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Mommie Dearest

3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 · rating details · 3,592 ratings · 189 reviews

With the 20th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest, Christina Crawford becomes one of the only authors in publishing history to re-issue a number one best-seller. "The new edition is published as I intended it. More than 100 pages - mostly that delve into my adult relationship with Mother - that were left out of the original version are back in," said Ms. Crawford. "I've...more

Paperback, 420 pages

Published December 12th 1997 by Seven Springs Pr (first published January 1st 1978)

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Jan 04, 2013 Kimberly Rahi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First let me start off by saying that I do not under any circumstances condone child abuse. With that being said,there are several contradictory statements in Christina Crawford's story.

For those unfamiliar with this book. It is a tell all from Joan Crawford's eldest adopted child, Christina. Christina speaks in depth about her mother's strict discipline which included: harsh chores, seclusion, and "being nearly beaten to death." Does anyone remember the cult classic movie "Mommie Dearest?" "NO...more

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May 31, 2012 Meichler rated it 4 of 5 stars

I grew up in the 80's and was irrationally obsessed with the movie Mommie Dearest; to this day, if I see it on TV, I have to stop what I'm doing and watch. Why the obsession about a pretty tragic story of a little girl who was abused? I have no idea, but I know I'm not alone.

As an adult, who loves bios of old Hollywood, I don't know why it took me a while to actually read the book, but I just did and I enjoyed (? - not sure if that's the right word) it. It delved deeper into Joan Crawford and Ch...more I grew up in the 80's and was irrationally obsessed with the movie Mommie Dearest; to this day, if I see it on TV, I have to stop what I'm doing and watch. Why the obsession about a pretty tragic story of a little girl who was abused? I have no idea, but I know I'm not alone.

As an adult, who loves bios of old Hollywood, I don't know why it took me a while to actually read the book, but I just did and I enjoyed (? - not sure if that's the right word) it. It delved deeper into Joan Crawford and Christina, the abuse, the alcoholism, the dynamic and dependance each of them had, and the power Joan held over her daughter throughout her whole life; one that she described as suffocating and strangeling.

What I didn't expect, was the picture it painted of Joan - she clearly suffered from mental illnesses that were likely undiagnosed, she was living through the despair of alcoholism, deep loneliness, desperation with her career, and she struggled, daily, for her financial status, for companionship, her career, and her reputation. She, herself, grew up abused, was abused by her husbands (a fact which Christina not only blows over but seems to favor the husband's side of things).

Obviously, she was a horrendous, abusive mother, which is terrible. I do wonder, however, how much, if any, of the story was exagerrated or made up completely. I don't doubt that she mistreated her children but there are so many conflicting stories, and I felt that some of the things in the book didn't really add up (largely - if Christina grew up abused and under such duress due to her abusive mother - which she was seemingly aware of enough to write a book about it - HOW were they so close and loving for so many years when Christina was an independant adult? She was smart enough to know and understand what she had been through, she was no longer dependant on her mother, and yet she wrote a fairly loving account of their later years together?).

They were both strong willed, succesful women, and I'm curious to learn more about Joan Crawford as well. She sounds like she was an essay of conflict - abusive, yet deeply loving and generous as well. Difficult, yet deeply grateful to her fans, mentors, and management.

Wherever the truth lies, and I would tend to believe it's somewhat in the middle of the 2 conflicting stories, their relationship was obviously extremelly conflicted, dysfunctional, intense, dramatic - and very interesting to read about.

Is Crawford the best author? No. Is the book a work of complete non-fiction? Who knows. But it's entertaining, in a dysfuctional way, and it made me want to learn more.(less)

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Dec 07, 2009 MAP rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies-and-memoirs, non-fiction

What a ride! This book is completely insane. Which doesn't mean I don't believe Christina. I do. I have friends whose parents are drunks and I have friends whose parents are just plain nuts. This kind of crap really does happen. The emotional manipulation especially -- the child constantly reaching, constantly feeling that if she does one more thing or something a little better that longed-for love and acceptance from mom will finally come, and the shattering that occurs when one realizes it nev...more What a ride! This book is completely insane. Which doesn't mean I don't believe Christina. I do. I have friends whose parents are drunks and I have friends whose parents are just plain nuts. This kind of crap really does happen. The emotional manipulation especially -- the child constantly reaching, constantly feeling that if she does one more thing or something a little better that longed-for love and acceptance from mom will finally come, and the shattering that occurs when one realizes it never will. But someone should have mentioned to Christina that she is portraying herself in the same negative light as her mother.

At first I wondered, from the odd, melodramatic, ludicrously overblown writing, if Christina was doing some sort of James Joyce "Portait of the Artist" type thing, where each chapter is written as though it's by the age that it's about. But no, later I realized that Christina basically just has the emotional maturity of a middle schooler, and considering her upbringing, this is unsurprising. Still, where was her editor, to save her from this?

And don't be fooled by Christina's saying at the end that she's basically forgiven her mother. Anyone who has seen Christina on TV shows about her mom for the last 20 years knows that she is one bitter bitter lady.

The most ironic thing is that Christina is obviously just the flip side of her mother. Joan obviously thought of herself as the long suffering, martyred, giving mother who got no gratitude from her evil, selfish, ungrateful child. And Christina so obviously sees HERSELF as the long suffering, martyred, giving child who got no gratitude from her evil, selfish, ungrateful mother. Damn.

If you're looking for a thoughtful, sensitive portrait of growing up in an unpredictable household with an alcoholic parent, this is not the way to go. If you're looking for candy coated crack, you will RELISH this.

(PS: Was anyone else totally creeped out by how many men -- even apparently "good" men that Christina liked -- were purported to hit Joan? WTF is that about? I realize this was about 60 years ago and Joan was a pill, but ewwwwwwwww you horrible men.)(less)

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May 01, 2013 Rebecca Heidi Porter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: assorted

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love anything to do with Joan Crawford. The main reason is because when I was little I watched Mommie Dearest with my Mum and it had us develop the habit of me calling her 'Mommie Dearest' and her calling me 'Christina Darling'. So I have something of a sentimental attachment to the movie. Yes, I know it's weird, but it is what it is. Anyway, I bought the movie on DVD sometime last year and after watching it and falling in love with it all over again, I decided to track down the original book...more I love anything to do with Joan Crawford. The main reason is because when I was little I watched Mommie Dearest with my Mum and it had us develop the habit of me calling her 'Mommie Dearest' and her calling me 'Christina Darling'. So I have something of a sentimental attachment to the movie. Yes, I know it's weird, but it is what it is. Anyway, I bought the movie on DVD sometime last year and after watching it and falling in love with it all over again, I decided to track down the original book by Christina Crawford and find out the real story behind the infamous wire coat hangers etc.

I expected the book to be less theatrical, less... over-the-top camp, but actually it's very similar to the movie indeed. It is an absolutely gripping read, one of those books you do in a night because you cannot put the thing down. It's a harrowing tale at times but it has to be remembered that it is but one side of the story.

There are friends of Joan's who state categorically that Christina was a spoilt and demanding child who threw tantrums if she didn't get what she wanted. Even Christina herself admits that in some ways she was spoilt. A lot of people have refuted Christina's claims that she was abused. Yet some people DO support her and so I think it's worth reading this book with a neutral viewpoint. It's easy to feel sorry for the neglected child (blonde ringlets and thousand dollar dresses and all) and demonize the evil, selfish movie star Mother but... nobody will ever know what truly went on except for these women. Joan is long dead (RIP) and so all we have is Christina's side of events.

I do believe that Joan made mistakes when she was parenting her adoptive children and that it's possible she only adopted them because of the image it gave her, but there is a lot in this book I don't believe at all. I think the relationship between Joan and Christina is absolutely fascinating and I would love to know the truth. There was a real power struggle between them and intense amounts of both love and hate. I think Mommie Dearest is part truth and part fiction, honestly. It examines Hollywood at that time from a unique angle, sheds light on parts of Joan's life that not many knew about and is, in my opinion, well written and entertaining.

My final word on it is that if you love the movie, you HAVE to read this too. They companion one another perfectly. There's a lot more detail in the book, obviously, and it's light and dark, funny and sad, frustrating and often touching. I'm buying my Mum a copy of this for her birthday and I just know she's going to love it. Joan Crawford playing her scariest role of all time, gossip about Bette Davis and unrelenting theatrical melodrama! What's NOT to love?(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Jim Giddens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, psychology, funeral

Narrative nonfiction, biography of Joan Crawford, autobiography of Christina Crawford, exposé of the dysfunctional family life of a famous person. This book also accounts the death of Joan Crawford as well as the three memorial services held for her family, her business associates, and her movie and television associates.

"From her throne in the eye of the hurricane, brandishing her wand of obsession, rules the queen of chaos herself: Mommie Dearest." Christina Crawford tells of the dysfunctional...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Sunday rated it 2 of 5 stars

I bought this for .50 cents at a thrift store. It's dirty and dog-eared physically and metaphysically and metaphorically and all others.

Christina Crawford is as cuntastic as they come. This is a sloppy 5th grade essay on Mommie's bad moods that miraculously made me sympathize more with Joan "The Craw Craw" than anything else (I too have a fondness for bleaching powders). It's not written for therapy, it's nowhere near "A Child Called It," and the selling point is all of the nasty little tidbits...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Alexander rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of celebrity tell-alls, shocking novels, family dynamics books, and "The Valley of the Dolls"

Ok, so where do I begin? First, this book is not just some gossip-queen purely-for-entertainment trash novel a la Valley of the Dolls (which happens to be a favorite of mine also). Sure, the book is full of stories of mental, verbal, and physical abuse, raging alcoholism, bipolar obsessive compulsion, and even allegations of lesbianism. But one of the best facets of the book is that it is also somewhat of a psychological novel. Christina goes through great pains not only describing the events an...more Ok, so where do I begin? First, this book is not just some gossip-queen purely-for-entertainment trash novel a la Valley of the Dolls (which happens to be a favorite of mine also). Sure, the book is full of stories of mental, verbal, and physical abuse, raging alcoholism, bipolar obsessive compulsion, and even allegations of lesbianism. But one of the best facets of the book is that it is also somewhat of a psychological novel. Christina goes through great pains not only describing the events and their relationship, but also how it made her feel. She obviously was in a LOT of pain, and not only felt like she was under constant autocratic control, but she always felt like she was in a bottomless abyss of loneliness and despair. Honestly, although my family life is probably the best anyone could ever imagine or hope for, for other reasons I can say that I even empathize with her feelings of desperation.

Yet one cannot help but wonder who was really right in this story. I mean, there are three sides to every story: Side A, Side B, and the truth which is somewhere in the middle. Was Joan necessarily some sort of unholy bitch, bent on destroying every facet of the life of the daughter whom she had no feelings other than hatred for? Was Christina the world's most ungrateful, undeserving, rebellious and insolent child, who in the end felt slighted and wrote the book out of need for money, undue sympathy, and revenge? Or are we to believe a mixture of the two? Certainly, many many people have publicly come out in defense of each of the two parties. Many people have bore witness to the stories of abuse. Many others, including family members, have said that 90% of the book is blatantly false.

In truth, and yes, it is my review so I will take the liberty of weighing in, I am more apt to believe, or at least sympathize, with Joan. First, even IF Christina is mostly to be believed, I hardly think that it is nearly as bad as she makes it out to be. After all, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, rarely makes for good storytelling. At the very least, she embellished quite a lot. Either way, from reading the book and watching the movie, I do get the feeling that Christina was rather rebellious, more-so than the strict parenting styles of the 40's and 50's would allow, ungrateful, disrespectful, and rather hellbent on pushing her mother's buttons every time she could. Also consider the fact that most of the punishment that Joan dished out was pretty standard for the times. I'm not talking about the allegations of wire hanger beatings, being tied up in the shower, attempted murder, and being beaten with tubes of floor cleaner. Spankings, face-slappings, groundings, withholding of privileges, and supper-less nights were, and sometimes still are, par for the course.

Also consider that fact that Joan was more than likely an alcoholic, bipolar, and obsessive compulsive. While one's disease does not make excusable the horrible things it makes one do, it is a basis for extra tolerance and understanding. As someone who is manic depressive, and who has had battles with OCD before, I can genuinely empathize with Joan. And they didn't have the tools that medical science now has back then. Without my medicine, I cannot imagine how horribly people would think of me, while since I AM medicated, people cannot help but sing the praises of what a wonderful person I am. Back then, nobody could give you help. You were just labeled "a crazy person" and subjected to ridicule.

Finally, and this is the last on the subject, consider what happened in the final year of Joan's life. Joan left Christina out of her will "for reasons well known to [her]." Christina explains it away by saying that Mommie hadn't made peace at all, that the "venom" had eaten away at her, that she really WAS two-faced and an unholy bitch. But what would you do if you found out that, as you were dying, your daughter was creating this horrible book that made you out to be a monster? Would you be tickled pink and rather pleased? It's widely believed that Christina had started writing the book prior to Joan's passing, and she had found out about it. She certainly found out about everything else. I think that Christina essentially dug her own grave, and I cannot say that I blame Joan for doing what she did. In the end, the final slap in the face was not Joan's doing. It was what Christina did to Joan.

So, lengthy opinion of the whole Christina/Joan debate put to rest, on to the merits of the book. Taken at face value, it is direct and to the point. Christina is quite a good author, as her style is entertaining and easy to read. It is NOT a long book, as I finished it in two or three nights. Yet she achieves this by saying what she needs to say, and getting the point across without a lot of fluff. (This is in STARK contrast to the horror novels from Victorian England that has been my custom to read lately). The aforementioned gossip-column trash is quite entertaining, and the journey into Christina's feelings are sympathetic and introspective. Some parts I was laughing out loud, others I was quite solemn and on the verge of tears. The movie version is also quite good, and surprisingly sticks pretty damn well to the original story. Five stars.(less)

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Mar 28, 2009 Hester rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-realzies, from-book-to-screen

Joan Crawford like many stars of her day had a carefully crafted image. I don't doubt much of this book, especially while reading "Not The Girl Nextdoor". What amazed me the most about this book was that Christina still came across as loving her mother very much even after enduring horrific abuse. Most children who are abused still love their parents which is something that puzzles me. I can understand the anger and outrage Joan's public felt after this unflattering portrayl was released, Joan l...more

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Aug 17, 2012 kisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-biography, books-that-are-movies

Ok reading the reviews had me so upset. Not because people didnt like the book. Thats a matter of preference. But because the nerve of some people to choose sides as if they know either parties. That concerns me. People are abused everyday and they have so much support, but the second someone is abused by someone rich, famous, and beautiful; everyone wants to debate it and take the side of the popular. I dont know if Christina is telling the whole truth about her childhoold. But even if she fabr...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies, reviewed

This book is written by Christina Crawford the daughter of Joan Crawford. I am not really sure what brought me to want to read this book, guess I needed to read a biography since I hadn't in awhile. Probably, not the best biography/auto biography book to go back to the genre on. I am going to go back and read a happish chick lit book now and will come back to biographies again soon.

Christian wrote this book and I think it is from just the perceptive of what she thought and saw with little backgr...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Regan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd watched the movie several times and honestly, I laughed at most of the over the top scenes. The whole issue of child abuse was lost on me in the movie. When Joan Crawford lays into Christina over the wire hangers I tried to figure how an 8 year old got a hold of wire hangers. It wasn't like she could run to the store and buy them.

the book clarifies that -- they came from the cleaners that way. Other scenes that came across as humorous and turned the movie Mommie Dearest into a cult classic m...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was awesome...definitely a HUGE insight to Ms Joan Crawford..I'd been searching for an affordable copy of this book for 3 years through my local trade in bookstore...my friend happened to find it before me & was kind enough to let me read it first.
The movie, follows pretty closely to book...with exceptions to the extra children that were left out of movie.
I think Ms Joan Crawford was an interesting and savvy business woman but she also had a lot of personal demons that she carrie...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Margaret added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2004_and_before

It's a love/hate, hate/love story of a daughter and a mother. There's no doubt that Joan Crawford was never a "Mother of the Year" candidate - her adopted children endured years of her alcoholism, physical & emotional abuse and manic behavior (could she have been an undiagnosed case of manic/depression [now called bipolar] disorder?) in the already not-based-on reality environment of Hollywood, CA.

I'd always wanted to read this - I remember when the book came out - Christina's allegations we...more

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Jan 05, 2008 Koeeoaddi rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Britney Spears

Shelves: dreck, loathsome-characters, loons

Maybe this should really get 5 stars. No other books I can think of, except maybe The Way I See It, by Patti Davis, elicited such perfectly realized voyeuristic distaste.

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Jul 13, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoir

Obviously, a lot has been said about this book and consequently many have weighed in and chosen sides. It's difficult to judge the veracity of Christina's heartbreaking story since so many others have disputed it. In fact, I have read other Crawford biographies whose authors directly attack Christina for defaming her ultra glamorous, Oscar-winning mother.

It seems all that can be said for certain is that mother and daughter had, at the very least, a troubled relationship and one can readily belie...more

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May 01, 2011 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book taught me to never, ever, use wire hangers! o.O

I believe Christina's story. She was emotionally and physically abused by Joan Crawford. No doubt in my mind. The only reason Joan's twin daughters didn't talk was because they had "hush" money.

Survivor Survivor No Safe Place: The Legacy of Family Violence

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Jul 13, 2009 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, could-not-finish, non-fiction

Good movie, not so good book.

I don't doubt that even some of the more severe abuse took place, but that really isn't the issue. The real abuse is buried under chapters and chapters of boring whining. It's harder to take the real abuse seriously when the author is complaining about every single thing her mother ever said and did for the duration of her life.

At one point she says her mother is treating her brother "hatefully" because he isn't allowed to trample the flowers in the flower beds while...more

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Jun 24, 2009 Ronda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adults

I grew up watching the Joan Crawford movies, my parents were fans. When I saw this book out, I had to snap it up and read it.

It was a very good book even if the content was not only surprising but upsetting.

To know a child has been abused and not much was done to help her is sad.

To know someone is such a well respected woman and is doing the abusing and getting away with it, got away with it, was/is criminal.

I'm glad Christina wrote the book so all could see the truth about her mother. I hope it...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't put the book down but to say that I really liked it is a misnomer because there is nothing to like about all that happened in that household. It was literally a nightmare.

I did watch the movie a long time ago, when I was a kid. As a kid I had no idea what the movie was about, really. After reading this book, I now understand why my mother did not appreciate being called "Mommie Dearest." ;o) (It was said in a jokingly way but she was firm about never being called that. Now I know why...more

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Nov 08, 2011 William rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I had somehow never gotten around to reading a book that I knew was an "icon" in the genre it seemed to create (the grown-child-tell-all-about-abuse-from-mom-or-dad book). Some scattered moments of great narrative (e.g., opening chapter at the funeral home, description of "night raids," etc.) mixed in with less inspired writing -- but always a compelling tale. Even if it is true (but yet unproven) that Christina Crawford embellished the story (as she is accused), this recounting of parental abus...more

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May 26, 2009 Jeannie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a long long long time ago. before I saw the movie in fact. This was the very first book I had read in this genre and it hooked me. I remember being shocked that someone so famous and in the public eye could treat her children in this manner and no one know or speak out for them. there was a lot of controversy surrounding this book after it was released, many didn't believe Christina's version of events but I myself believe that the childhood she describes did happen. I think she...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-memoir, mental-illness, standalone, abuse

Christina Crawford's memoir of the truth behind the glamorous image of life with her movie star mother, Joan Crawford, is moderately intriguing, but mostly sad. Christina vividly writes of the abuse she suffered, but rambles in the rest of the novel about how she still loves her mother and wishes to be loved back. Like an abused dog, Christina keeps returning to Joan just to be kicked again. The writing suffers from these rambles and from a bad editor who left many grammar and spelling mistakes...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Fascinating look at the life of Joan Crawford from the perspective of her adopted daughter Christina Crawford. Of course the NO WIRE HANGERS scene is here that we all remember from the Mommie Dearest movie, right? But there's so much more, so very much more. Like how Christina had to write thank you note after thank you note for Christmas presents she never got to play with, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

What with my love of drunk/drug memoirs, it's a wonder I didn't read this years ag...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Being a Classic Hollywood fan, I was aware of the whole controversy surrounding Joan Crawford and her daughter Christina. I have seen the movie adaption of ''Mommie Dearest'' starring Faye Dunaway as Crawford - although her performance was laughable and the film a campy mess, I found it a very intriguing story. For a year I searched for a copy of Christina's supposed 'tell-all' memoir of life with her famous, supposedly abusive mother. I finally got my hands on a battered copy and read it in a w...more

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Nov 06, 2008 Colleen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who love crybaby stories

Recommended to Colleen by: No one

Written by a grown woman, the first of Joan Crawford's adopted children, the book reads like one big whine-a** 13yr old journal entry. Christina Crawford complains about how her mean mommie had loads of cash and didn't spoil her and her equally bratty brother, Chistopher, even more rotten than they already were. Funny how out of four adopted children growing up in the same house, two were bitter and two have happy memories of their childhood. I read this with an objective eye, what I saw was con...more Written by a grown woman, the first of Joan Crawford's adopted children, the book reads like one big whine-a** 13yr old journal entry. Christina Crawford complains about how her mean mommie had loads of cash and didn't spoil her and her equally bratty brother, Chistopher, even more rotten than they already were. Funny how out of four adopted children growing up in the same house, two were bitter and two have happy memories of their childhood. I read this with an objective eye, what I saw was continually linked to something Christina said as a young girl "Mommie, I'm so glad you're a star. [kids' want to be friends with me and come over and play all the time and they all want loads of pictures of you]". Joan Crawford saw this statement for what it was: parents were sending their offspring to make friends with Christina Crawford on purpose so they could come see a celeb in their natural habitat and get as many autographed pictures as they could (to sell). As for the "abuse" those were typical and accepted methods of child rearing: spanking, getting sent to bed with no supper, having to eat for breakfast what one refused to eat the night before, raised voices... you want to read about real abuse read A Child Called It. Joan Crawford was not a saint or a perfect parent, but she clearly tried to instill the value of hard work, knowledge that you can't get something for nothing, and of course cleanliness. The book was clearly written to rip apart her adopted mother's hard earned image and reputation as revenge for not inheriting a fortune she did nothing to earn. Christina Crawford's true colors bleed through: selfish, demanding, ungrateful, cowardly to name a few. Afterall, while she shopped the book around under wraps while Joan Crawford was alive, Christina waited until her adopted mother died to publish the book to make sure she got the last word. Sadly, the public at large chooses to believe Christina and Christopher instead of her two other children and the massive amount of friends that Joan Crawford had who rose to vehementally defend her.(less)

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Sep 29, 2011 Roxy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-biography-memoirs

Uggg....this book just dragged on for me. I've seen the movie several times but was interested in reading the book to learn about what the movie left out or changed. In the beginning it was very interesting to hear about how Joan Crawford moved up in Hollywood and the stardom that was created around her and not to mention the names that were dropped. It was also very interesting and cut-wrenching to hear the manipulative things that she did to the children she adopted. But after awhile the book...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Child_Of Fire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Joan Crawford, star of the silver screen, Exposed!

What did I learn reading the story of a survivor of Child Abuse, Christina?

Well, I feel that that while the film made from the book in 1981 became a GLBT cult classic, sometimes I wonder if my fellow GLBT friends in the various GLBT communities actually got past the glam and glitter of Faye Dunaway's portrayal of Joan Crawford and looked at the pages of the source material for the even bigger picture?

I like the film but it plays out more like a "...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Jen Krastel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: celeb-bios

While the book was full of celeb gossip from the golden age, I found this a boring by the time "Tina" got to high school.
I know she had no control whilst she she was a child but as she entered collee the crying an whining was ridiculous! Get a f*cking job! Get on with your life! Poor me was all I got from the college years on.

Also found it hard to believe that she was the perfect angel she claimed to be!

Maybe she should have thought back to shopping the book around before her mother died and t...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Bianca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, very-dark

A very dark story about a well known figure and the conditions in which she treated her children. It should be a lesson for what alcohol can do to a person and provides an insight into the perceived life as a movie stars daughter versus the reality. This is the tale of a traumatic childhood - but there is no forgiveness or acceptance, Christina takes all of her mother's abuse until one day her mother apparently accepts her. This is truly a gruelling read with no silver lining!

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Aug 02, 2009 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: also-saw-the-movie, non-fiction

I had actually forgotten I read this book. I don't read my autobiographies, I tend to find them poorly written and badly edited. This was no different. I find the same problems with all autobiographies - timelines are poorly defined, some moments are written with perfect clarity while others are glossed over with barely a description of any sort. Just because someone has a story to tell doesn't mean they know how to write it well.

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Trivia About Mommie Dearest

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avg rating	preview: Mommie Dearest Goodreads rating: 3.48 (3592 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/374671.Mommie_Dearest?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1223665275l/374671.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/374671.Mommie_Dearest?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford[/url]

Mommie Dearest

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Trivia About Mommie Dearest