Mommie Dearest

Mommie Dearest #1

by Christina Crawford

The 40th anniversary edition of the “shocking” #1 New York Times bestseller with an exclusive new introduction by the author ( Los Angeles Times ).
 
When Christina Crawford’s harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. It also shed light on the guarded world of Hollywood and stripped away the façade of Christina’s relentless, alcoholic her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford.
 
Christina was a young girl shown off to the world as a fortunate little princess. But at home, her lonely, controlling, even ruthless mother made her life a nightmare. A fierce battle of wills, their relationship could be characterized as an ultimately successful, for Christina, struggle for independence. She endured and survived, becoming the voice of so many other victims who suffered in silence, and giving them the courage to forge a productive life out of chaos.
 
This book features an exclusive new introduction by the author, plus rare photographs from her personal collection and one hundred pages of revealing material not found in the original manuscript.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Film, History

524 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Christina Crawford (born June 11, 1939) is an American writer and actress, best known as the author of Mommie Dearest, an autobiographical account of alleged child abuse by her adoptive mother, famous Hollywood actress Joan Crawford. She is also known for small roles in various television and film projects, such as Joan Borman Kane in the soap opera The Secret Storm and Monica George in the Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country.

Reviews

[kisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 fabricated or made the whole thing up, obviously there was some things going on behind closed doors that were pretty ugly that would make a person want to ruin the last memory of the only mother she knows.

I loved the book, and the movie. The book may not have been a challenge to read, but nonetheles it was good storytelling.

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 "poorly written but utterly fascinating" stars !!!

The 2018 Jeez Louise Award

Barely 2 stars for the writing but 4 stars in a fascinating character study of Christina Crawford !!

Christina Crawford was a celebrity poster child for alleged abuse done to her and siblings by film actress Joan Crawford who was her adoptive mother.

This film terrified me when I was a child and I had nightmares for several weeks after a babysitter let me watch this with her on a friday night. Here is a clip of my 10 year old self's nightmare scene !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUYeE...

I am not going to focus on the allegations of Christina Crawford as if what she describes is completely true then Joan Crawford is one of the most disturbed women ever.

I found the character study of Christina as she writes about her life fascinating. She comes across as both extremely naive and extremely rageful. The book is completely regressed and Ms. Crawford was likely dissociating while writing it. Here is a sample of very strange and immature writing:

"Mommie dearest got her feelings hurt. Mommie dearest became distressed. Mommie dearest became enraged when she perceived that all was not well in mannequin-land. The children, the babies were in a state of mutiny! Mommie dearest has to punish bad babies...mommie dearest doesn't want to have anything more to do with bad babies...mommie dearest put bad babies away from her....mommie dearest found a prison for bad babies and locked them up to punish them for being such bad babies...."

In fact, Christina Crawford comes across as an eleven year old throughout the book and her emotional immaturity is both her charm and a great cause of her difficulties with both herself and society in general. She is clearly fairly bright with a master's degree but she has a tendency to externalize all her difficulties on her mother as well as fate. She has completed a communications degree as well as having an estimated net worth of 5 million due likely to both her books and film.
She also has done some TV and film acting work.

She is an unreliable narrator either because of trauma or capitalizing on alleged traumas and it is very difficult to tease out. I feel that the truth lies somewhere in between and that Christina had a very challenging if privileged upbringing with a mother that was extremely personality disordered. Likely this has led to a more benign personality disorder in Christina herself. She appears to have overcome many of her obstacles and is able to enjoy life and be in a loving relationship. Good for her and I am glad the she has healed many of the hurts and traumas inflicted on her whether they were as terrible as she makes them out or more moderate in nature.

Joan Crawford was one of the stars in one of my favorite movies with her nemesis Bette Davis and here is a brief clip of that film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=648-2...


Twisted sisters all the way around huh ??

[Nayra.Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

البيوت كلها مظلمة الي ان تستيقظ الأم
حسنا يبدو ان كريستينا كروفورد لم تقتنع يوما بهذه الجملة.. فباستيقاظ امها تبدأ الحرب


ظل هذا الفيلم يرعبني في طفولتي كالكابوس؛ و مازلت اخاف من جوان كروفورد الي الان؛رغم ادراكي لمبالغات ابنتها المتبناة عندما كبرت

و لكنه يظل احد تلك الافلام التي تحول اغنية ماما زمانها جاية لنشيد استباقي للرعب

[Majenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 "bravo, survivor!" stars! What. A. LIFE!

[Kimberly Rahi · Rating 1 out of 5]

UPDATE:

This post is still getting comments over 7 years later.

For the record, I did say in my review "I am not denying that nothing ever occurred."

This is my opinion. Read that last sentence again. I wasn't present in the Crawford household, nor were any of you.

Positive energy and love - Kimmie

___________________

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 WIRE HANGERS!"

So Christina tells of this tale about how she suffered at the hands of her mother, who forced Christina to address her as "Mommie Dearest." Some of the incongruous statements by Christina:

1) Her mother ALWAYS made her wear white gloves when she goes out in public; as written in the story and listed under one picture of her wearing white gloves. However in every other public photo of Christina, she never has on the gloves she was "forced to wear."

2) Christina says when arriving at the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, her mother did not allow her any privileges, including no incoming mail or calls. A page later, she tells how she awoke to find a stack of cards from her friends... though offers no explanation of this "no mail" rule being overturned.

3) She speaks in depth about how her mother, later in life, tries to steal her glory. She claims Joan Crawford was jealous of her (Christina's) acting career. Yet it was Crawford, later confirmed by directors and producers, that secured most of the auditions and roles for Christina.

Other parts of Christina's story that sit uneasy with me are based purely on my opinion; listed below:

1) Christina wrote this tell all a year after her mother's death. This came on the cusp of learning she and her brother received nothing in Joan's will. The will stated "... for reasons known to them." Christina says in her book that "the money would have been nice... but it wasn't the reason (for the book)." Ok... so why go public with this now? To make aware of child abuse or to slander the woman who slighted you?

2) The two younger siblings and later even her brother, Christopher (who Christina said also suffered abuse), spoke out against the book. The claimed that Christina had fabricated the story after being angry over the will. The other children insist Joan was a loving, devoted mother.

3) Other celebs disputed the content as well including: Myrna Loy (who Christina said she actually worked with for some time), Van Johnson, Ann Blyth, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Joan's first husband).

4) For someone who has been abused (almost killed at her mother's hand), why then would you continue to be a constant presence in her life after adulthood? I suspect it is because Joan Crawford was the one who offered Christina the opportunities to meet with people that would further her career. I have read several accounts by producers that it was Joan who set up the meetings, otherwise they never would have considered her "less than talented" daughter. So it seems as long as "Mommie" was willing to give, Christina was willing to take.

I am not denying that nothing ever occurred. I am certain that Joan Crawford was a strict disciplinarian, a control freak, had OCD cleaning tendencies, and may have been a bit eccentric. She grew up in a terrible home herself and so perhaps she did not know the best way to parent her adopted children.

However, I also believe that Christina Crawford was a spoiled, selfish child. Many of these stories, in my opinion, were embellished or fabricated to make herself appear the poor, helpless victim. As it is written, Christina appeared to do very little wrong in her life. She focused mostly on her shining attributes. Many of the passages are devoted to what I consider "whining" about how she didn't know all the children at her parties (that were filled with everything a child could want) or the fact that she didn't love the clothing her mother chose to dress her in (she wanted to wear the same attire her ritzy school friends wore). Spoiled... much?

So, in conclusion, this poorly written novel (did she even have a editor) would have never been published had Christina been given a cut of Joan Crawford's money. Apparently, all the elaborate vacations, gifts, clothing, private schools, and career opportunities were not enough to satisfy her. How very sad.

On a side note, her husband she mentions in the book "David Koontz," divorced her. Christina Crawford is now on her third marriage. She spoke so highly of David that I wonder where their marriage failed. Perhaps he did not give her everything she wanted?

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movie Mommie Dearest is a Camp classic. That movie is so over the top and badly acted despite having an actress Faye Dunaway who is usually a good actress. The movie Mommie Dearest is part of my favorite genre...So Bad Its Good.

So obviously the book upon which its based should be equally great right?

Nah!

This isn't a bad book its just kind of bland. Maybe its because I read Bette Davis' daughter's book last week, maybe I should have spaced these books out more. My Mothers Keeper, the Bette Davis book was darkly entertaining. While Mommie Dearest was dark but kind of boring. Maybe I'm being to hard on this book since Mommie Dearest was the first book of its kind.

Mommie Dearest kicked off the child of a famous person tell all trend. So I'm gonna cut this book some slack. Being a pioneer in a genre can't be easy, everyone who comes after you gets to build on and learn from you.

Christina Crawford lays out the details of the toxic relationship she had with her mother Hollywood legend Joan Crawford. Beatings with forbidden wire hangers, being forced to eat raw steak and being humiliated for any little mistake. Christina tells a grim tale that if true, I believe should be called not child abuse but torture. Pure and simple.

Now on to the question you'll probably be asking...

Do I believe Christina Crawford?

Overall yes!

Do I think she may have exaggerated some things?

Yes!

Would she have written this book if she hadn't been excluded from her mothers will?

No. I think not getting left anything pissed her off so she wrote this book.

I originally planned to give this book 4 stars but several times towards to end of the book she says that Joan Crawford got & died of cancer because she was a bad person. That just rubbed me the wrong way. My mother's side of the family is being wiped out by cancer.

Do my family members deserve their cancer?

I'm sure she didn't mean it the way I'm taking it but it just soured my feelings on this book.

I would still recommend it to people who are interested but the movie is better.

[TXGAL1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and sometimes shocking.

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to add this one in my Goodreads page. This is my muscle memory from reading it as a kid in the mid 1990s up till now, wonderful toilet readings of this insane, rambling book.

It is one of the most hilariously awful, over exaggerated pieces of Hollywood trash I’ve read.

Reading all the allegedly sadistic ways Hollywood legend Joan Crawford treated her adopted daughter Christina and her brother Christopher is the stuff of gossip magazines galore.

Not even well written, and full of self indulgence- Crawford even makes Christina’s friends call her Stinky as a shocking and hilarious nickname!

Moments like that proved fodder that would give birth to the Citizen Kane of camp classics that would tarnish the image of Joan Crawford as a narcissistic, egomaniac who cannot control herself without any reason, and it would destroy the career of the equally talented and mercurial woman that played her, Faye Dunaway.

It is a favorite toilet read, a book to cackle through because it is so much fun.

As a kid I wanted to live in that world of swimming pools, parties, delicious rare meat, making out with a boy in a private school, a fabulous cut down rose garden, and clothes picked out for me by a fabulous mother who is both a drag queen and a monster like so many of the women who I knew growing up.

I understand that child abuse is nothing to make fun of. That to hurt children and abuse them for their own gain is cruelty that cannot be forgiven, in the words of Blanche Dubois. However the catalogue of horrors Christina describes seem to be one scene from to another of one of Joan’s potboilers.

However, as a gay man who adores camp? This one had always made me laugh from day one. The cult movie and its book are always going to be staples of camp for eons to come.

For better or worse it blurred the images of both Joan Crawford and her favorite younger actress, Faye Dunaway.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[MAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.)

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

SurvivorSurvivor No Safe Place: The Legacy of Family Violence

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a friend who adored the movie so I decided to read the book. I'm a big fan of old Hollywood but I do not like Joan Crawford. I don't think she was pretty, talented, or even that good of a person so I thought I'd like this book. However it was nothing but TRASH.
This girl is just complaining about ridiculous things. For example:

- Fans would send her oodles of presents for Christmas and Joan would let her keep one and donate the others. She complains about that. Joan was trying not to have her turn into a spoiled Hollywood child (which obviously she did).
- Joan was known for her thank you cards. She complains she hated writing thank you cards and was forced to write them. Just write the damn card. It takes like 5 seconds and once it's done, it's done.
- She complains she had to wear matching outfits and have her picture taking with Joan. That may sound corny today but that was the norm then. She wasn't being asked to do anything that every other Hollywood child wasn't doing.
- And the worst is that she got in trouble for getting caught having sex when she was 12 and complains her mother should have understood. What mother is okay with their 12 year old daughter having sex?!

This girl was adopted. She could have spent her life in an orphanage or being placed in foster homes but instead she gets adopted into a wealthy lifestyle where she never has to go without. What does she have to complain about? She's very ungrateful and very spoiled. To sum it up, don't bother with this book. It's not giving the dirty dets, it's just whining.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit this book. My only context my entire life on "Joan Crawford was a nightmare mom" has been the 1980 camp classic movie, which last week I decided to watch again for funsies. Then I saw the original memoir by Christina Crawford was on Kindle Unlimited, so why not. It exceeded my expectations in every possible way. This is a must-read if you want to see what it's like to have a narcissistic, abusive parent. Now I see why this book was so earth shattering and groundbreaking when it came out in 1978.

Crawford is an excellent writer. Her storytelling moves chronologically from her childhood through to when her mother died and it's engrossing all the way through. And it doesn't skimp on content. I understand the 40th anniversary ebook includes 100 extra pages, which I appreciated. I found myself pushing myself to read more, staying up very late, because I was so pulled in. It's a dense, satisfying read. Just when you think you understand how bad Joan Crawford is, that you have reached the apex of her narcissism, you are wrong and something new and horrific happens.

There are some people, including Crawford's own adopted sisters (ten years younger than she is, so they never lived in the same house as her when the abuse went on; they are also clearly classic "golden" children), have claimed Christina is a liar and say Joan is a saint. I appreciated that in this 40th anniversary edition Crawford includes accounts from some of the tertiary adult figures (from her boarding school especially) who witnessed things first hand and corroborate the nature of her claims. Mind you, I think her own narrative is sufficient--now that we know a lot more about how narcissistic parents function, it's frankly pretty textbook. Including and especially that despite it all, Christina still loved her mother. All she wanted was to be loved back. And she concedes that Joan loved her in her own way, but that way was broken. It's a very nuanced, human conclusion.

I was surprised at some of the choices the movie made, but they explain a lot about why it's a camp classic that bombed rather than the Oscar contender it wanted to be. Yes, they dramatize the most extreme instances of abuse and violence from Christina's childhood, but also the film made a few up, but then almost entirely skipped all of the almost worse things from when Christina was older. I found that portion of the book--the majority of it--far more compelling. It's when children start to become fully formed, independent people (ie: teens and then adults) that n-parents really start to lose their shit and find mind-bending and manipulative ways to exert control. The things that went down at boarding school and then after Christina went off to college were some of the worst, IMO.

The one that punched me in the gut was the letter Joan wrote to Christina when she was 17 after a minor infraction of Joan's authority where she said "you are cheating yourself because you are so artificial--you will never be a warm, *real* human being--" Can you IMAGINE hearing that, as an adopted child, at barely 17--also in the same letter she basically calls her a slut for wearing makeup and passive aggressively accuses her of trying to seduce Joan's husband? Oof. But the movie was a star vehicle for Faye Dunaway, not Diana Scarwid... and it's unfortunate because having read this, even as awful as Joan Crawford was, she still has a lot of humanity in Christina's accounting. The movie turned her into a caricature.

I unreservedly recommend this to fans of non-fiction, memoir (Hollywood and otherwise), and accounts of personality disorders.

[Meichler · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 loved her fans and they in return adored her, so shattering that saintly image must have been devastating. What I found most convincing was when Christina told of her mother's lesbian leanings. This was always a rumor until a diary of Marilyn Monroe's confirmed it. I can see where Joan could be a brutal person but at times be warm and tender, this book shares both sides.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 was theraputic to her to get it written and have her story told.

Good book, I'd recommend this to anyone 18 or over.

Happy Reading!

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 made more sense in the book and brought home the often too hidden issue of child abuse. Reading Christina's words was a glimpse into my other narcissistic mother's machinations. It left me wondering if there was a whole generation of mothers that screwed with their children's minds to feed their own egos.

I highly recommend reading Mommie Dearest.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. One of the rare instances where the movie was actually far better than the book. Christina Crawford definitely could’ve used a decent editor, not to mention a personality transplant. Seriously, don’t waste your time on this, just opt for the film instead—it’s a camp classic for a reason. Faye Dunaway’s endearingly unhinged performance is something you really don’t want to miss. Her eyebrow game alone is worth the price of admission.

[Jim Giddens · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 family life that her mother would not have wanted the world to know.

Joan Crawford had a drinking problem; that is not much of a surprise. Her behavior, however, was shocking. While not mentioned by Christina in the book specifically, it is clear that Joan had rather severe psycho-emotional problems and that drinking was just a self destructive activity secondary to those problems. Whether it was bipolar disorder or even borderline personality disorder or something else, the problems made for a horrific life at times for both Joan as well as her adopted children, her husbands, and anyone else in her life on a regular basis.

Well-done book.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina Crawford, the oldest of Joan Crawford’s 4 adopted blonde-haired; blue-eyed adopted children allegedly bought on the black market because she’s wasn’t fit to adopt through the traditional route. Christina writes that her mother was physically and emotionally abusive due to alcoholism, mental illness and meanness. You can read Joan Crawford’s own history to see partially why she was the way she was. I thought Christina’s POV did show Joan some empathy and love, more than I would have. The twins, much younger than Christina and brother Christopher, dispute the abuse though the may not have seen what happened as the older kids went to boarding school at age ten.

This is a reread from childhood. I read MOMMIE DEAREST when it first came out in 1978, watched the movie (bad movie, unintentionally campy) and have seen documentaries. It’s an interesting read, not dry like many memoirs and autobiographies written around that time.

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great scenes in this book that show Joanie to be the crazy broad we all hope she actually was. However in a good chunk of the book Christina Darling bores us with her 'acting' career and life. However she did come up with more gems than Bette Davis's daughter.....Bette was mainly just scathing and difficult.

I saw the movie before I read the book so in my mind Faye Dunaway is Crazy ol' Joan. But if you only want to read the book or watch the movie, watch the movie. The movie compacts all the best stuff into a convenient 1 1/2 hours without excessive sections about Tina Darlings life.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d be no good at writing a memoir. I couldn’t tell you accurately what I did and who I spoke to last week yet this book faithfully recalls conversations, tones of voice, clothes, locations and people from years earlier. That aside, this was a strange one really, I enjoyed the insights into another world but at times, I was waiting for something big to happen. Idk.

[W. Frazier · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is iconic, but a mess. Aside from its child abuse messaging which can be a discussion starter, the book itself is a train wreck. The narrative is completely self-absorbed, stuck in a childlike perspective. Crawford’s examples have an extreme focus on minutiae as if certain memories overtake the perspective. Clothing choices, thank you notes are center stage in this never-ending litany of angst. It’s difficult to gain any perspective as it’s all distorted. Also, the writing is miserable, and childlike as well. Grammar errors, stilted sentences, crazy transitions, tense changes, confusing characters, timeline jumps, all feed into a frenetic outpouring of hate, misery, and confusion. This book is a damaged human psyche in paper form, all messed up and in search of some semblance of rational thought. Crawford added 100 (useless) pages to this latest edition (Open Road Media).

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What shocked me most is the pathetic way the author tries continually to win her mother’s love and approval after a lifetime of intense cruelty and abandonment. She doesn’t seem to see that from the first to the last, Joan Crawford cared only for what was in it for Joan Crawford, and this poor daughter kept trying six ways to Sunday to please her and expect normal maternal reactions from a woman who abandoned her and perpetrated incredible cruelty upon her. I skimmed the last 10% of the book because it was always the same pattern and I had enough.

Perhaps it would be different for Ms Crawford today - if she were able to understand the multiple, co-morbid personality disorders her mother had and to stop believing in magical outcomes a whole lot sooner than she finally did.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coincidentally this was number 666 on my Goodreads 'books read' counter and I finished it on Faye Dunaway's 75th birthday. Totally irrelevant, but funny how things work out . . .

Obviously opinions are divided but I will side with Christina Crawford on this one while diplomatically not trashing Joan Crawford since she obviously could not provide a counterpoint. I think the author did a good job on exposing some of the unpleasantness on issues that were routinely ignored or dismissed regarding child abuse, mental illness, and the guarded community of show business.

[Adriana Scarpin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mamãe era bem mais louca que a Crawford, mas aposto que ninguém quer ouvir meus choramingos.

[Susie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christina Crawford had an awful childhood and Joan Crawford was a heartless bitch. That’s all true. But this book is so poorly written that its actual badness distracts and detracts from the plot. Christina needed (needs, since this was a rerelease) an editor who can stop her rambling prose, correct her spelling errors and help her get her details straight. She consistently changes tense, which makes reading hella difficult, and she cannot use commas. I’m loathe to comment on how I feel about the actual story itself, since people attack pretty quickly on negative feedback on this book. I will say that her bad writing and Joan’s awful parenting make for an excruciating reading experience. Save yourself the pain: watch the movie.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I reread this stinker? Because I wanted to read Christina Crawford's book Survivor, but this was all they had at the library. I could not be more sympathetic toward the author (or anyone with a schizophrenogenic parent or who experienced abuse of any kind as a child). However, this book is bad. I'm kind of thinking never mind about reading Survivor.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

An utter shitshow of poor writing, atrocious grammar, and embellishments that would make writers on Days of Our Lives green with envy.

I don’t doubt that Joan wasn’t Mrs Brady, but I’ve watched many an interview in which Christina contradicts herself so much that it’s impossible to believe a word of what she put on paper. That’s not to say there isn’t some thinly veiled truth to her tumultuous childhood. However, Christina seemingly cherry picked what she wanted from adolescence and teenage years, while withholding many other truths that would’ve put her in a bad light had she included them.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 really began to drag. The writing became to drab and basic. I wanted to get to the end to see if anything was different and to read Christina Crawfords reaction to the will reading but it took me forever to get there. I swear JC died and it was another 20-30 pages to get to the funeral services.

While reading the book I learned there was a newer addition that Christina Crawford says:
"....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. I've also added eyewitness accounts from people who came forward with information after the book was initially published, a preface to reflect the whirlwind that has happened in my life since Mommie Dearest was first published, and an afterword on adoption reform."
When I heard this I was interested in getting this edition to read the add-in items. Not any more.

This book was a disappointment.