Customer Reviews

Call Her Miss Ross

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is not all sugar-coated and sweet, but one that truly gets down to the nitty-gritty and tells what (if we can believe what we read) Miss Ross is all about. For anyone who is a product of the 60's and is wondering whatever happened to the fantastic group known as "The Supremes," this is an in-depth account. From the growing years of the group, the aches and pains, glitz and glamour, tragedy and sorrow, to the solo career of Miss Ross, every page of this very lengthy book is worth reading. The book often portrays a self-centred, critical side of Miss Ross, for example, her actions at Flo Ballard's funneral. However, one must also bear in mind, we all deal with grief in our own way. If one reads between the lines, Miss Ross definitely appears to be carrying around her own share of hurt and insecurities - there are two sides to every story. Overall, the book is informative and enlightning. Whether you agree, or disagree, with the author's portrayal of Diana Ross's true character, the book will take you through a whirlwind thirty year span of her legendary and illustrious career.

512 Fantastic PAGES of the Diva--Miss Ross. Even the pictures are reason enough to get it. For true fans, THIS is the bio to read, NOT EVEN Secrets of a Sparrow (Diana Ross 250 PAGES) comes even close to the revelations put forth about Ross. CALL HER MISS ROSS and two other books, 'All That Glittered' (Tony Turner), 'Dreamgirls/My Life As A Supreme (Mary Wilson) can come close to this one. The relationship b/w Ross, Berry Gordy and her first husband Bob Ellis (Silberstein) are exposed for the first and only time. Not even Ross talks about this touchy subject in her book.

Ross claims that she was controlled by Berry but J. Randy uncovered the truth. He shares with the world how Ross used the power she was given to step all over members of The Supremes and most of the Motown family. Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight-even Patti Labelle confirms this in their respected bio's.
Even though the very, very bad is displayed-so is the very, very good. The author does an excellent job of painting both sides. He gives insight into Ross's business's, her children and her relationship with her undying fans (me included). This book only made me want to know more about the diva. If you are already a fan...don't listen to what you might have heard about this book. Pick it up; you're sure to enjoy it!

After reading this book, I'm sure "The Boss" was not pleased, but this unauthorized account of Ms. Ross' life and career will keep the reader interested throughout. In honesty, I think Tarabollerri did a tasteful job in depicting, Diana, the good witch vs. Diana, the most wicked. While many passages in the book attempt to defame Ms. Ross' character, I found these moments comical at best. It has always amazed me that Diana, seventy pounds at best in her early years, managed to evoke so much fear amongst her peers- why didn't anybody just slap her? I think artists point Diana out as the target due to their fear of confronting the man behind the monster- Berry Gordy.
I am not a big Diana Ross fan, but after reading this book, if you like her or not, you will have to agree that she is a very driven, hard working individual, who, ultimately, got everything she strived for- and then some. I have an immense amount of respect for her. She was thinking like a man way before it became fashionable. Great read.

I loved this book. It was well written and objective, not just trashing Ross, but pointing out the good things about her as well. It had its humorous moments as well as its tragic ones, too. It tells the story of Diana's childhood, her rise to fame as the lead singer of the Supremes, her ruthless and cutthroat behavior to get to the top at the expense of others, Flo Ballard's demise and much more.

However, Taraborrelli's book did much harm to Diana's reputation, much more than Mary Wilson's books ever did. This is why Ross didn't want this book to be published...because she did not want people to know how she really was/is. What I find to be so amusing now is that these days, Taraborrelli is trying to get back into Ross' good graces by trashing Mary Wilson. So, so tacky, don't you think? But it's a good read. We see Ross as she really is, and I suppose that's what she was afraid of.

I've been a Supremes fan for longer than I care to remember. I've read numerous books about the Supremes and Diana Ross (including Diana Ross's own hugely disappointing book)-- and this one, by far, paints the most in-depth, layered, comprehensive portrait. At the end, I had a new appreciation for this talented, complex diva. Thank you, Mr. Taraborrelli!

While clearly admiring her career and musical achievements, Taraborelli effectively did ruin Ross's personal reputation: everyone could read that she is not a very nice person. Well written, the book gives a good look on the sacrifices required by a career like Ross had. Many Ross fans did not like the book at all; they should stick to the book Ross wrote about herself. Taraborelli also wrote the excellent Michael Jackson biography. These both books are a must for everyone who is seriously interested in pop music.

J.R. Taraborelli has written the dishiest book EVER on Miss Thing. Not only does it give you new insight into her success, but into her as a woman. Don't get me wrong: I love Diana, but I knew that there was more going on than what she and Berry let on, and it's ALL in here!!! If you love her, get it to see why, and if you hate her...same thing!!! This book is the LICK!!!

There's an ugly side to Diana Ross. We all know that by now. She's made enough front-page news to cover the bottom of many birdcages. Yet, J. Randy Taraborrelli was the first to expose her bad behavior. His 1989 CALL HER MISS ROSS is a no holds barred account of the Diva in action, from her humble beginnings in Detroit, Michigan to her sold out performances all over the world. This hit girl sure made a lot of people tremble in their boots, including her Supreme sister Mary Wilson who at the time kept quiet to keep peace. Taraborrelli spares no details in making sure his unauthorized biography is worth every penny: jealousy, backstabbing, manipulation of every sort. Ross' desperate need to control everything and everyone fits her over-the-top ego to a T while filling this bio with enough juicy details to keep every enquiring minds fully satisfied. A must.-----Martin Boucher

I trully enjoyed this book, and i still enjoy it years after its release years ago. NO ONE makes it to the top being a saint. Diana Ross IS an american icon, who deserves more recognition than what she's getting. So what if she wasn't kind to some of her peers! You do what you have to do to get to the top. I believe her to be extremely difficult, and selfish with a primadonna attitude, but she wasn't the only one. Mary, Flo and Berry Gordy are not left far behind. NO ONE is a saint in this world. She is an incredible actress, who can make you believe anything she does. Taraborrelli wrote it how it was, this is a great book, with great pictures unlike the new biography "A Lifetime To Get here", which almost makes Diana Ross look like a Mother Teresa! CALL HER MISS ROSS makes Diana Ross look like what she is, a human being! with great qualities and many flaws, like everyone else.

I actually have never heard of Taraborrelli before buying the book...so I had no idea what I was in for. If anything, I've learned that whenever theres an UNAUTHORIZED biography about someone, there's bound to be some biased presentation. While the book was an interesting read, I kept questioning how much of this stuff is being presented as it actually occured, versus being sensationalized/embellished. I later found out that Taraborrelli is a prominent tabloid columnist...hmmmm.....

He must've liked Diana Ross and Berry Gordy, b/c he seemed to paint them in a MUCH more positive light than he did, say, Michael Jackson. Although it was discussed (at lenghth) how Diana was perceived as a promiscuous, backstabbing, self-indulged diva, he didnt just focus on that. he spent an equal amount of time praising Diana on her musical and film accomplishments, and even sympathized with her for the emotional abuse she suffered from her father and Berry Gordy. Likewise, Taraborrelli talked about how Berry was a womanizer and very controlling over Motown artists, but also praised him for his remarkable business sense. That's all fine and dandy, but he didnt seem to sympathize with Florence or Mary's plights, or with the plights of other Motown artists who suffered because of Berry's focus on Diana, and furthermore he felt it was necessary to discuss MJ's nose surgeries each time MJ was mentioned. Just little things like that make me think Taraborrelli already had his mind made up about Diana before he wrote the book, and just sought out the right people as "sources" to illustrate his point.

Overall, the book was just ok to me...it did get boring after a while so I actually didnt even finish the last few chapters...so in a nutshell, I'm biased against Taraborrelli for being a biased biographer.