A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: MY STORY [Hardcover]

Annette Funicello (Author), Patricia Romanowski (Collaborator)

Book Description

The former Mouseketeer and star of beach party movies chronicles her career, offering recollections of Walt Disney, Frankie Avalon, and many others, and honestly discussing her recent struggle with multiple sclerosis. 75,000 first printing. ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The autobiography of America's favorite Mouseketeer holds few surprises but is a charming read. Funicello describes herself as an atypical celebrity: shy, unassuming and more interested in marrying and raising a family than in mixing with the Hollywood "glitterati." She was discovered by Walt Disney at a dance recital and was catapulted to fame as the most popular Mouseketeer on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club . When the TV show was canceled in 1959, she embarked on a career in music and film, producing such hit singles as "Tall Paul," starring in a slew of '60s movies like Beach Blanket Bingo and becoming an icon of wholesome young womanhood. The book, written with freelancer Romanowski, is sprinkled with affectionate tributes to such friends and colleagues as Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, Fabian Forte and Walt Disney himself. Unabashedly adhering to the "traditional family values" that governed American culture in the '50s, Funicello asserts she had no qualms about giving up fame and fortune to marry and become a mom. But in 1987 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and the latter part of the book is a moving account of her attempt to come to terms with the debilitating disease. Photos not seen by PW . Doubleday Book Club selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Anyone looking for the definition of wholesome can find it in this celebrity bio, which has no ego, no kiss-and-tell, no backstabbing, and not one truly unkind word. Funicello is either everything that she has always been touted to be or manages to completely maintain the facade; nothing here will tarnish her image. She modestly denies understanding why she was singled out and gives glowing reports of "Mr. Disney," the working conditions at the studio, and her rapport with fellow cast members. She describes an idyllic family life and is even able to present her biggest trials-a divorce and her current battle with multiple sclerosis-by unfailingly looking on the bright side. For general collections that can use a heartwarming addition.
--Sherle Abramson, Williamsburg Regional Lib., Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion: NY (May 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786860200
• ISBN-13: 978-0786860203
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #421,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Warm-Hearted Account of a Warm-Hearted Person, March 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: MY STORY (Hardcover)

Obviously, I would not have sought out this book to read if there had not been something about Annette Funicello I had already found very much appealling. And I mean beyond her obvious good-looks and incredible smile. And reading it confirms what I always believed in my heart -and what I wanted to believe- to be true about Annette: she is an absolute sincere and caring person. Okay, if not for Annette's eventual battle with MS, the book doesn't contain any real human drama beyond what most of us might say we experience in our everyday lives (and she acknowledges that!!). And her's is a wonderful life. Annette is absolutely convincing that what she sees through her eyes and the emotions she feels throughout the events of her life are absolutely sincere. Call it sugar-coating if you want. I believe she is absolutely real. Annette always looks to see the best in people. And therefore, it just is not in her heart to pass judgement on people and tear them down - even when sometimes, she gets hurt. Imagine that. And she never "sold out" on her principles for more money or selfish career advancement. In fact, she really was ready to walk away from it completely for the sake of her children and a little privacy. So if you want dirt and drama, go somewhere else. MS or no MS, this book is sweet. But that's Annette. So it should be. And we can all stand to learn something from her, in one aspect or another ...Or just enjoy her taking us on a trip back to an America, as she so describes "has sadly passed into history."

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, lively writing and colorful anecdotes, May 5, 2005

By 

jon sieruga (Redlands, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes, My Story (Paperback)

Surprisingly absorbing and lively recollections from Annette Funicello, one-time Mouseketeer and Disney darling who was the only teen-mouse to graduate to the big screen via "Babes In Toyland" and the "Beach Party" and "Merlin Jones" comedies. Annette comes clean about being the only Mouseketeer kept on contract by Walt Disney after MMC ran its course, and she contemplates why that was and how her co-stars struggled without Disney's guidance. She is very upfront, but also a little indifferent to her own good fortune, embarrassed and innately shy about a career that just fell into her lap. She says she never aspired to fame, but got it regardless. The book continues its interesting narrative even after Annette marries and retires, cleaning the house the day she heard Walt Disney passed, and eventually realizing her marriage was out of gas. Fate dealt Annette (and all her fans) a bitter hand when she was diagnosed with MS, which she still continues to fight, but her inspiring conclusion to the book gives all of us hope.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Story, May 28, 2005

By 

Herman Mintz (Trenton, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: MY STORY (Hardcover)

I have the audio cassette of A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes, and it is beautiful. I've listened to it several times in my car. I don't tire of it because it is a human story. Annette Funicello suceeded on her own -- her father was an auto mechanic and her mother stayed at home. This is an inspiration to children and even adults.