Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World (Hardcover)

~ Lynne Spears (Author), Lorilee Craker (Author)
Key Phrases: tabloid media, Jamie Lynn, New York, Laura Lynne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

We all want our children to succeed. What happens when they do?

Britney Spears wanted to sing ever since she was a little girl. But the years of sacrifices, auditions, performances, albums, fame, and paparazzi left the little Louisiana family swept up and spun around, and nothing turned out the way anyone ever imagined or wanted. Now Lynne shares the inside story of the Spears family as only a mother can.

Through the Storm takes readers outside the narrow orbit of the Hollywood glitterati. Lynne shares how fame forever changed their family; her regrets letting managers, agents, and record companies direct the lives of her children; the challenges that shaped Lynne and Jamie's failed marriage and how they affected Bryan, Britney, and Jamie Lynn; the startling events that led to Britney's breakdown; the aftermath of Jamie Lynn's pregnancy; and how the family has tried pulling together to recapture a sense of hope and purpose.

Through the Storm, says Lynne, is "the story of one simple Southern woman whose family got caught in a tornado called fame, and who is still trying to sort through the debris scattered all over her life in the aftermath. It's who I am, warts and all, with some true confessions that took a long time to get up the nerve to discuss."

About the Author

Lynne Irene Bridges Spears has a degree in elementary education from Southeastern Louisianna University. She has three children: Bryan James, Britney Jean, and Jamie Lynn. Spears coauthored the novel A Mother's Gift with her daughter, Britney.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; illustrated edition edition (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595551565
• ISBN-13: 978-1595551566
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Now I understand why the press hates her, October 20, 2008

By	Jessica Gottlieb "Mommy Blogger" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is a mother's journal about her three children, two of whom we already know too much about. Sadly, as is with many journals the writing is juvenile and punctuated with at least two exclamation points per page! Can you imagine how difficult it is to read that?! Finally I got out a highlighter and highlighted all the exclamation marks!

All kidding aside, I'd expected the book to be a mea culpa of sorts, a mother's apology to her daughers for not protecting them from the world. Sadly, I got a poorly written sanctimonious finger pointing bit of blather.

Apparently it's all Jamie's fault, Jamie being the father, I'm sure that the three Spears children appreciate having their father's name dragged through the proverbial mud. Ms. Spears spent countless hours writing a book wherein she preached a little bejeezus to us all and pointed her finger at anyone who crossed her path. Apparently she's spent her entire life bewildered.

I hate to do this. It pains me to say this, but the book is completely missable. There's one chapter far in the back where she describes Britney's relationship with Sam Lufti. If memory serves, the chapter lasted 3 pages.

I pity the Spears family. Clearly they weren't equipped to deal with the machine that Hollywood has become. I wanted to review this book and be able to say that Lynne Spears wrote a great book about Hollywood and how to survive it. Alas, it's a poorly written piece that reveals nothing and puts the nail in the coffin that is Lynne Spears' good name.

What a shame.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An okay read..., September 30, 2008

By	redlover "Crimson" (cinci, OH) - See all my reviews

This book was an easy read, and I don't regret buying it. However, I wasn't as impressed with it as the other reviewers. For one thing, the book jumped around a lot, instead of staying in chronological order. I really thought it could have been organized better. Second, it got very religious, mainly towards the end. It was almost like she was obsessing over it, since her daughters are doing okay now and she no longer needs to obsess over their careers. I'm a christian myself, buy if I wanted to read a religious book I would have purchased one from a more reputable author-no offense to Lynne! Third, and most important, I still see her as a "stage mom". In one sentence Lynne says she was a normal mom taking her ambitious daughter to normal activities. In the next paragraph she talks about driving to Florida to audition for Mickey Mouse Club, then MOVING to New York for 4 months while Britney starred in a play when she was only 10 or 11 years old! I'm sorry, but a line was clearly crossed somewhere around that time! I don't care how many doors were opening for Britney, Lynne should have closed them until she was older! I have a 10 year old daughter, and I would never allow so many activities and competions. Money and fame aren't aren't everything. Family and education are the most important.
To sum it up, I don't agree with the way Lynne raised her kids, and I feel she's good at playing the "naive" card. However, I'm still glad I gave the book a chance and tried to see her point of view.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Full Of Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing, February 4, 2009

By	Michael Carnell (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

I recently picked up "Through The Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World" by Lynne Spears. Mrs. Spears is the mother of Britney, Jamie Lynn and bryan Spears. What struck me first was the title, or should I say subtitle. A "real story" of the "tabloid world" seemed to be contradictory. But, as painful as it is to read and admit, this does ring true as a real story in exactly the same way that one could do a real story about cosmetic surgery.

Reading the book it also quickly becomes clear where the root of the families problems is. Lynne Spears is a mother who passed on to her children the need for fame and success without any real regards for the cost or the process. Turning true talent and personality into celebrity became the fastest way to do that.

There is a quote pulled out about two-thirds of the way through the book that says, "I wonder what Mama and Daddy would have said about all the craziness surrounding Britney, Jamie Lynn, and all of us. They were from another era, a time when character counted more than celebrity, and when you word was your sacred trust." Those two lines about sum up this unfortunate story.

The incidents in "Through The Storm" show that the Spears girls, lead by their mother, abandoned character and values for the glamor of celebrity. Equally as evident in reading this is that there is always someone else to blame and the prayer that God will bail you out. Instead of taking personal responsibility for actions, causes, and consequences, Lynn Spears always places the blame outside of herself. Showing still that character just is not there.

As for the book itself, it is a quick but disjointed read - very much like the lives of the pop celebrities it detail. The style and content is about as filling as watching E! on television. If that is what you enjoy then you will enjoy "Through The Storm". If however, you prefer real biographies, real stories, real news - then move on to something else.