Cher: If You Believe [Paperback]

Mark Bego (Author), Mary Wilson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2004

Pop phenomenon Cher has had one of the most surprising and long-lasting careers in American entertainment. Her run of hits and comebacks have continued to defy expectations, right up to her Grammy Award-winning song "Believe" and subsequent tour and HBO special. Cher's string of successes includes dozens of hit songs from the '60s onward, two top-10 rated television shows, a critically acclaimed appearance on Broadway, and a succession of award-winning films roles, the latest being in Tea with Mussolini. In this brand new book pop music authority Mark Bego tackles all the recent developments including her well-documented grief after ex-husband Sonny Bono's tragic death. Cher: If You Believe also includes the most complete discography ever of her career as well as a "boyfriend-ography"!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Someone once joked that after a nuclear holocaust, the only living creatures will be cockroaches and Cher. Cherlyn Sarkisian Bono Allman (aka Cher) has certainly demonstrated her survival instincts with career successes that range from hit songs in the 1960s through her first Grammy Award in 2001. Along the way, the outrageous chameleon defied nay-sayers by moving fluidly and successfully between a recording career (she and Aretha Franklin are the only women to have a top-10 hit in each of the last four decades) and film work (winning an Oscar for 1987's Moonstruck; a Golden Globe for 1983's Silkwood; and a Cannes Film Festival Award for 1985's Mask), with brief forays on Broadway (Come Back to the Five & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) and in print (her exercise book, Forever Fit). The prolific Bego (who co-authored Dancing in the Streets with Martha Reeves and I'm a Believer with Mickey Dolenz) has assembled a fast-paced and knowledgeable tribute, which, while admiring of the diva, isn't afraid to broach such subjects as plastic surgery. Fans will find a lot more meat here than they did in the diva's own scattershot quasi-memoir, The First Time. Along with the lively writing, Bego offers fans a comprehensive Cher almanac at the back of the book a filmography and discography; the credits for the Sonny & Cher Show; awards; memorable lines from her films; and even a "Boyfriendography" listing all the men she dated between 1962 and 1991. The Supremes' Mary Wilson provides the book's introduction. Photos. Agent, Sasha Goodman.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The persistent and varied career of Cher finds extensive coverage here. An experienced celebrity biographer, Bego covers nearly every high and low of the actress/singer/comedienne's life, from her underprivileged upbringing, through her mid-1980s career implosion, to a 2001 Grammy for her No. 1 single, "Believe." Unfortunately, Bego tends to emphasize the sensationalistic, making the book ring hollow. He glosses over fruitful territory such as Cher's relationship with her lesbian daughter and the sudden death of Sonny Bono in favor of tasteless commentary: "Possessing a fabulous body surgically altered as it may be Cher has never turned the other cheek, but she has often shown her other cheeks." While the book provides an exhaustive discography and filmography as well as a foreword by ex-Supreme Mary Wilson, Cher's irreverence is put to better use in her The First Time (LJ 12/98). Not recommended. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; 1st Taylor Trade Pub. Ed edition (July 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589791355
• ISBN-13: 978-1589791350
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #942,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Bego is the author of 56 books on rock & roll and show business, including two "New York Times" Best Sellers, a "Los Angeles Times" Best Seller, and a "Chicago Tribune" Best Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 10 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His latest book is his 2010 memoir about his career as an author, entitled "Paperback Writer." His show business biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK (Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel), SOUL (Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston), POP (Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Sade, Barry Manilow), and COUNTRY (George Strait, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill). He has also written about film and television stars as well (Rock Hudson, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, The Marx Brothers.

One of the most exciting books of Bego's career is his recent biography on Elton John. The book was released in June of 2009 by Hannibal books of Austria. Published in the German language under the title "Elton John: Die Story," it has been heralded in the media as "the ultimate Elton John" biography by "Manner Magazine." The book was published by Phoenix Books in America under the title "Elton John: The Bitch is Back" (2009), and in England and Australia with the title "The Elton John Story" from JR Books in London that same year. It will be published in Denmark and in Russia as well.

Thanks to Hannibal Books, in 2009 Mark had a great year in German language bookstores. As he explains it, "Not only has Hannibal published my 'Elton John: Die Story,' they also published the German language reprint of my Tina Turner book, under the title 'Tina Turner: Die Biographie.' In addition, they also published a German language exclusive: 'Whitney Houston: Die Biographie.'" All three books are available internationally through German Amazon.com and they are also distributed to bookstores throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The Whitney and Tina books were released in October 2009. In 2011 Mark is due to update his critically acclaimed book, "Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul," internationally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New..., January 29, 2002

By 

Alvin L. Gorgita "alvin4ny" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cher: If You Believe (Hardcover)

My biggest complaint about Mark Bego's book is that it appears he just gathered together all of the People Magazines Cher has appeared in, and compiled them for a book. On page one he indicates he's been a fan since 1966 when the "Good Times" soundtrack was released. Even though it wasn't released until a year later. Mary Wilson, who has been a friend of Mark's for years, writes an intro, that is absolutely useless to the Cher fan. Yes, Cher is nice, she's always friendly. But Mary Wilson is not a chum of Cher's, just a casual aquaintenance. Some of the pictures are nice, but if you're looking for a better biography of Cher, go with the one that J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote back in 1986.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography, July 26, 2003

By 

StarGymnast (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cher: If You Believe (Hardcover)

This book is the best and most up-to-date biography of Cher available today. If you thought that her autobiography "The First Time" didn't really reveal anything about her life, try reading this book.

This book is filled with candid information and never-before-told secrets about Cher's life. This book chronicles EVERY single little thing about Cher, from the number of boyfriends she had to how she felt about Sonny Bono's running for mayor of Palm Springs. The book covers Cher's life up to 2000, and includes information about her "Believe" album and tour, and the movie she released in 2000. Also included in back is a full discography, moviegraphy, episode-by-episode guide of "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour", and even a "boyfriendography"!

If you want to find out about this mega-talented superstar known simply as Cher, this is the book to read. Enjoy!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHEN IT COMES TO CHER, MANY OF US "DO BELIEVE!", September 10, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cher: If You Believe (Hardcover)

For those who are old enough to remember Sonny and Cher, the days of the 60's, sit-ins, love-ins, protests and rock and roll, Cher is a legend long remembered. And, the "Beat Still Goes On." When Sonny and Cher went their separate ways, fans around the world felt their pain and sorrow. Sonny went in one directions, while Cher continued to make history in her colourful musical career.

Through the years Cher has maintained her wit, style, class and magical quality. She can still captivate an audience and give a smashing appearance. Cher has often been criticized as much as she has been loved for trying to hold on to the fountain of youth at any cost. Even if much has been lifted, tucked and reshaped, she still looks fantastic for a woman in her 50's. Perhaps those who knock her sometimes bizarre actions, might be suffering from little bit of the green-eyed jealous monster. The bottom line is she is still a beautful, captivating, extremely talented woman!

There have been many books written on Cher throughout the years from many different perspectives. This one is a little more subdued than others but none the less interesting. How could anything about Cher be anything else but fascinating, she has had such an illustrious, diversified career. Cher's life story could literally fill not one book but volumes. This one is a terrific portrayal of a lady who is truly a legend in her own time and, yes, Cher, some of us "still believe."