Mary Wilson's emotional descriptions of Diane (Diana), Flo, Cindy and herself were powerful enough to make me understand how friction developed between them and how their activities affected the group as a whole.This is probably one of the most worthwhile books I have ever read and would highly recommend it to anyone who has the least bit interest in the music industry as it was betwen 1960 and 1980.