My Life, as I See It: An Autobiography

by Dionne Warwick, David Freeman Wooley (Contributor)

Dionne Warwick made her singing debut in church at the request of her grandfather, the Reverend Elzae Warrick, when she was six years old. No one knew then that she would become an international music legend, but what she knew—as words of wisdom passed down from her grandfather—was that "if you can think it, you can do it." And she did it. Dionne released the first of more than fifty-six charted hits in 1962 with "Don’t Make Me Over," followed by "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie," and "A House Is Not a Home," to name a few. She received her first Grammy in 1968 for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and later recorded the classic hit "That’s What Friends Are For." She was considered the voice of Burt Bacharach/Hal David compositions, and the rest is here, in her first autobiography. Dionne tells the stories of her life from her childhood in East Orange, New Jersey, in a two-family home with her parents, brother, and sister, to now, as she celebrates her fiftieth year in show business.

She came by her musical gifts honestly. Her mother, Lee Drinkard Warrick, was a founding member of the legendary Drinkard Jubilairs, which included her mother’s siblings Cissy, Marie, Annie, Nick, and Larry. Cissy went on to become a celebrated recording artist in her own right; she lived in the Warrick household, got married, and later gave birth to one of the most popular singers of our time, Whitney Houston. Dionne went on to start her own gospel group with her sister, Dee Dee, called the Gospelaires. Her father, once a Pullman porter, became an accountant, went on to promote gospel records for Hob Records, and wrote a book on gospel music. She attributes her strong family, who are faithful and industrious Christians, for keeping her grounded and giving her the fortitude, as well as the talent, to earn her place among world-class performing artists without losing herself or her soul.

Genres: Autobiography, Music

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2010

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Ms. Warwick so I was a little disappointed that this wasn't the most engrossing autobiography I've ever read. Also, it's a little outdated since her cousin Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina were still very much alive at the time of publication. Nevertheless it's an interesting look at the music industry and fellow singers of her time.

[Kenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty odd read. It wasn't even in chronological order. I also found it pretty embarrassing how she seemed fonder of Whitney (Houston) than she did her own son. It just wasn't at all very good. Everything she wrote about in this could have easily been found out with some simple online research.

[Gail Johnson, Ph.D · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all. The author co-wrote her book with David Freeman Wooley when she was 69 years young in 2010. The book is about her parents, siblings, children, her school and college years. Also, she talks about all the songs she wrote and sang as well and collaborations with many other singers such as Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, Billy Joel, Patti LaBelle, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and many more. I love the parts about her grandfather: such as "Grandfather said you must not put a question mark where God put a period." And her receiving seven Honorary Doctoral degrees. (Welcome to the 2% club Dr. Warwick.) Last, she has asked how she wanted to be remembered and she explains to everyone (family, friends and fans) how she wants her funeral to be. I didn't see that coming. From what I read; Dr. Warwick is a real businesswoman. A good book for business and music majors.










Patti

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm being generous with two stars. I've always liked Ms Warwick's recordings, but this memoir is basically a love letter from Dionne to Dionne. She makes it pretty clear that she takes a lot of credit for the success of Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, and any number of younger African American singers. She also epitomizes dignity, class, flair, dignity, glamour, and more dignity. She says so. All of this is done under the guise of crediting God with everything, but it's apparent how highly she thinks of herself. She even lists all of her honorary degrees at the end.

Oh, and don't expect any kind of coherent chronology. Chapters are all over the place.

[Christopher Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very decent read. I wish that Dionne had wrote more about her recordings and working on the music of her career but It was nice to get some insight and thoughts on the industry and thoughts and feeling on the music industry as a whole. Would recommend this for die hard fans of the lady.

[KWilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although she became famous around my mother & grandmother's times, I have always loved DW's voice talent. Her autobiography was positive and yes private enough for my tastes. (I am one of the few fans/readers who really don't need to know about celebrities' sex lives, fistfights, etc.)

There was a lot of name-dropping but in a good way. She was VERY specific about people, places and events. I felt like I had walked backwards in time when she described her exchanges with Johnny Mathis, Sam Cook, Streisand, Marlene Deitrich, the Beatles, Spector Records, the Pope, Diahann Carroll, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and many others. (There's an interesting encounter on then-newcomer, Mary J. Blige.) As it should be, DW gave only a few dignified words of how and why her marriage ended. This shows how much class she has. (Now I am trying to be like her in this regard.)

I really appreciated her honesty about the ups and downs of the music business. DW speaks on how R&B and gangsta rap music affected her professional and personally. There is a entire chapter describing Whitney as a child, cousin and fellow singer.

I really wanted to give this autobio five star but nearly dropped the rating to 1 or 2 stars. Why?? Long before her well-known tv appearance as host on the Psychic Network (1991), DW was taking advice from an astrologer/numerologist. "Oh no, Dionne!" I gasped out loud as I read the passage. Obeying the "advice" caused DW to lose a lot of $$$ back in the early 1970's, so why would she continue to be involved with such an abomination? Worse yet, how can she quote Psalm 23 near the dedication page (or have a pastor for a grandfather) yet continue to be involved in the sin of prognostication (aka witchcraft)?

This is the only thing that bothered me DW's autobio. Nevertheless, I gave her 4 stars because 1) she was honest about herself & others, 2) she did NOT expose dirt on fellow celebrities, and 3) no one is perfect -- not even those of us who claim to be Bible-believers.

[RPG · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I want to say that I love Ms. Dionne Warwick and think she's a legend. I was very excited to read this book. But the book is all over the place. The book is not written chronologically at all and often times moves from chapter to chapter leaving the reader to wonder why/how things are connected or why they are even being discussed at that moment. You do get some in depth and a deep understanding of her professional life but you are in a lot of ways left in the dark about her personal life. I don't believe that we have a right to know everything about entertainers personal lives, but when someone writes an autobiography, you expect to get to know their personal background a little more. In this book, you find out some things, but the reader is definitely left feeling like they don't know much about Ms. Warwick's personal (but I guess that is her right).

In summary, the book was not very good (in my opinion).

[Linda]

This book doesn't reveal anything more than you can find out about Dionne on Wikipedia or any documentary about her, but I wasn't expecting a huge reveal anyways, since she is such a private person. Mostly the book talks about her recording sessions, charity work and awards. There is so much name dropping in this book, it's crazy. However, the people with whom she has rubbed shoulders also fascinate me, so I enjoyed making the connection. The book was released before Whitney Houston's death (her cousin), and there is such a huge section in the book about her, and her future. :( Dionne Warwick is in my top three female recording artists, along with Dusty Springfield and Karen Carpenter. The book is mostly fluff, but enjoyable. I read it in one day.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

When one thinks of music from the 70s, one name that might come to mind is Dionne Warwick.

You might remember her for songs such as "I'll Never Love this Way Again" or "Deja Vu"....or for anyone whos a fan of 80s music you may remember her part in "We Are the World" or her later hit "That's What Friends are For". This book goes into her life from her start in Gospel Music to her fandom in Brazil.

A good book for fans of the icon Dionne Warwick.

[Larissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dionne has an interesting story to tell, but I found the book jumpy and hard to read.

[Shaunjohnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but not as juicy or as revealing as I thought it would be.