Rating: 
Summary: Real Story...!!!
Review: I expected to read a common tabloid ... biography...and I found a different writing style that made me think on subjects I'm not used to do. This book has some chapters that could not be related to Layne Staley at first reading, but then it's amazing how everything ties together. I give the Author 5 stars for having the courage to put a lot of herself to show us that Layne was not only a rock singer to entertain us. We are used to think rock stars are "untouchable ones", "celebrities" and "millonaires" who musn't have problems of any kind. Wrong! This book offers the human being above the artist sharing stories from when Layne was born until the sad end. You can feel Layne speaking and crying just right to you. I couldn't put it down. The story is told in a very respectful way...never seen before. On the other hand Layne's drawings and some of his poems can make you understand better how his life was...and why he decided to become a hermit long time ago. The unconditional love he felt for Demri and the strong connection he had with his true sister Liz make you shiver. They both had the ability to speak without really talking! Layne Staley was into some kind of Oriental Philosophy! You also can find some exerpts from the Unchained book...The Story of Mike Starr... where the Author explains why the Starrs and Mike himself refused to get it published in full version among other interesting things. Rubio wrote an excellent book, pretty inside stuff, real story and very informative. I recommend you to read it.
Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: Layne Staley: Angry Chair by Adriana Rubio is a good book, that I really enjoyed to read. The thing that I liked about it was that Rubio showed Layne for who he really was and didnt try to glorify his lifestyle. I would highly reccomend this book for any true Alice in Chains fan.
Rating: 
Summary: a great learning tool
Review: this book provides so many insightful looks into the life of layne staley. it is filled with many unrelated stories and subjects, but some of the information is absolutley precious. anyone who loved layne, his music, his art, or just his life should read it.
Rating: 
Summary: So much bitterness
Review: I purchased the book because I am avid fan of Alice in Chains. The photographs and drawings were priceless, but the writing leaves much to be desired. The fact that Adriana Rubio is a journalist is almost frightening: did she actually earn a degree? I thought journalists were supposed to be excellent writers.First of all, she has some very strange opinions regarding Layne Staley and how he seems to belong in a different era. For pages she persists in explaining her very naive and disjointed view of history. I wanted to read about Layne, not an overly simplistic (and completely unnecessary) description of humanism and the Renaissance. Her bitterness at band members is surprising. Layne had the soul of a poet, according to Rubio, yet the others were unselfish and had nothing to do with the success of the band. Gee whiz, I wonder why none of them would return her calls? Face it, Layne made mistakes. He tried to combat the results, but was unable to do so. If someone can't take the first steps to help themselves, there is no way their family members or friends will be able to save them. Overall, if you are a fan you could buy the book, or you can just wait until someone makes a webpage and culls the good information from the tripe.
Rating: 
Summary: Ehhhhh, not too bad, not too good....
Review: Being the biggest fan of Layne Staley, I was hoping for alot more from this book. I understand from reading this, it isnt easy to write too much on him, because he basically was very sheltered and private. I just though there was alot in this book that was just page fillers. There was alot of info that frankly had nothing to do with Layne at all, and lost my interest quite a bit. However, there was some good stuff too, and it was cool just to read some his letters and poems. I didnt learn all that nuch I already didnt know, except for his family life. If your a huge fan, I guess its worth the read, if not, you'll probably throw the book away.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste.
Review: I feel sorry for anyone who has already wasted the hour it takes to read this miserably written so-called book. Poorly written, uniformative and incoherent best describe this sorry piece of work. Save yourself the money and just listen to some of the great music Layne, Jerry and the guys made over the years.
Rating:
Summary: For true fans only
Review: This is a book you should purchase if you want to take a look at some of the private artworks, poems or photographs of Layne Staley, the 'great late' leadsinger of Alice in Chains. But: it's written by a fan who wants to be in the picture herself. Adriana Rubio is obviously very proud to have had intimate conversations with Staleys mom and sister, and it shows throughout the whole book. Everybody shall know that she has this overwhelming respect for Staley's relatives and their stories. Also, I got the impression that she wrote this book to get rid of her own complexes, comparing Staleys heroin-addiction to her own struggle with Anorexia Nervosa. She places herself too much in front, which is quite irritating after a while. Or, in the words of Layne Staley: "She should write a book about herself". Still, there is the telephoneconversation with Layne Staley and her that is quite shocking for the true fan. I'm still reading the book so now and then, about a year after buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Really Bad Book
Review: In less than 200 pagess the author trails off into her own biographical infromation, goats, Cobain conspiracy theories, you get the idea. Poorly written (and printed in large print to beef up appearance of content I presume) and poorly edited (typos). For an individual who had access to a virtual treasure trove of Layne's family photos and early school and artwork, she printed nominal amounts of either, but they are worth seeing. "Interviews" were several hours long with Layne's sister and mother, yet the content was lacking. No light thrown on how or why Staley got so entangled in heroin use. That info. would have been useful. Nor did she reveal much about Demri and how her demise contributed to Staley's self-destruction. Get what you can out of it. . .won't be much. Pics are worth it and the account of her phone conversation with Staley is interesting if accurate. Not much of a biography for a very worthy subject. Eureka! How about Layne's family printing pics and Layne's early school/artwork in a coffee table book and use the proceeds to build/run a school for kids like Layne according to his own solution for how to fix public schools. That would be worth spending money on. The only Angry Chair here was the one I was sitting in as I read this awful book! This book, sadly, was not worth the paper it was printed on.
Rating:
Summary: Bad book, not authors fault
Review: This book was a waste of money. But I cant blame the author for trying. Like her, I wanted to know much more about Layne-an arstist I truly admire. But Layne really didnt want to be known, so she really couldnt write that much about a person who preferred not to be known.
Rating:
Summary: It's about Layne
Review: Let me begin by saying that I haven't finished the book yet. Being someone who considers Layne the best singer in history, I am eager to get my hands on any new information available. When I read the reviews here before buying it, I was skeptical it would be any good. Admittedly, the writing is mediocre. She rambles a bit, and so far her discussion of lyrics is off the mark. BUT - the interviews are good, and this book is worthwhile just to see all the photos of Layne and his family (in spite of the lousy photo quality), see his ink drawings, and read his own poetry and other writing. For anyone truly interested in this genius, dropping the $12 on this book is a no-brainer.
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