Reba: My Story (Mass Market Paperback)

by Reba McEntire (Author), Tom Carter (Author) "LOVE IS A LIVING THING..." (more)
Key Phrases: roping pen, running barrels, finals rodeo, Bill Carter, San Diego, Red Steagall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The paperback publication of the country music star's autobiography coincides with the release of her new album.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Country music superstar Reba McEntire describes her Oklahoma childhood as a member of a cattle ranching family, her early days as a performer, her award-winning musical achievements, the tragic loss of her eight band members, and her marriages. Reprint.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553572385
• ISBN-13: 978-0553572384
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,379 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #57 in

  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Country & Folk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE book!!, May 9, 1999

By A Customer

For anything you want to know about Reba's life, this IS the book to read. I was not fond of country music of any kind, until I read this book. Now, I am a HUGE Reba McEntire fan..one of the biggest, because I gained enormous respect for her for bringing the truth out to all her fans. This book is funny, sad, sometimes surprising...but always well written, straight from the heart. You will enjoy this book, and the audio is great too because she reads it herself! I highly reccommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful story worth listening to!, January 23, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Narragansett, Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: REBA MY STORY (Audio Cassette)

So you want to get to know Reba? These tapes are a great way to start. They are a shortened version of her autobiography (also a must read), and the best part is she narrates herself. Reba has lots of heartbreaking, hilarious, and amazing stories to tell. From her early life, to the rise of her career, to her divorce and the devastating plane crash that took the lives of 8 of her friends, Reba's matter-of-fact approach keeps you hooked.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reba : The Truth, and Other Fairy Tales, November 20, 2007

By	Cabir Davis - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

First of all, I really like Reba's writing style. Its as if you're sitting with an old friend and catching up with whats happening in their lives. That said, the positives end with that. As a fan of Reba's music, I have always been perplexed and annoyed by some of her musical decisions. Obviously I cant be upset about her personal choices in her life, because its her life, she can do what she wants to - but her attempt at sainthood in this sad autobiography was very, very disappointing.

I think Dolly Parton was probably the only country singer who actually sang about her background and childhood with some degree of truth. Here, Reba contradicts herself so often that its hard to empathize. I especially found her account of `that' tragic incident (her entire band killed in an airplane crash) very strange and distant, as if she didn't want to dwell too much on it. She also seems very defensive at various stages in the book, as if the public opinion really did matter so much to her. Then she follows it up by vehemently stating that she doesn't care what people think. I don't know, maybe she's bipolar?

I think the worst part of the book is where Reba defends her relationship with Narvel Blackstock. This was a man that the entire country music industry knew she was having an affair with for almost five years, while she was also married to another man at the same time. In an attempt to sanitize this, Reba gives us curious, vague, and often inexplicable stories of how they NEVER kissed or held hands while she was still married, and how every romantic notion she had about Blackstock came MUCH after her divorce. Really Reba? Are people that stupid, or have you deluded yourself into believing your own version of the truth?

The musical memories are fun though. I always wondered how she came about singing Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy" (one of the all time great songs) and she tells the tale so well. Also, her insecurities and neuroses are very similar to most peoples' but she does come across as very determined and hard-fisted. Perhaps that's why many people think shes a bit of a harlot, but frankly don't read this book if you want to GAIN respect for Reba. I lost much of the respect I had for her after reading this, because it seems that she's taken every major portion of her life and polished it up to an extent that she emerges looking like some sort of heroine. Seriously.

A great work of fiction. An autobiography it is not. Take all of Reba's reminisces with a Manhattan-sized pinch of salt.