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Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!!
Review: Absolutely fascinating.Despite what the Library Journal may say (and frankly how you rely on a review by anyone who recommends Sheridan Morley's appallingly incompetent effort is beyond me), this is a tremendously detailed and revealing look at the life of one of America's few genuine legends. As someone who has read virtually all the books about Miss Garland I would certainly rank this book in the top three. Highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in Judy Garland, Hollywood or what the highs and lows of stardom can really be like.
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Summary: Bravo! Take A Bow, Scott Schechter! A+
Review: If God is in the details -- and she is -- then this book is heavensent because Judy is revealed in the fantastically extensive details offered here. This book is one of those gotta-have-it, can't-put-it-down must-reads. I mean it. Nothing like it's ever been done before. The people who slam this book don't "get" it. It's "The Osbournes" in print. It's the ultimate reality supershow because it's about the day-to-day details in the life of the greatest -- and most utterly fascinating -- star in showbiz history. If you want to know Judy -- really know her -- treat yourself to this book and stroll through her days with her, spy her shopping lists and address book, take a dance class with Judy, go to Sammy Davis Jr.'s birthday party with her on your arm, even read her last will & testament. Scott Schechter tosses all the usual stardust aside and points his spotlight on Judy's REAL LIFE, which has never before been illuminated so brilliantly, so carefully, so thoroughly - and lovingly, too.
Rating:
Summary: A record of how HARD Judy worked.
Review: Judy Garland worked harder than any other performer of her era. Detailing this work, as Scott Schechter does, day-by-day, does more to emphasize that work than any other biography that has been released.
What is sad is that one can predict, long before a Garland project comes out, who will like it and who will not. Does it have to do with Judy's artistry? No. Is it related to the breadth of the research? No. Is it critically reviewed based on its own merits and not on personal feelings about the author? No.
Judy Garland has, most definitely, groups (perhaps COVENS is a better word) who reject or accept a Garland project based solely on who was involved in its making. I will be the first to agree that John Fricke's Garland biography "World's Greatest Entertainer" is brilliant, and sumptuously illustrated. Steve Sanders' "Rainbow's End" is also excellent, dealing specifically with Judy's 1963-64 CBS television series (although Sanders seems almost fixated on Judy's weight throughout the book).
The recent Garland biography by Gerald Clarke was raked over the coals in a very sanctimonious manner, and one had to be private about their feelings for this book, to avoid being chastised by other Garland fans/biographers.
Well, I am not a Garland biographer. I am a collector of her memorabilia, and have been collecting for 30 years. People like myself and a VERY small handful of collectors are responsible for making ANY Garland biography have unique and rare photographs and memorabilia, whether the coven approves of it or not.
I have been around, dear readers. I know that personal feelings interfere with every single negative review of this book, or ANY Garland book. That is a part of the mystique of Judy Garland and the emotional response her art can create in an individual. Scott Schechter did what all of Garland's fans have moaned about forever. He presented a chronological perspective of how HARD Judy worked, from December 1924 through March 1969.
It is sad, shameful, and even egregious that the quality of a Garland biography, DVD, or CD release is filtered through the perceptor's own personal feelings about the individual that made it possible.
Not liking something based on who was responsible for its creation means that the individual likes Judy Garland on a conditional basis. And conditional love for Judy Garland is not love at all. It is haughty, noxious, and disgusting behavior that is in complete opposition to the attitude and message of Judy Garland the person, and Judy Garland the artist.
W. Eric Hemphill B.A., M.Ed.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever on Garland
Review: Loved this book. Yes, it is "intense," but so was/is the subject. Gotta have it if you're a major Garland fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Why all of the carping?
Review: This book was never meant to be a "biography" in the tradional sense - nor is it meant to be an examination of the Garland psyche. It is simply what the title says it is: A Day by Day chronicle of Judy's life. Everyone knows she was a workhorse - especially at MGM. This book shows that and more. No, this book is not for the "new to Garland" people who want to read a bio about her - it's more for people who enjoy perusing through raw data and seeing not just how much Judy worked, but also just how "anal retentive" MGM was in keeping track of her every move. ESPECIALLY when she was labeled as "difficult." It's great to read the long entries that have details about various milestones in her life, and it's also a great "quick reference" guide for those fans who want to find data easily (and don't have to wade through some biographer's personal opinions about that data). If you don't like reading that she was late on a particular day while filming "Meet Me In St. Louis" - then fine - skim over than and concentrate on the lengthy and detailed entries. I for one am glad Scott put this book out - and from what I have read, it could have been several hundred pages more (too bad it isn't). Scott has put the data out there for all to see and form their own opinion on Judy's career. Forget all of the nasty posts/reviews - this is simply a record of her life/career in (as stated above) raw data form. A fun book for Garland fans and fans of old Hollywood. So, put on one of the new CD's of Garlands Capitol albums and page through this book and simply have fun! Thanks Scott for putting all of this data in one easy reference point!
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