Customer Reviews

Deliver Us from Temptation

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a die-hard fan of entertainment bio's---especially those of Motown stars. I've read books about Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Mary Wilson, Michael Jackson, Two About Marvin, and four about the diva herself, Diana. In 'All That Glittered', Tony spun an interesting tale about the Supremes, told through the eyes of Florence. Having read this book after Mary's two books, I was amazed at how similar and how much more info Tony gave. Tony's way of writing makes you feel that you are in the middle of a gossip fest! It's fast, fluid, funny and very entertaining---which is why I decided to read his second book about The Temptations.

So I decided to find out what all the hoopla was about. It took me a long time to find one at the price I could afford but once it arrived in the mail, I immediately got to work on it. This book is as fast paced and fun-filled as his first on The Supremes. My goodness, I could not put it down'242 pgs of dish! Unlike Otis William's bio focused on Melvin and him, this one tells the story of the 3 legendary LEAD singers Eddie, Dennis and David.

The focus mainly talks about David's drug use and the death of this highly talented and misunderstood star. Tony, who was David's godchild, traveled with him on his cocaine filled tours. Tony was the jack-of-all-trades for David. He got his up in the morning, bathed, fed, clothed and housed him until his tragic death.

Tony also discusses his foe and one time employer Mary Wilson. Tony talks about driving down to a seedy part of town to buy C-sharp (cocaine) with Mary. She apparently starts screaming at the drug dealer about the price! She goes into a version of 'Stop in the Name of Love!' to prove that she IS Mary Wilson. WOW! The book also talks about David's curse filled outbursts at Martha Reeves and anyone else in David's path (funny.) The treatment of Motown of its stars is also touched on. After the hits stopped coming, Motown seemed to forget about the 'kids' who made the company. Motown may have had an artistic development program to teach dance steps and interview techniques but what about the after life of stars like David? Even the diva Diana Ross says that after the Supremes broke up she only had a $100,000 to her name--even though they rivaled the Beatles in sales!

'Deliver us from Temptation' made me weep at the end. After generating millions of dollars for Motown, David died alone apparently in a crack house. His funeral was a mess, held in the same church that Florence Ballard of the Supremes spent her last day above ground. Berry Gordy did not show up at either ceremony--how's that for gratitude! If you can find this out of print book anywhere and are a major Tempts fan--give it a read. You will learn so much about the Tempt that Motown tried to bury long before his was dead.

Is everything in this novel true? Who really knows, but it is a fast-paced fun-filled read.

I have read this book one time, but I'm reading it again to see if I missed something. I'm not really sure how to take this book. I will say this though, it's a quick read. I know as with all books about other people, you can't really believe everything, but somethings I HAVE to mention and question.

1)If he was 12 when he started travelling w/Motown, why would his mother let him travel with all these grown folk? I'm confused by this. From what I've read, it's not like he had any type of family connection to any of them or anything. And he was definitely not in the same boat as Stevie. I don't think I would have let my kid travel w/these adults (who were still very young themselves) and really trust them to watch out for him. Nope.

2)I'm not understanding why his choice of lifestyle has to color the pages of the book. I wonder if it is really necessary. As far as I can see, it doesn't add to the book. IMO. And some of the suggestions he's making do not sit well with me. I just have to ask why.

3)I haven't read anywhere HOW he ended up managing Mary first, and then ending up w/the guys. In Mary's books, she only mentions him once, total. Unless I skipped over, but I'm positive I didn't. And what she said about him wasn't even significant or anything. And the same w/the guys. I haven't read where he said how he ended up managing them or whatever it was he did.

4)And finally, for now anyways, for all the traveling that he did with the guys, there aren't any pictures in the book w/him and the guys. There is one w/him and Den, but not w/Eddie and David. And a lot of the pics of the guys are someone else's pictures. I'm curious about this.

5)In the book, he mentions about when David was replaced. He says that the Tempts were sneaking Dennis in and he gives the impression that David didn't even know Dennis. But if you let Dennis tell it, see the Street Gold tape, David and Dennis talked about it before he got the call. So, I can't help but wonder how close to certain situations Turner really was. Of course he wasn't privy to this particular incident, but this is completely different from what Dennis said.

A lot of his book reads as gossip, and truthfully, there are only so many times I could hear him call himself "Diva" and other such names, and hear others call him "Baby and the b-word" before I quit taking him seriously. It was definitely a bit much.

Also, unlike Martha Reeves or Mary Wilson, I am not understanding why he feels the need to grind an ax. He wasn't burned or anything by Motown, so most of what he says about others (i.e. Diana Ross) is from hearsay or what he's been told. I mean, really, Mary can attest to Diana's actions because it happened to her! Not this guy!

I don't feel like he honored the memories of the great Eddie Kendrick (my favorite), David Ruffin, or even the still living Dennis Edwards. In the preface, he mentions how they told him to keep the family secrets secrets.( it's in there). So I'm inclined to believe that this was more for personal gain than anything else.

I've read better books, and the main thing that this one has going for it is that it's a quick read. Pick it up from your local library, and DON'T U DARE pay ... for a used one!!

Tony Turner's two books contradict each other, they stretch true stories already told multiple time, and get fictionalized, sensationalized, and Turnerized. In other words, they are garbage.

The only people who he writes "dirt" about are dead and unavailable to defend themselves. The rest of the time he trashes Mary Wilson. Why? Because he's a disgruntled former employee who was fired by Mary years ago. It's not worth your time, or your money.

By the way, Tony was sued over this book by the big man at Motown himself. Tony lost. That's why this book is out of print and will probably never come back. But if you're looking for a good read, this is NOT it. Don't waste your time. If you think its a collectible, its not, you can have my copy for free, I don't want it.

Bottom line: Read the autobiographies of Otis Williams, Mary Wilson, Berry Gordy and the many other reat Motown books out there. This one isn't worth five cents.

This book is undoubtedly a must-read for any serious Temptations fan, simply because it's about the Temptations and primarily about their two most important members, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. But other than some rare photos from their final days and a few good digs at Otis, you're sadly not going to get a lot of bang for your buck.

Let's be clear from the start that the problem with the book is not that its author is gay. Many of the reviews on this page are repulsively homophobic, focusing on Turner's sexuality and denigrating him for daring to have one. There are plenty of things to not like about this bit of tabloid fodder, but the fact that Tony Turner fails to hide sufficiently far in the closet for bigots' liking isn't one of them.

Deliver Us From Temptation is probably about what you ought to expect from a "tell-all" book: sensationalism, dubious claims, and really, REALLY bad writing. If writing that is attractive and flows well is important to you, you'll find yourself cringing throughout -- and maybe wondering a bit just how badly the book would read if Turner did not have a professional co-writer on hand.

Most of the book's events take place while Turner is not even working for the ex-Tempts. For short sections, he is employed by Mary Wilson, who he attacks with a misogynistic ferocity that discredits his objectivity completely. (Martha Reeves gets quite similar treatment.) For others, he's simply a hanger-on, someone who "knows people." You can more or less ignore anything he has to say during these sections; most of it is second, third, or even fourth hand knowledge. Some of it may be true, but most of it probably is not, and seems thrown on the page haphazardly from rumor and hearsay. Further, the innuendos regarding foul play in David Ruffin's death are to be disregarded with scorn, as they were long ago discredited.

The sections to pay attention to are those which are told from first-hand experience. While it's clear that Tony embellishes some of his stories (it's a little hard to believe, for example, that David, Eddie, and Dennis spent so much time calling each other "baby" and "bitch"), and probably exaggerates his own importance in their entourage, most of his tales, though outrageous, ring pretty true. Of course, their truthfulness is not a comment on their tastefulness, and many of David's rather sad if probably real drug-related episodes would have been more appropriate to keep private.

Throughout, however, I felt that it was Eddie who gets the real short end of the stick. While David sees virtually all of his dirty laundry aired out to dry, Tony retains a sense of sympathy and compassion around his actions, an understanding of David's addiction, and a willingness to separate the better and worse aspects of his character. Meanwhile, Eddie engages in barely the same levels of hostility as David, only for Tony to go after him like a vulture, repeatedly editorializing about Eddie's irrational and "bitchy" attitude. One gets the impression that Tony decided to pick and choose the "best" stories to tell about David, while indiscriminately sharing any and all dirt he had on Eddie, no matter how petty. Aspects of his life that he clearly wouldn't want revealed are put on the page at random and for no apparent reason -- surely not to advance narrative, but seemingly just for the glee of exposing something against Eddie's wishes. No mention is made of his cancer, though by the time of publication Eddie's health issues were more than public. And no consideration is made for the fact that if Eddie was sometimes cranky and demanding, it was because he was not only under a lot of pressure but also in a lot of pain.

For those looking for seedy details, you'll find them here; though, you'll have to content yourself with mere drugs, as sex is almost non-existent. Music itself rarely comes up, and I could almost certainly count the number of song titles mentioned throughout on my hands. This book isn't nice, it isn't analytical in any meaningful way, it certainly isn't well-written, and big chunks of it probably aren't even true. It does provide, or at least confirm, a bit of insight into these three men's characters, though that insight generally has to be read between the lines. You'll get a few good stories, but probably end up wondering whether or not it was worth the effort. A generally tasteless affair that will leave you feeling a little dirty as you read it, this book provides exactly what it advertises: sordid, tabloid-style muck.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I had heard that Eddie Kendrick was very distressed upon learning that the author was going to write a "tell-all" book about what went on behind the scenes with them, so I was prepared to dislike it. I was expecting it to be a harsh and critical look at the Temptations, specifically three of the Temptations' legendary lead singers: Eddie Kendrick, David Ruffin and Dennis Edwards. But after reading it, instead I saw something different...a totally human side to these guys, these icons of soul I grew up loving as a kid. I found that parts of this book were believable and amusing at times. There were also stories that were so heartbreakingly sad that I wanted to cry. It was also interesting to read something other than the Otis Williams' version of the Temptations' story, because it covers more than just one point of view. I have to stress this point, though - as long as you don't take it too seriously, it makes for entertaining reading.

Tony Turner's view of things leaves a lot to be desired. He claimed to be the road manager for both the Temptations and the Supremes - that's untrue. He was nothing more than a valet for both Mary Wilson in the '80s and David, Eddie and Dennis in the latter part of the decade, up until shortly after David's death and had no hand in making any kind of management decisions. True, Turner doesn't tell us anything that wasn't already common knowledge among Motown fans. He also has exploited the lives of Eddie, David and Dennis, much like Berry Gordy did, and had drawn a lot of attention to himself - which was probably the whole point of him writing this book. Turner's catty writing style and his hint-dropping as to whom he might have had a sexual experience with was annoying. WHO GIVES A DAMN! Who really cares who this glorified groupie/wannabe-but-never-could-be-Supreme slept with? If this is a book about the Temptations, then I am certainly not interested in hearing about the many loves of Tony Turner. So what, you're gay. We get it, already. It served absolutely no purpose to mention any of it, and I'm quite sure he knew that no one would have any interest in a book about his life alone - so why not add it to a book about people that fans actually CARE about.

According to Turner, he claims that long after their glory days at Motown had ended, David, Eddie and Dennis still expected to be treated like A-list stars, as if they couldn't imagine their lives any other way. Their inability to accept the realities of their situations hurt them in later years because they didn't plan for their futures like they should have...They couldn't see beyond the glitz and the glamour of being celebrities. Perhaps Motown had spoiled them, by handling everything for them in the early days. Need a new car? New house? New wardrobe? You got it. Income tax returns? You don't even have to see them, we'll handle everything for you...no need to ask any questions. And they didn't. You get the idea.

It was these very same conditions that caused Kendrick, Ruffin and Edwards and many others in similar positions to rebel against the company in later years and blame Berry Gordy for all the problems they would endure. Were they justified feeling this way? In some cases, absolutely (i.e., EJK being forced to sign away his rights to the material he wrote and produced over the years in order to get out of his Motown contract in 1978 -- shame on you, Berry). In other cases, maybe not. Turner kind of lets you decide by giving you the information and letting you judge for yourself as to whether these guys were simply victims of Gordy's power plays, or were their own worst enemies.

Another thing that was a complete turnoff was that Turner spent entirely too much time and energy bad-mouthing ex-Supreme Mary Wilson. Every opportunity he had, he had something negative to say about her - which basically stems from the fact that Mary had fired him and he was bitter about that. Sometimes I forgot I was reading about the Tempts because Mary's name comes up throughout the book far too many times! It really didn't add anything of value to the story. So hint to Tony: If you're going to write about Mary, please restrict that to a book about her and her ALONE. I really don't want to hear about how much you obviously dislike her in a book that's supposed to be about someone else. But other than that, this book is highly entertaining, bittersweet, and a must for any fan of Motown, the Temptations, and Kendrick, Ruffin and Edwards in particular.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

I am a huge fan of the Temps, and this book was good reading but, it disappointed me. Tony Turner didn't tell us anything that we (fans)didn't already know or suspect nor did he divulge any shocking secrets (Thank God!) As David Ruffin said, "keep family secrets confidential". Did he (Turner) sleep with Berry Gordy or Eddie Kendricks?. Don't know, don't care. What I did want to know... What was the real beef between Otis, Ruffin and Kendricks? Why did he(Kendricks)leave and become so bitter towards the group afterward? He wasn't voted out, he left.(I always thought he left because Paul could no longer sing with them, but that turned out not to be true). Everyone had responsibilties within the group. If they didn't like the way he (Otis) handled discipline,why did they put him in charge of that area? Eddie was the 1st to vote Ruffin out of the group for repeated infractions. He leaves, then hooks up with David & Dennis (the 2 men he says stole he and Paul's leads)and goes on tour with them. I just didn't understand that at all! None of these questions were answered. We all know that Gordy lied,cheated and stole from his groups (all the record big-wigs do). The only ones who were smart enough to take him head-on were Smokey & Diana. They saw the life he was living off them and knew that they should be living like that too. Was everybody else blind or were they just seeing $$$? They didn't believe he "would always take care of them" so why did eveyone else? You can't blame him for everything that happened to these men (Ruffin, Kendricks, & Dennis Edwards)or any of the other former Motown acts. They have to be held responsible for their own actions too. Was it Gordy's fault they were on drugs/alcohol, messing around with different women/men? No,I don't think so. Had they been more interested in their futures instead of just making money, they too would have come out better in the end.I'm not defending what anyone did, I'm just stating a fact. The music business is a harsh,cruel world and they were in it long enough to know no one was gonna look out for them but them. All three of the books did prove one thing. These men all had egos to match their heights. This is what kept them from being really great after they left the group. Maybe instead of feeding these egos, someone should have made them account for their actions. Why be subject to verbal/physical abuse from anyone? I don't know about Mr. Turner, but my Momma didn't raise no fool. As he often stated throughout his book "They were stars and that's just the way they were and we were getting paid to be there". He and others like him seemed to feed off them just as much as Gordy had. And Ruffin's funeral! What a fiasco! If you called this man your "godfather" why didn't you help pay for his funeral? You claim to be doing well in the real estate/book business so this shouldn't have been a problem. I'm sorry but, after reading this book I feel even more sorry for ALL of the Temptations. At least in Otis's book, he tried not to trash anyone. He just told his side about the repeated drug/alcohol abuse, free sex and ego-clashing. I thought as a loyal/close employee Mr. Turner's book would have been better told but, I guess like every one else he's living off the past glory of these great men too.

I have just finished reading Mr. Turner's book regarding the Temptations. I think this book is sheer trash and Mr. Turner claims to have been such good friends with Eddie, David and Dennis. I don't believe he was or he would never have written what he did. I believe he has exploited them just as he said Berry Gordy did. He sounds and I believe is very bitchy and vindictive. I have also read Otis Williams' book, The Tempations in which he did not trash anyone as Mr. Turner has and is far more classy. I think Mr. Turner should stick to selling real estate or whatever it is he does. I think it's pathetic what some people will do to make money. Mr. Turner should be ashamed of himself, but somehow I don't think he is. Why didn't he pay for David Ruffin's funeral? To all of you who haven't read this book - DON'T - it will be a waste of time.

Like many viewers after seeing the television movie I wanted to know more about the group and the individual members. I thank Mr Turner for the information that he gave but I also feel that Mr Turner, like Mr Gordy, used the Temptations for his own personal gains. Overall, the book was informative and entertaining and I am in search of the book to own.

I have re-read Tony Turner's first book, "All That Glittered - My Life With The Supremes," too many times to count, and I LOVED that book, so I was really expecting a great followup when I heard about this book, "Deliver Us From Temptation". In the first book, "All That Glittered", Tony made the reader feel as if he/she were sitting in the same room, having the same conversations, and actually experiencing and reliving events with the Supremes as they happened. But "Deliver Us From Temptation," seems to be the victim of an overzealous editor. The "feel" and "tone" of the book sounds too much like a well-structured novel spliced with a few tawdry gossip incidents, and not enough like a first person conversation, which is why I enjoyed his first book so much.

I also agree with the earlier reviewer. There are too many references and undertones to homosexuality throughout the book. While I'm not knocking Tony Turner's sexual preference, it is clear what it is, all throughout the book. This was not the case with his first book.

I would never have bought this book if I had known that the style of writing would be so different from his first book. After reading the book, I came away feeling sorry for all of the Temptations, especially David Ruffin, and the book does provide insight on the tragic lives of singers that are exploited by their record companies, and in the end, have to keep working all of their lives because they are practically penniless.

The bottom line is: This book was not worth what I paid for it. I will probably try to resell my copy. "Deliver Us From Temptation" is a big letdown after "All That Glittered." I really expected much more from Tony Turner.

Read the book in two days last week (6/19\98). Enjoyed it for the way it added more detail to the story of the "Tempts", my favorite group ever. I have read Otis Williams book, but this one gave an outsiders view, and tells the story of the two voices most readily associated with the group, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, after their having left the group.