Donna's book "Ordinary Girl"

**Jeff H** · April 2nd, 2004, 12:11 PM

Somewhere in that forum that degenerated into little more than Donna-bashing by the Hipper Than Thou, Graham and I referred to Donna's 2003 autobiography, Ordinary Girl. I was a little surprised that members at this site would be unfamiliar with the book--but trust me, you ain't missing much.

But in case anyone's interested, I've reprinted below a brief review of the book that I did for the paper I work for. FYI: It was part of a much longer feature, so if the intro doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it. Also, if you're one of those who have a bug up your butt about us diva-loving homos, well... get over it.

<< Ah, Judy, Judy, Judy. You can bet she’s looking down with dismay as the meager skills of wannabes like Britney and J. Lo these days pass for vocal talent, but 2003 also smiled on many of the women who were part of the last great age of divadom: Barbra and Bette both returned with Top 10 albums. Judy’s own offspring escaped from her marriage to that gay dude and rebounded by earning raves on the quirky sitcom Arrested Development. Cher was still saying farewell. And fans were reminded why Miss Ross reigned Supreme thanks to the deluxe reissue of her classic Diana LP.
Donna Summer’s masterpiece Bad Girls was also re-released in a deluxe two-disc package, and yet another collection of Summer’s greatest hits was compiled to mark the publication of her memoir, Ordinary Girl: The Journey (Villard, $24.95). But fans looking for some hot stuff, baby, should instead pick up Donna Summer: Her Life and Music by Josiah Howard (which was published by Tiny Ripple Books in Cranberry Township), since Summer’s well-documented rebirth as a devout Christian overwhelms her own book and has apparently white-washed her memory.
Summer is most forthcoming about her teenage years, when she struggled with self-esteem issues and witnessed a fatal mugging that left her fearful for her life. But she’s coy about topics like sex and drug use (“I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t try a few things, or claim that I never inhaled, but…”) and glosses over significant issues like her alleged antigay comment with one paragraph and the long “missing” I’m a Rainbow LP with only eight words. Readers seeking testimony to the power of prayer over Prozac may be satisfied, but fans who want the dirt on, say, Summer’s reportedly contentious working relationship with the British production team Stock Aitken Waterman won’t be so lucky lucky lucky.
Summer’s vocal talent is incomparable, and her accomplishments in the music business are undeniable. But this book? Bad, girl. >>

**markydefad** · April 3rd, 2004, 03:33 PM

Interesting Jeff. I've had no desire to read this. Once people get on the Jesus-bandwagon, they conveniently like to forget all the interesting stuff that happened, pre-conversion It's like a born-again porn star forgetting the porn part of their career-- remembering only how they "got saved".

To quote another diva (Candi Staton), Miss Summer "became a VICTIM of the very songs she sings (sang)".

BUT I still love the voice. Born-again or not.

**BrunoRepublic** · April 3rd, 2004, 06:00 PM

Obviously, she focused on the things that matter to her most: faith and family. Her almost complete lack of discussion of her music just demonstrate that it really doesn't mean anything to her now. Which is fine and all, but it makes for a very dull read.

**JussiK** · April 5th, 2004, 03:11 AM

I'll type a couple more hopefully final nasty words about the reborn Ms Summer. Over the years, all sorts of people connected with tv specials etc have contacted the woman in hopes of getting her to comment on the years she was at her peak - meaning the disco era. She refuses to come into grips with the fact that the disco albums were indeed her biggest successes, and that she's now a legendary figure known only for those. Yet all she keeps talking about is her upcoming new recording material. We've heard those. I haven't read the book but I bet it's a bit of a bore.

**discofrank** · April 5th, 2004, 08:11 PM

I have read this book from begining to end, and I also agree there were several subjects that were ignored or vaguely brought up. I LOVE DONNA SUMMER'S Music, but I was hoping to read more about it and the magic she shared with Giorgio and Pete. Instead, she's very wrapped up in the subject of her upbringing, family life and faith. I have nothing against someone who claims to have been "born-again" but... why can she just admit to making a mistake with the comment she made about the gay community? She saids in her book that it was just a "rumour", just like the earlier rumour about her being a "man" during the earlier part of her career.

Could it possibly be that Donna never really bask in the beauty of being super diva, and that her main interest and focus was her faith and homelife?

It was interesting though to read about her relationship with Roberta Kelley. Another artists, whose music I really enjoy. I never really knew that they had a friendship.