Customer Reviews

Jazz Baby Childhood

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We have all read books about Joan Crawford's life as a movie star, after all she was the PERFECT MOVIE STAR for more than 50 years, so I eagerly anticipated reading a book about her deprived childhood. Sadly this book left a lot to be desired.

Mr.Houston the author starts the book out in Lawton, Oklahoma where Billie Cassin aka Lucille Leseur aka Joan Crawford was raised as a young child. There are few new details added to what most other biographers have written, the stepfather was owner of a local theater and Billie was exposed to show biz through him.

The thing I disliked most about this book was the author writing conversations between Joan and whomever she was speaking with as if he were there eavesdropping. That is just moronic.

The same old stories of Joan being abused as a child while attending St. Agnes and Rockingham Academy are drummed out with a few local folks being quoted as her being pretty much of a slut and ner do well. It's the same old story. I did enjoy seeing the few photo's in the book, some were very rare and I had never seen them before. The book however, did reinforce the face that Billie Cassin aka Joan Crawford did come from very humble beginnings and by sheer force of will and determination made it to the heights of movie stardom.

I didnt really read this book all the way through. There was only one passage in paticular I was looking for. My grandmother was the nanny of Joan Crawford's kids, making her witness to the events described in Mommie Dearest. So it's alright