Train Wreck: The Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith (Hardcover)

~ Donna Hogan (Author), Henrietta Tiefenthaler (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

She was the most outlandish, outrageous, in-your-face symbol of the age - and suddenly, shockingly, she was gone.

In life,her antics, adventures and behavior kept a nation riveted; in death she stunned a world gripped by the surprise and swiftness of her unexpected passing. Had she ever bothered with a resume it would have been laughably improbable: Krispy Fried Chicken waitress, K-Mart cashier, stripper, Playboy's Playmate of the Year, actress in a Paul Newman film, and spokesperson for Guess? jeans. She was a walking contradiction: often weighing over 140 pounds yet paid to represent a weight-loss pill; illiterate but paid to be a columnist for an American tabloid; she was demeaned and laughed at, yet the Bush administration sent its top lawyer to file a brief on her behalf in her fight for her husband's mega millions. At her death she may have beenon the brink of inheriting between $90 million and $450 million, yet she had lived on the edge of bankruptcy. The woman was, of course, Anna Nicole Smith. We were fascinated by her 10-year court battle for her late husband's estate, her fluctuating breast size, the birth of her daughter, the tragic death of her son three days later, the paternity suits against her, as well as her eviction from her ex-boyfriend's house in the Bahamas. Her life read like a soap opera script too incredible to be believed; while she lived there was always a surprise lurking at every corner, and her death came as the ultimate, astounding twist. This is the story of the little girl from west of nowhere, born into a broken, dysfunctional, dirt-poor family, told by the one woman who knew her best.

A mother at 18, with little education, she faced the same hardscrabble life as all her relatives. Her fierce resolve, pluck, luck and determination allowed her to claw her way to celebrity status,becoming a tabloid staple, and to reach the potential of unimaginable wealth. And then, in a moment, she was gone, not yet 40 years old. A Horatio Alger story with a bitter ending, TRAIN WRECK- The Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith, is the definitive story of the rise and swift fall of one of the most compelling characters to blaze across the American sky.

About the Author

DONNA HOGAN is Anna Nicole Smith's sister. This is her first book. Henrietta Tiefenthaler is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Books (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597775401
• ISBN-13: 978-1597775403
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #640,347 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I Don't Want to Pile On, But..., April 22, 2007

By	K. "bookkitten" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

I actually did buy and read the book, as it seems many here in the review section did not. I did so because I'm very interested in biography and memoir as a genre, and because I thought Anna Nicole Smith was an interesting example of the blonde bombshell archetype.

Upon reading the book, what I discovered is that the author is still in a state of confusion as to how she feels about her half-sister, as is, apparently, the whole family. It must be noted that Donna Hogan reveals some awful truths about Anna Nicole's father: that he was a child molester, child abuser, and torturer of animals, all signs of a sociopathic personality. The fallout was horrible--all of the family wounded and in a state of anger, hurt, and confusion. And though Donna Hogan doesn't reveal much about Anna Nicole's mother, she does include Virgie's birth date, which would make Virgie a teenager when she gave birth to Anna. Clearly, Anna Nicole had an absolutely god-awful childhood. So when we've seen Anna's family members go on television and claim that everything was hunky dory and the real problem was "Vickie," clearly they are not telling the truth--or they are too embroiled in the mess to see the truth. The family was dysfunctional with a capital "D" and Anna Nicole did miraculously well to get out and become a success on any level.

Which brings us back to Donna Hogan. My heart goes out to her. Unlike her half-sister Anna Nicole, Donna couldn't escape the horrific mess that was her family and she has struggled to overcome their painful legacy. Like a child of abusers, she on the one hand claims that the family was dysfuctional, and on the other she claims that Anna "abandoned" them. She on the one hand claims that the family is respectable and not "trailer trash," and on the other hand gives reason after reason that it is. She contradicts herself over and over throughout the book. It's pretty clear that Donna simply hasn't sorted it all out yet and I think at the bottom of it she was angry with Anna for having the ability to leave the family when she herself has not.

Of course the sad thing for Anna Nicole Smith is that, though she physically left her abusive family, she carried a lot of pain around with her all her life. The prescription drug use makes absolute sense in light of her horrific background. And I imagine that when Anna's mother accused her and Howard Stern of having a hand in killing her son Daniel, Anna Nicole had about as much as she could take. Why continue on in a world where your own mother was capable of such cruelty? For me, her mother's accusation was the nail in Anna Nicole's coffin.

Finally, I was absolutely gob-smacked that Donna Hogan would call her own sister a "train wreck." She claims in her book that she was deeply hurt that Anna Nicole left her. Would you stay in touch with a sister who calls you a "train wreck"?

I think that one day Donna will sort out her feelings about Anna and her family, but that today it's still a jumble of anger, hurt, and confusion. When she does sort it out, I think she might realize that she did a hurtful thing in writing this book with the scathingly critical tone she did. I hope that she gets away completely from her "family." Too bad her sister wasn't able to ever truly get away.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, April 30, 2007

By	L. French - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a disgrace. It is poorly written. Even the photo section was lacking photos of Anna Nicole, but instead included photos of the author, the author's friends, the author's friends' children, etc.

I can quite honestly say that this is probably the worst book I have ever read. Don't waste your money. Don't even waste time going to the library. I would have rated is ZERO stars except this system doesn't allow anything below 1.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Might Have Expected It, April 20, 2007

By	H. Bush - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I might have expected "nothing much" from a sister whose life had not connected much with Anna Nicole Smith. I didn't really want a lot of autobiography of Donna Hogan and pictures of herself and her friends, but I got it. I do hope that the government agency that oversees disability pensions reads the part about Donald Hogan.