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Me

3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 · rating details · 1,034 ratings · 215 reviews

International superstar, Ricky Martin, who has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, opens up for the first time about memories of his early childhood, experiences in the famed boy band Menudo, struggles with his identity during the Livin’ la Vida Loca phenomenon, reflections on coming to terms with his sexuality, relationships that allowed him to embrace love, and l...more

Hardcover, 292 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by Celebra Hardcover (first published January 1st 2010)

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Feb 24, 2012 Laura Elliott Monroe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Memoir City
I'm currently completely obsessed with memoirs, and was excited to pick up Ricky Martin's Me. I was in love with Little Ricky Martin during the Menudo craze. This book was published in both English and Spanish ("Yo"), and became a bestseller. I honestly wonder why.

You, Too, Can Have a Career in Ghostwriting!
Whoever ghost-wrote this thing should be drug out behind a woodshed somewhere and smacked around with a stylebook. It is horribly, terribly written. Nearly every single sentence be...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Puede que este libro no sea el mejor escrito, pero tiene una de las historias mas lindas que he leido. Jamas he sido una admiradora de Ricky Martin en su faceta de artista (admiro una que otra cancion), pero si en su faceta de ser la persona que es...humanitario y que se preocupa por los problemas en el mundo. eso es algo que siempre he admirado en el. Me gusto que este libro no habla solo de su sexualidad, si no tambien desde sus inicios como artista y de sus experiencias como hijo, hombre, y p...more

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May 11, 2011 jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, audiobook-d

I don't know why I am writing in list form lately. Sorry for my lack of complete sentences.

Things this book is:
* Perspective on being a gay, Puerto Rican actor/entertainer/pop star (Mr. Martin is in a singular class in this regard)
* The story of a childhood lived in the spotlight (he joined Menudo at age 12 & has never stopped being famous)
* A self-help book or "it gets better" manifesto for Ricky Martin's past selves, especially those struggling with the social, economic, familial and reli...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

To be completely honest, I've ALWAYS had a huge crush on Ricky Martin. I always hoped that he would come out as a shining example for my race (hee hee), hence the 3 stars, and he has written a memoir about his life up to this point. The thing I liked about this book was that it wasn't all kiss and tell. He wrote about his life, his experiences and what it means to go through the processes of becoming whole in the eyes of one's self, one's family and then the world.

Ricky Martin is a humanitarian...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2011 Quintin Merwe added it

I found the book very interesting. The real reason I bought this book was cause of Oprah's positive feedback. In all honesty, I don't think the book met my expectations 100%, but that's just my assumptions made.
I was not looking for the true Hollywood story with all the names and gory detail and Ricky did honor this in a very noble way.
My problem was that some of the last chapters of the book kinda went off the rail for me. Very good things this man is doing for the world, but I did not necess...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Enrique028 added it

Not quite sure which language was written in initially but I found some sentences did not make any sense and in many places I found it redundant. That's not to say the book is not good because it is! It is not brilliant and could literally be condensed into a 150 pages book . Obviously Ricky did not want to name names and I found that to be apart from good a good gesture from himself but by doing this he also sacrificed a lot of the interesting things that he could have thrown out there about hi...more

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May 16, 2013 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not particularly a fan of Ricky Martin's, although I have enjoyed his music. I've been watching him as a judge on The Voice Australia and it prompted me to read his autobiography to find out more about him. He genuinely seems to be the kind of person where what you see is what you get: a very warm, caring, accepting and loving man who cares about making the world a better place. After reading this book, I feel like more of a fan than I did before.

Having said that, it's not the kind of autob...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Rosie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiographies

#1. Like every woman my age, I've had a crush on Ricky Martin since I was 16. My rating is colored by this experience. #2. This is a pop star biography, my expectations were set extremely low. #3. I picked it up for a lighthearted read at a time when I needed something extremely light to keep me distracted during a friend's funeral weekend.

So, with those three things in mind, this turned out to be a surprisingly good book and not nearly as light as I was expecting. He shares really interesting p...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Mediaman rated it 1 of 5 stars

Martin reveals almost nothing interesting about his life in this terribly-written book that sounds like it was penned by a middle school child with simplistic sentences that lack description or detail. He keeps his guard way up and doesn't let anything through that would damage his image. Instead he's vague about pretty much everything in life--the people he slept with, the jobs he had and the kind of person he is. He seems to be trying really hard to convince you he is "spiritual" and doesn't w...more Martin reveals almost nothing interesting about his life in this terribly-written book that sounds like it was penned by a middle school child with simplistic sentences that lack description or detail. He keeps his guard way up and doesn't let anything through that would damage his image. Instead he's vague about pretty much everything in life--the people he slept with, the jobs he had and the kind of person he is. He seems to be trying really hard to convince you he is "spiritual" and doesn't want to offend anyone, so he says nothing of consequence.

You want to know details about his being in Menudo? You only get a few pages, all of which say how wonderful it was. How can a guy be in a music group for five years as a teenager and not have any stories to tell? You want to know about his two and a half years on General Hospital? He only spends eight paragraphs (that's right--I counted) on the subject, telling how he defied producers by cutting his hair! He does spend more time on how his career skyrocketed with Livin' La Vida Loca but again he doesn't really say anything interesting about it.

The bulk of the book appears to be his attempt to sway you toward his thoughts about spirituality, which are at best misguided and at worst unintelligent. He puts down Christianity without really understanding what he is talking about. He follows a "yogi" (a former Buddhist monk) and talks about how "I have forgiven myself." Then he praises various eastern religions and a "swami" with "magical teachings" from India who "radiated a very special light." The book drifts off into Martin talking about his spiritual purpose in life and his well-meaning foundation to help children, but at points the guy seems very out of touch with reality.

In the end his life story is told in short, blunt prose that comes across like a bad Telenovela he starred in. It just seems like a bunch of gobbledygook that is meant to fill pages but not really say anything. Yes, he has a section on his sons and vaguely mentions some gay relationships. But he actually is hiding himself in these pages to make sure he maintains his saintly image. He starts one chapter saying, "Being an artist means you are constantly looking for the approval of others" and he makes an obvious attempt to do that here but fails.(less)

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Mar 13, 2012 Tara Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booklist-for-2012, lgbt-selections

I read this on E-book, so I'm not sure how much of this narrative is actually Martin's own words, or has been developed by a ghost writer. However, given the flow of the book, I would say that it feels like much of it was probably dictated, and copied word for word later.

While I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, per se, I think that this was a good look into the life of a man very few people have the opportunity to see.

Although the book has a preface with a warning stating that many names...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Guy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoir, coming-of-age, glbt-interest, performing-arts

The editing is the worst part of the book, with many redundant and/or useless phrases repated throughout: "Needless to say" being one of the most ironic and unintentionally humorous after the 5th or 6th time. I got the sense from this book that Martin is still someone trying very hard to please others, only this time he's fallen into the hands of a new age guru instead of the clutches of a marketing executive. What he claims to have finally achieved reads more like new scripts he has learned, re...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Silvia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I must admit that I gave in to my curiosity for his life story, specially after he announced he was gay. From the first page, he makes it pretty clear that if wanting to know juicy details about his homosexual life style was the reason to read his book, one might as well close it and walk away. That caught my attention. If that's not what's in it...what is? I mean, there's only so much that can be said about Menudo and Living la vida loca, right? Right. Although it becomes apparent that he is no...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ricky Martin has been one of the most popular musicians in the world for some time. He is probably a bit less-well-known to Americans because he has primarily performed in Spanish as a Latin pop star, but most people probably are familiar with his "Livin' la Vida Loca," which was chosen as the anthem for the 1998 World Cup. Earlier this year, Martin ended rumors about about his sexuality by announcing online that he was a "proud homosexual man." In this autobiography, Martin shares his story wit...more Ricky Martin has been one of the most popular musicians in the world for some time. He is probably a bit less-well-known to Americans because he has primarily performed in Spanish as a Latin pop star, but most people probably are familiar with his "Livin' la Vida Loca," which was chosen as the anthem for the 1998 World Cup. Earlier this year, Martin ended rumors about about his sexuality by announcing online that he was a "proud homosexual man." In this autobiography, Martin shares his story with readers and fans in a very insightful way.

This book includes what most people would expect: information about his growing up in Puerto Rico, his time with the super-boy band Menudo, his acting soap operas, and even a lot of information about his solo singing career. What many readers might not expect is the depth of soul and integrity found in both the book and the author.

I have to admit that I knew nothing about Martin's philanthropic work. He is a major activist in the drive to block human trafficking and child prostitution. It is through this work that he became involved in helping after 2004 Tsunami and the 2010 Haitian earthquake. A good portion of the book is dedicated to his experiences in working to save many children around the world and specifically what he saw while visiting Indonesia/Thailand and Haiti after their natural disasters.

He also provides an introduction to the process he used to become a father of two twin boys. He carefully explained why he opted to go with surrogacy and the specific details involved with that. It is clear that he took great care to protect his future children as well the woman involved to provide the eggs and to carry the children.

He takes a similar approach to discussing why he chose to keep his sexuality out of the limelight. Those close to him knew about his relationships with men, but he deemed that it was not something that should be a part of his life. Once he had children, though, he realized that he wanted to be honest with them and provide them with an example of how it was important to be honest with others and with one's self about who you really are.

Martin is a person who knows that he is famous, but takes great care to leave his private life clearly private. His is a very thoughtful and caring person. I found him to be quite inspiring as he shared his tale. In fact, he made quite clear at the beginning that this was going to be "his" tale. Those looking for gossip about other people in his life will find that he very rarely drops names. He knows that people often respected his privacy and wants to do the same for others.

Martin's story is an important to read and hear about. While Martin's coming out is an important part of his story, it is just one aspect of his life. This really is an empowering book that shares how one person can really make a difference.(less)

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Nov 30, 2010 Samir Dhond rated it 3 of 5 stars

Autobiographies can be weird at times. I have read a few and they have not necessarily appealed to me. I guess, every autobiography is not truthful. There are things that are made up in there and at times, it is gross. So when there was so much of buzz about Ricky Martin (may be for all the wrong reasons) and when this book was released, I was curious to find out a life of a celebrity. I like Ricky Martin’s music, it is lively. It makes one feel like tapping one’s feet and essentially elevates o...more Autobiographies can be weird at times. I have read a few and they have not necessarily appealed to me. I guess, every autobiography is not truthful. There are things that are made up in there and at times, it is gross. So when there was so much of buzz about Ricky Martin (may be for all the wrong reasons) and when this book was released, I was curious to find out a life of a celebrity. I like Ricky Martin’s music, it is lively. It makes one feel like tapping one’s feet and essentially elevates one’s mood. I picked up this book only to delve into a world of a famous singer.
Prima facie, the book comes across as a narration of a down to earth person. The language is simple, with short sentences and the tone very informal. I think, the book could have been really tiny had they not printed it in bog font with much more line spacing. Overall, the book comes across as a piece of biography written to justify a stance. It is not written dispassionately for sure.
Having said that, the book was enjoyable because it described Ricky’s childhood days beautifully. Ricky goes on and describes ways and means through which he has inculcated those values and ethos in his life. It was particularly enjoyable to read about his very short surprise visits to his grandmother. I also liked the fact that the book talks about a certain level of implicit trust that he reposed in many people. I think if one reposes implicit trust in another, it is that much more challenging to respect and treat that trust well. In today’s world, people seem to be hungry to grab whatever they can. Therefore, people seldom repose trust in others and that drives this world to become a drier place to live. I also noticed that there was certain naivety in the initial years of his foray into music world.
Ricky does not describe his years on television. I mean, he mentions it in the book but I was curious to know the insights he might have gathered during that period. It was wonderful to read about his relationship with his mother, grandmother and father. I wondered if today’s young generation experience the same level of affinity towards their parents. I felt that Ricky has held back in talking about his multiple relationships, be it with Men or Women. In that entire section of the book, his writing comes across as abrupt, held back and he in his narrative also appears extremely restrained.
Typically when one has the power of money, and fame, one would believe that it would give that person an added advantage over others. However, in Ricky’s writing, he comes across as vulnerable to all that the world had to say about him. It seems like he has been affected by everything that the world said about him in public. I found the piece of fatherhood particularly shallow. I mean, he talks about fathering twins and about his sons but in there as well, his writing comes across as restrained.
When I finished reading the book, I was left feeling that he was candid in parts and that too when he felt like being candid. I would say that Ricky Martin has fallen short of writing his biography in a dispassionate fashion. It is dispassionate in parts and very private and held back in others.
One of the things that I liked about the book was related to his sexuality. He has not gone overboard trying to describe his homosexual encounters. He has not used it to market his book. He has kept that part of his life fairly private. I think, it is creditable to do that because if one decides to capitalize on it, one can do that fairly easily.
It is not a great piece of literature by any standard but read it if you want to know how a human being thinks as he progresses from one phase of life to another. Read to understand how celebrities, regardless of how popular they are, at the end of the day, are just as ordinary as any one of us. The halo around them, or the mysticism around them is real at one level but means nothing to the person at another level. It made me realize that being in touch with your feelings and being humble is a sure shot way to stay grounded to reality. If you are not grounded, there are severe repercussions of that on one’s ability to carry on living one’s life, day after day.(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Having fallen victim to the Latin Invasion phase of the late 90s/early 00s in the prime of my teeny bopper stage, I was very excited to read Ricky Martin's memoir. I had remembered seeing the review in People, I thought it had said it was very good, I can't quite remember, but I figured it'd be worth the read. Now, I knew some background on Ricky, but I didn't realize the extent of time he had been working. I knew about Menudo and then his breakout onto the American scene, but I had no idea that...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Wangyeoi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbtiqa, bio-memoirs, nonfic-eng, woo-woo, music, religion-general, klausaamgraamata, india, reviews

However little consolation it may be, one can always take comfort in the thought that even a life that's been ordinary, less than exemplary, and unremarkable (by whatever arbitrary standards of remarkableness one holds it up to) does not have to get in the way of a well-written, emotionally resonant life story. Ricky Martin's memoir proves that the converse holds true as well - detract self-aware introspection, relevant information and writing ability, and you may well have been livin' a vida lo...more However little consolation it may be, one can always take comfort in the thought that even a life that's been ordinary, less than exemplary, and unremarkable (by whatever arbitrary standards of remarkableness one holds it up to) does not have to get in the way of a well-written, emotionally resonant life story. Ricky Martin's memoir proves that the converse holds true as well - detract self-aware introspection, relevant information and writing ability, and you may well have been livin' a vida loca, but will catastrophically fail to communicate what was so compelling about it.

What little I remember of his music career from my adolescent years and his unsurprising (at least to the gayfolk) coming out, incited me to read the book - but I did not feel strongly about him as a person either way prior to reading. The problem is, that after conquering the middle-schooler's "How I spent my summer"-essay quality, the tautological, new-agey prose style that would make the ~~conmen~~ creators of "The Secret" proud - I was unsure whether there was any deep insight into his psychology to be had in this read. Sure, he seems to be an overall agreeable chap, and his charity work is laudable, but - as a biography - this gives you a superficial glance of his life at best, omitting just about everything that would've been interesting about a memoir of a pop-star's life and career. Instead of presenting a self-aware, insightful, and inspiring look back at what clearly has been an eventful life, he deals in generalities while attempting to appear deeply spiritual.

Additional Thoughts: Sexuality
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Additional Thoughts: Music
(view spoiler)

Others have suggested that anyone thinking of reading Martin's memoirs should basically calibrate one's expectations and give him a break for not being a writer. I'll concede, that, as before - on the rare occasions I think of him - I don't think of him badly, but on what other criteria but the quality of writing and its content should one judge a book? How can the author being of decent character substitute for that?

As it is, the book is superficial, overcautious, anxiously avoiding any chance to offend, written in a simplistic manner - and the focus oddly is the author's suspect philosophy, rather than deep explorations of significant events in his life, or explication of his oeuvre.(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Hernan Hesse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

Although I must admit that the literary style of this book is very simple –when not poor- it is very interesting for several reasons.

First, because these are the memories of a public figure such as Ricky Martin and that makes it easy to read: the curiosity just leads you through the pages.

I found very remarkable how the singer describes his spiritual life and growth and that made me wanna have something like it.

I think he was very brave for unveiling some of his secrets –one that was essential...more

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May 21, 2012 Daryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ricky offers up a positive and philosophical approach to his life, coming out as a gay man and living as a single father. He reveals enough about his relationships with both men and women to discuss their impact in his life yet remains respectful to those he was involved with. A good book that could be helpful to a young person who might be struggling with his/her own sexual orientation with a positive spin on life, being yourself and living life to its fullest.

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Nov 14, 2010 Joe Scholes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

There was nothing particularly wonderful about this autobiography. Ricky Martin goes over his career, starting with his time with the group Menudo, and continues to the present. He doesn't "name names," so there is no "tell all" aspect of the typical celebrity autobiography. His relationships with women and men he keeps to himself. He talks mainly about his spiritual journey concurrent with his rising career. He reveals his experiences in Eastern religions as well as being raised Catholic, and h...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Adarsh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, the-oscar-wilde-sort, memoirs

In his day, Ricky Martin was a sensation. Growing up, I remember seeing his poster on the wall of a "STD/ISD" telephone booth at Bangalore and thinking how incredibly good looking he was. To be honest, I still think so. But is that enough to make you want to pick up a 300 page book - not just about the man, but by the man himself?

This book was published on the heels of Ricky Martin's coming out on Twitter as a "fortunate homosexual man." I saw this as a crafty move to drive book sales. And perha...more In his day, Ricky Martin was a sensation. Growing up, I remember seeing his poster on the wall of a "STD/ISD" telephone booth at Bangalore and thinking how incredibly good looking he was. To be honest, I still think so. But is that enough to make you want to pick up a 300 page book - not just about the man, but by the man himself?

This book was published on the heels of Ricky Martin's coming out on Twitter as a "fortunate homosexual man." I saw this as a crafty move to drive book sales. And perhaps it did. The question in my mind as I read this book was this. Will this book manage to make me change my mind?

From the first chapter to the last, Ricky Martin comes across as a really nice guy. His meteoric rise to success as a child artist in the pop music band Menudo, his stints in the theater and on television, his rise worldwide and in Hollywood as the Latin sensation -- all of these are all mildy interesting to read about. But it is when he talks in earnest about the things that really matter to him that his genuineness shines through. You can't but like the guy.

As an autobiography, the book is almost too guarded. No names are named at all, in the interest of protecting the privacy of thers. I'm not looking for juicy gossip or scandal here. But when important people in his life go unmentioned or unnamed, it makes you wonder if the book isn't too well engineered.

In one part of this book, Ricky Martin talks about his "spiritual awakening." By which he means his visit to India. This reads like nothing more than regurgitated lines from popular media, and Ricky comes across as lacking in intellectual depth. A constant theme throughout the book is Ricky Martin's belief in destiny. Every event in his life - including his fame and coming out - happened at exactly the moment it should have, and no sooner or later. He does not fail to mention this during every successful moment of his life. But he immediately follows it up with how he worked hard to achieve every bit of it. This is a constant contradiction that you have to live through while reading this entire book.

A word of warning. This is not what you would call literature. It reads like a book written by a Hollywood celebrity. Either because it was intended to be that way, or because of terrible editing. It could easily be one or the other.

So now to answer my question - did I change my mind about him?

Kinda did, actually. Things are easier to judge in black and white when you know little. But you can't read a detailed account of someone's life and not conclude that may be it is sort of gray now. ;)(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always loved Ricky Martin's music, but never really "followed" him personally. The only time I saw him live was when I was in New York and saw him perform on Good Morning America, in one of their summer concert series. I remember years ago hearing this or that but it never really stuck with me. So I was just looking forward to getting to know Ricky in a more "personal" way by reading his book. When I first started the book it kinda annoyed me, it was all over the place and wasn't really f...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Kirsty Shark rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't say that the writing style is particularly impressive, but it does seem very authentic and true to how Ricky Martin would communicate if he was speaking.

There was a lot about Ricky Martin's early and incredibly successful career which I knew nothing about, particularly his participation in Menudo as a child and so I found it interesting to learn something new rather than simply hear his commentary on things I was already aware of.

He talks a lot about his sp...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Alisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: showbiz-biographies

So, I've had a crush on Ricky Martin ever since he first appeared as a baby-faced member of Menudo with those big brown eyes on the cover of virtually every teen magazine in the 80's. When he reappeared in the mid-90's as the long-haired hunky singer Miguel Morez on "General Hospital," I was smitten all over again. Then, of course, came "Livin' La Vida Loca." For me, that song WAS the summer of 1999, and it will always take me back to that precise moment in time. So yeah, when Ricky made his ann...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Becky R. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't think that anyone needs to explain what Me is about. Both the title and cover clearly spell out that this is a look into the life of Ricky Martin, the man behind the artist. Honestly, I've always had a bit of a crush on Ricky Martin, from his days in Menudo when I watched him dance and sing between Saturday morning cartoons, to crooning sultry serenades on Vuelve, or gyrating to "Livin' La Vida Loca." Whatever he's done, I've been a fan.

In a stripped down sense, this autobiography is the...more I don't think that anyone needs to explain what Me is about. Both the title and cover clearly spell out that this is a look into the life of Ricky Martin, the man behind the artist. Honestly, I've always had a bit of a crush on Ricky Martin, from his days in Menudo when I watched him dance and sing between Saturday morning cartoons, to crooning sultry serenades on Vuelve, or gyrating to "Livin' La Vida Loca." Whatever he's done, I've been a fan.

In a stripped down sense, this autobiography is the essentials. There isn't a single picture, very little outside information about anyone else, and mainly takes us through Martin's feelings and thoughts about different periods in his life. The core of his exploration seems to center on his own self-identity, which returns over and over again to his acceptance of himself as a gay man. I wouldn't say that he solely looks for areas of his life that should have guided him in his personal truth, but it was a definite theme, and rightfully so. It is easy to see how Martin's upbringing in a Catholic, Latino culture that both demand strong ideals of masculinity and heterosexuality, shaped his own search to understand who he was at the core. In the book he looks at what he thought at different times in his life and considers his response in each case. For instance, Martin had a string of successful relationships with women, who he felt passionately in love with, only to be offset by equally satisfying relationships behind the scenes with several men that came into his life. He doesn't express any confusion about these relationships, but explains what drew him to each of these loves and what he learned.

The book is pretty much an exploration of experiences and how they shaped Martin into who he is today, a man of an open heart and life of complete honesty. My one disappointment was that there wasn't a single picture outside of the cover! I don't care if I'm reading about a famous author or a superstar, I look forward to seeing the personal pictures that are included. There's something about autobiographies that beg for a picture or two to help us think about the person at each age. I was just sad that Martin chose not to include any pictures. The stories and personal journey were interesting, but I'll admit that I was sad that he left out the pictures.

In short, I would say that this is less of an autobiography in the classical sense (linear and straight-forward), and more about Martin's thoughts about different times in his life. This was an interesting life story, with lots of self-reflection that helps us to relate to Martin's life and to see ourselves in him. (less)

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Feb 14, 2011 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

A friend handed me this book with this ringing endorsement, "This book sucks. Read it and tell me if you agree." Given the number of books on my to-read list, I don't usually waste my time reading books that others think so poorly of, but there is just something about Ricky Martin...plus, I assumed it would be a quick read. Martin wrote this autobiography as a sort of coming out - while written after his annoucement that he is gay, the introduction to the book seemed to suggest that the rest of...more A friend handed me this book with this ringing endorsement, "This book sucks. Read it and tell me if you agree." Given the number of books on my to-read list, I don't usually waste my time reading books that others think so poorly of, but there is just something about Ricky Martin...plus, I assumed it would be a quick read. Martin wrote this autobiography as a sort of coming out - while written after his annoucement that he is gay, the introduction to the book seemed to suggest that the rest of the book would be an exploration of how his ability to finally open up affected his life and reflected the experiences he had had up to that point. But, I didn't find this to be the case. Even though he kept telling the reader that it was hard to keep this secret, and that finally coming out was a huge relief, there wasn't much in the actual story that portrayed the difficulties he faced and felt. To the contrary, he spoke about being in a meaningful relationship with a woman - in such a way that it suggested that he is actually bisexual, or that his decision to finally live life as a homosexual was actually a choice instead of fundamental to who he is. Most of the story of Martin's life was incredibly boring to me. He went through his beginnings in Menudo and how difficult it was for him to be separated from his family - but again, I had a hard time actually feeling what he was talking about. Later in the book, Martin talks about his philanthropic work again human trafficking. This was the first time I felt I actually got a glimpse into who he is as a person and something that truly touched him and that he felt was worth fighting for. It seems that Martin has done tremendous work in this area and really shed light on a problem that plagues millions of women and children around the world. He also spent a couple chapters writing about his journey to fatherhood which was also endearing. Throughout, however, the writing (as expected) is terrible. He uses way too many exclamation points, and has trouble using actually anecdotes to make his point rather than just telling the reader that something was "amazing" or "life-changing". Martin is no Pulitzer Prize winner, but it does sound like he has truly gone on a person journey and is now in a space that is wholly positive and productive - particularly in comparison to the person he was. Hopefully, writing this book was therapeutic for him. But, I don't see too many people picking it up and identifying with it, or being inspired by his story. I'm not a Ricky Martin fan by any means, but I did finish this book finding him a bit more likeable as a person - I won't rush out to read anything else he might write in the future, but I probably won't change the station the next time the radio plays Livin' La Vida Loca either. (less)

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Jul 01, 2011 jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I must confess, I had the hugest crush on Ricky Martin when his "living la vida loca" came out when i was in middle school. I love reading memoirs especially of celebrities because it's reassuring to read that everyone is human and has their own insecurities. The part where he talks about finding happiness from within and not outwardly resonated with me. He wrote about wanting to teach his twin boys not to cling to materialism to satisfy them, but to have an inner peace and joy. I was surprised...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Claire Lawrence rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm without doubt one of Ricky Martin's biggest fans of many years since my childhood and I really looked forward to this book. Unsurprisingly, the ongoing thread throughout the book is his coming to terms with his sexuality and difficulties over the years with it. It's quite powerful in conveying the emotions he's been through, and so it is quite emotional in parts. However, there is also humour, insights into his family and background to many events in his career that we are familiar with. It'...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having been a loyal fan of Menudo and then of Ricky Martin from the day he joined the group until the present, I enjoyed his autobiography. Since I have been a fan for so long, I did know almost everything that was mentioned in the book but maybe not in as much detail. Ricky Martin is one of the few famous people out there who maintains a positive spirit. Even in his worst times, he knew that he needed to change things and some how, some way he found his way out of the sadness and into better ti...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Jency rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

I came across this book when I was desperately searching for something to listen to from my library. I decided to listen to it because apart from some of his insanely famous songs I didn't really know much about him. I would say about 70% of the biography is about him and the rest is about his kids and his philanthropic work.
I was hoping for a light read when I picked this one and it was for the most part. But it gets pretty emotional when he talks about the humanatarian work done by his organi...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ricky Martin fans, those dealing with coming out issues

Shelves: biography-autobiography, gay-lesbian, read-in-2010

This is a book about paths taken, destiny determining the course of one's life, moments being just right, finding peace and serenity, and finally about coming to terms with oneself. It's about a Latin superstar who for years ran from the truth of himself until becoming a parent finally freed him to acknowledge his sexuality and to embrace fully his life.

Ricky Martin has written a book that some will argue is a longtime coming and only done for publicity, but as he writes often throughout the pag...more This is a book about paths taken, destiny determining the course of one's life, moments being just right, finding peace and serenity, and finally about coming to terms with oneself. It's about a Latin superstar who for years ran from the truth of himself until becoming a parent finally freed him to acknowledge his sexuality and to embrace fully his life.

Ricky Martin has written a book that some will argue is a longtime coming and only done for publicity, but as he writes often throughout the pages, he wasn't ready to fully say to the world or to himself that he is a gay man. It wasn't his moment. And that's the real message of this book. Everyone is on their own journeys with all of life's obstacles to be encountered and overcome. Some come out early and others later in life. Because of his upbringing, culture, career, and life he wasn't ready or able to come out. The fear of rejection and failure scared him into the deepest corners of the closet.

Some areas of the book could have used more details and may be a bit more honesty, but in other areas, he comes fully clean. What struck me as interesting were the relationships he had with women. Granted, most of them were done to avoid his true feelings and nature, but he fully says that these were meaningful and loving relationships. It's evidence of the fluidity of sexuality. Another area of the book that many people may have issues with are the long passages about destiny and fate and paths taken or not. At times, some of this feels very New Age-y, but it's clear that Ricky has done a lot of soul searching and study into many different religions. His travels to India which he writes about have clearly left a mark on him.

Overall, I liked this book. It's not earth-shattering and it won't be ranked in the top as the best written autobiography, but it will serve a purpose for those who need it most. It will give someone a source of comfort in their journey out of the closet and it will let a person know that even the biggest superstars have their troubles and issues.(less)

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About Ricky Martin

Enrique Martín Morales, better known by his stage name Ricky Martin, is an openly-gay Puerto Rican pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist after 1991.

During his career he has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. He is the founder of Ricky Martín Foundation (in Spanish Fundación Ricky Martin) a non-profit charity org...more

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Ricky Martin: The Complete Set [With Spoken Word CD]

Livin' La Vida Loca & Other Hits Recorded by Ricky Martin

She Bangs & Other Hits Recorded by Ricky Martin: Piano/Vocal/Chords

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