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9th out of 54 books
—
20 voters
Della: A Memoir of My Daughter
by
Chuck Barris
This surprisingly candid, often funny, and entirely moving memoir is Chuck Barris’s story about life with his only child, Della. Born on Christmas Eve in 1962, Della was a lovable charmer like her father, an adventurous and quick-witted kid. She had a carefree suburban childhood, even while her father was fast becoming an entertainment superstar, inventing, hosting, and pr...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
June 1st 2010
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 2010)
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I'm not sure what made me choose this book off the library shelf. I hadn't read "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" but was impressed by what a ripping yarn the film version was, and I was a fan of Barris's "The Gong Show" back in the day. This is a sad book. Barris lets the reader know right away that the story of his daughter's life does not have a happy ending. But somehow I wasn't able to put this book down. His writing is awkward at times-- in particular his dialogue. But I wonder how much of...more
A devastating read, yet one that should be a required manual for every parent-to-be. Especially for those who forget that everything we do and say affects our children.
I have always loved the way Chuck Barris writes. One of my favorite books since I read it in the '70s, is "You and Me, Babe." Romantic, yet so honest about relationships and how fragile they can be.
Here, he does it again. But this time his honesty is so brutal, mostly about himself. It's a sad, sad story, yet I couldn't put it d...more
I have always loved the way Chuck Barris writes. One of my favorite books since I read it in the '70s, is "You and Me, Babe." Romantic, yet so honest about relationships and how fragile they can be.
Here, he does it again. But this time his honesty is so brutal, mostly about himself. It's a sad, sad story, yet I couldn't put it d...more
Most people think of Chuck Barris and laugh. He was the goofy host of the bad 70s game show The Gong Show. Of course any one watching that would be able to tell he was a lousy parent--he looked half drunk most of the time. And as it turns out he was a neglectful parent, though to be fair he tried as much as he could with his sensitive but spunky girl Della. But the world was not easy for a girl growing up on the fast drug fueled streets of LA in the 70s. Della got lost and never found her way ba...more
This had to be a tough book to write for Chuck Barris. Its the tragic story of his daughter's too short life.
Mr Barris doesn't try to make a martyr of himself or a tragic heroine of his daughter. The story of his family's dysfunctional roller-coaster ride is told in a "warts and all" way that makes it all the more personal and all the more sad.
Della Charlotte Barris was a drug addict, manipulator, thief, sometime prostitute and sometime beggar, but she was also brilliant, creative, depressed,...more
Mr Barris doesn't try to make a martyr of himself or a tragic heroine of his daughter. The story of his family's dysfunctional roller-coaster ride is told in a "warts and all" way that makes it all the more personal and all the more sad.
Della Charlotte Barris was a drug addict, manipulator, thief, sometime prostitute and sometime beggar, but she was also brilliant, creative, depressed,...more
A very troubling memoir; a perfect example of how parents can fail their children & children can fail to release themselves from harmful relationships with their parents. Chuck Barris seems like an incredibly selfish & self-absorbed man, unwilling to care for his daughter in life or own up to his mistakes as a parent after his daughter's death. He does not appear remorseful for failing his daughter, or to be sincere in recognizing that he did. Perhaps because of his many failures & h...more
Aug 03, 2011
Sila
added it
I was very much affected by this book and Della's life. I don't even know how to describe it but reading this brutally honest memoir shows you all the things that could have been done to prevent Della from dying alone from an overdose. Don't know any drug addicts personally, but I remember being irritated when I see addicts on the streets, now I look at them with a different perspective. They most likely are the people who didn't get enough affection, and who weren't strong enough to fight life...more
Barris, the creator and host of the original 1970s "The Gong Show," is remorseful and honest about his poor judgment in raising his daughter. A quick read, well written. Summary: The author and television producer recounts the tragic death of his HIV-positive daughter from a drug overdose, the positive and painful times they shared throughout her life, and his journey through grief.
Interesting. I liked that Chuck wrote the book from his daughter's point of view, not his. He even adlibbed conversations he thinks she would have had from certain memories, using her voice.
Sad, sad look into the live of addiction and the tragedy that came from it. Makes you think what you would do if your teen/adult child was spiraling out of control. The father/author I am sure has so many regrets.
Awfully written, awfully conceived. Seems that he was feeding off of her death and his guilt. Really, awful all the way round.
This book was written in Barris' own words, so it's a little "homemade," as my father would say. He makes up for what he lacks in technical skill with candor and brutal honesty, owning up to the mistakes and errors in judgement that he lives with every day. Not for the feint of heart.
It was aight. I read it because I saw it in the library and really needed something to read. Plus having 2 daughters I thought it could be interesting but overall I just found it depressing - what an awful father he was!
May 15, 2013
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