Customer Reviews

The Vixen Diaries

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(107)

 

 

I had a debate with a co-worker about whether Superhead had learned anything in her first book. While my co-worker refused to budge on Superhead learning a thing and still being the same person, I was just as stubborn about saying that I felt she'd grown as a person. However, I still can't bring myself to support any publication that depends on gossip (I don't even read gossip magazines and flat out will not read forwards about celebrities--I simply don't care unless it's positive), but I read her second book in about 3 hours while sitting in a cafe because her last one was funny as hell, and I wanted to see if I was right about her evolving as a person.

Three things came to mind.

Men in Relationships: I've never sided with a rapper who speaks badly about women, but if I was a male rapper and had dealt with Karrine, I could understand Nelly's point on "Hip Hop Versus America" when he said that a man may talk badly about women if in a bad situation with someone close to him. I read this book and she turned down so many good guys because they weren't fun enough. Then when they were fun enough, they weren't wild enough. Then when they were too wild, then they weren't smart enough. Then when they were smart enough, then they were boring. Then when they were boring, then she wanted young. When they were young, she wanted steady. It just went on and on and on. I got to the point where I was thinking "Lady, just be single! Stop wasting all these good men's time."

Parenthood: I have a friend who just had a baby. She talks about her daughter to death and since I don't want children, I can't relate when she is excited about so many small things her daughter does. But reading this book, I felt more sorry for Steffans' son now than I did before. Every single chapter, there was another man involved (and some revisiting), a nanny taking care of her kid while she was out perusing the town, and pretty much the only time her son was mentioned was when one of her many men took an interest in him and momentarily played daddy. I just cannot understand why Steffans does not realize that while she's out chasing the man of her dreams, she's got a young boy who probably DREAMS that she'll pay as much attention to him as she does to sex and dating. I'm absolutely positive that as that boy grows up, he's going to have a negative perception of women with the rotating door of dudes walking in and out of his mom's house. He's also going to crave attention. Karrine, if you're reading this review, has it ever occurred to you that the same amount of love you need from a man, your own son could use that kind of love from you? From this book, it sounds like he's a second thought. Her book made me more interested in the small things a parent loves about their child simply because there are too many parents who neglect their own seeds.

Cattiness: Various times through this book, Superhead said repeatedly that she's grown as a person, is more mature, and does not rely on sex. She said she doesn't understand why everyone is always worried about her sex live. HELLO! YOU WROTE A BEST-SELLING NOVEL (by the way, I've met so many best-selling authors over the years, and ironically, not one of them has ever felt the need to keep reminding or even mentioning that they are a best-selling novelist--that was getting really irritating and arrogant) ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE AND IT WAS BASED AROUND SEX WITH RAPPERS! How do you expect us to regard you? Even as a best-selling novelist, your book was a memoir about your sex life. It's hard to divide the two, kinda like dividing Stephen King from horror. But as much as this best-selling author KEPT saying she grew as a person, she kept putting people on blast. It was very nasty to say the comment about Larenz, completely tacky to make the comment about where Antonio's mouth had been, unnecessary to make the comment about Tisha, and then calling out Papa at the end of the book proved nothing more than to break up more marriages. I find it very pathetic when a woman who is supposed to be grown finds nothing more satisfying than making sure people in their own relationships are as unhappy as possible and you're the cause of it. Why was it necessary to say who Papa was? That was low, especially considering his wife's circumstances. She could've at least respected Papa's wife's situation even if Superhead felt that his body language wasn't matching his words. Still worse, the comment to Bobby for revenge was just as bad. I felt like I was reading a memoir from a 13-year-old girl who is head of some high school club and doesn't understand why boys suck rather than a mother and a "best-selling author."

I really hope that someday she gets into a relationship that is permanent, stops opening her legs to random men (70% of new HIV/AIDS patients are Black women in our age group), and pays attention to her son. I tried to be objective in this review, but there's no way around it. This book was well-written and a page-turner, but I got it at the library because I could not see myself supporting a woman so incredibly immature. Unbelievable. I developed a whole new line of respect for Jamie Foxx, and I hate saying I was wrong, but I guess I have to go tell my co-worker she was right: Superhead/Karrine Steffans has not learned a thing.

Here's the problem with writing a revealing autobiography -- you have no material left for the inevitable sequel.

But that's only one of the many problems with "The Vixen Diaries," a flaccid recounting of Karrine "Supahead" Steffans' sex life and career in the year of 2006. When she's not posing, preening and preaching, Steffans is racing from one one worthless fling to another.

Much of the book is a celebration of how her life has changed since the publication of "Confessions of a Video Vixen" -- she now has money, notoriety, celebrity friends, a nice home, new ultramegaexpensive cars whenever she damages one (which seems to be frequently), and enough financial room that she can make a habit of club-hopping through L.A.

This is where reality starts fuzzing out, because apparently her small amount of fame (or infamy) has gone to Steffans' head. Suddenly she's no longer a damaged hip-hop groupie/video girl who exchanged sex for money, but a "an author" who writes "internationally bestselling nonfiction" with a "message." Oh yes, and if you disapprove of her, you're obviously a chauvinist.

But this book isn't just about Steffans' success with the last one -- it's also about men. Ray J, Eric Benet, a strung-out Bobby Brown, Mike Tyson, Magic Johnson, the Icon, and her ex-boyfriend Bill Maher -- whom Steffans rhapsodizes about until I got the squirmy feeling that I was seeing a woman beg. Not pretty.

One of the most hilarious lines of the entire book is: "... some people can't seem to get over my past -- the partying, the relationships, the sex..." This, of course, coming from a woman whose "internationally bestselling nonfiction" was all about sex with rappers.

It's a pretty funny pronouncement from someone who poses like a porn star on the cover, and revels in the fame her sex-drugs-hip-hop book has brought her. No matter how many times she says she loves staying at home, puts her son first, et cetera... what really stands out is the amount of time she spends chasing men and partying. It leaves you feeling sorry for her kid, who watches his mother bounding desperately after one man after another.

Despite her tepid, gossipy prose, Steffans does manage some stirring moments -- the painful account of grandfather's death is quite touching, and her encounter with Jamie Foxx shows what a pleasant guy he is. But these are only a few moments in a paper-thin narrative, dominated by a schizophrenic carousel of men who are married, creepy, wounded or strung-out -- all of whom she claims to "love."

Aside from her disdain for LA, there's little that's new here. The thin book is padded with pompous ponderings about Hollywood, homosexuality, relationships, marriage, double standards, being a parent and the woes of being rich'n'famous. Insightful, they ain't. One interlude -- where she scratches a Mercedes and goes screeching to the dealership for a new one -- is absolutely painful.

And though she piously outpreaches a hypocritical minister, Steffans comes across as a pretty nasty piece of work herself. She drips scorn on her lovers' wives, on a publicist who does not recognize her as a "celebrity," and even calls Bobby Brown to gleefully tell him that his ex-wife is now having sex with Karrine's ex-boyfriend. How mature.

The nastiness climaxes in the final pages, where she writes a drippy, sexual letter to her married lover, "Papa." But she reveals his name this time -- how wonderfully classy of her.

"The Vixen Diaries" is a tedious, trashy trip through the ego of Karrine Steffans, who apparently thinks that recounting sex with rappers makes her a Great Artist. Ultimately, it makes her a walking headache.

This is the biggest waste of money. The Vixen had to have written this in one morning, because it only took me two hours on a Saturday morning to complete this work. All she did was talk about Bobby, Ray J and Bill. How pathetic. She is practically begging Bill to marry her, throughout the book. This is a plot or we are being "punked". She has no pride, but wants to be seen as respectable. And papa??? Method Man??? Please. His wife has cancer so I suppose she felt she could reveal him. This book reads like the diary I kept when I was 10 years: juvenile and redundant.

I hope everyone who is interested in what Ms. Stephens has to say reads the book quickly in the bookstore and skips spending their hard earned money on this low level literature.

I purchased, read and was entertained by her first book. I was interested in following her so-called evolution as a woman. I rooted for her. I believed her when she said that she wrote the book so she could show young women what NOT TO DO. I believed her when she said that she planned on letting women know that they didn't have to sell their bodies and souls in exchange for superficial fame, jewelry, money and other material items.

However, she didn't do any of that. She has continued to prostitute herself. The sad thing is that this time "it's totally her choice". She is teaching young women through her books and website that broadcasting all of the men that you sleep with is fashionable and profitable. She's allowing young women to believe her lie.

I hope that women who read any of her books understand that her life is a lie. I hope that they understand that any woman that would allow man after man after man to have sex with her has deep rooted problems. In her first book, she openly discussed allowing rappers and/or producers to hand her over to other artists for their pleasure. Any woman who could allow this to happen has been abused and has serious problems.

Normally, I would say give her time and she will grow, learn and evolve into a healthy human being. But, I am truly angry about the fact that her books are turning into a harmful manual for young women. These young women are still learning how to navigate this journey called womanhood. Ms. Stephens books are ushering them into the shadowlands.

This new book is merely a way for her to make more money. It almost seems like she pursued all these men, so that she had something to write about. What does that say about her true writing abilities.

I suggest that if you truly want to read about a recovering prostitute/porn star then read Heather Hunter's book. At least Heather is more honest about who she is and who she was. She recognizes that she made mistakes and she doesn't place blame on anyone but herself.

The saddest part of all of her writings is her son. I am the mother of two children, a son and a daughter. I couldn't imagine leaving a legacy of self-hatred to my children. Her lack of character, integrity or dignity is mind boggling. She thinks that she is doing something for him by establishing financial freedom. Did she not learn anything from Anna Nicole Smith? What is she leaves this earth tomorrow? Would any mother be happy with leaving a manuscript of your life, to your children, like Video Vixen and Vixen Diaries??????

Where do I begin? Now I never hated Karrine before, she is not the first nor last woman in this world that got ahead by using sex. And really, I pegged her last book as a growing and learning experience.
However, this book is really sad. And like many of the other reviewers I don't believe she has grown at all. Maybe she has seen an increase in her own personal strength. But her morals are going down the drain by the day.
She relies on men to make her feel good and to bring her from one bad experience to next. She doesn't care if they're married, involved, or too young (in the book she talks about if the public knew the identity of one of her conquest we would label her a predator).
Not only does she not feel sorry or remorse for the relationships that she helps to destroy, but she has no problem putting it in ink so that wives can have their betrayal on record forever.
Of every single man (or boy!) that she writes about in this book she says something like "we will always be connected" "we have something no one else understands" "we share a love that can not be broken" "you will always have a part of me". By the end of the book I'm like there isn't a part of you left.
She has no idea how to let go of the past. And she has a false belief that all of these men are somewhere off pining for her and reminiscing on their torrid rendezvous, the way she is.
I feel a little embarrassed for Bill Maher who probably has had people walk up to him saying sorry for the way karrine put in detail how she cheated on you with method man.
It amazes me how she can wonder why she is not happy or settled down yet. What goes around always comes back around. And she has a lot to reap.

Unfortunately, for me, The Vixen Diaries failed to measure up to Confessions. Karrine no longer wants to dish dirt. The book was talked up to be packed with intriguing details that she didn't cover in Confessions. Yeah right. It doesn't even seem like the same person is writing this book. It's TOTALLY different. I heard Karrine say in an interview that no one wants her to be different. She wants to change. That's understandable, but the book was talked up to be a follow up. That is what everyone expected. I expected so much more after reading Confessions. I had also heard that she dropped Harper Collins because Warner Books offered her six figures. I immediately pre-ordered! This to me meant that this would be HOT! Bill Maher seems to be her main target. If she wanted to say something to him....she could have just sent him a personal letter not a public one. To say Karrine is supposed to be writing these "Tell All" books....that's not what this Diary is! Who keeps SOOOO many secrets from there diary? I thought that you write EVERYTHING in your diary! Can't say this name...."the things he shared with me will remain private"....I will call him "the Icon"! Basically, if you like Karrine read it, just know that it is NOT what you were expecting! Borrow a copy from someone. Look in the dumpster....you may find a few copies. Just don't rush to buy it! Save your money! It will go on sale! Sorry for the disappointment.

Although I did enjoy the first book, this sequel was absolutely horrible. It was actually painful to read as I struggled to finish it. The majority of this book is filled with Karrine ranting and raving nonstop at how much of a celebrity she is. She even has the audacity to consider herself an "A" lister. It is nauseating. It actually proves that she hasn't changed one bit and her priorities are still out of whack.

You went to Jamie Foxx's house? You slept with rappers? You were on a red carpet? You have a mercedes? Whoop-dee doo! Big deal! Is this how you determine your self worth?

She is more interested in her "status" and criticizes others that don't share her insatiable desire to be accepted in Hollywood. Karrine, some of us don't need fame and fans to feel important. She even insults friends who choose to get married and become mothers stating that they aren't motivated. Well, these friends' terrible lives seem more appealing to me than the situations Karrine has found herself in over the last few years. She mentions having drug addicts in her home and an ex driving drunk with her son. She cuts herself because of some man and has her son taken away. She stays out until all hours of the night only to step in just in time for her son to go to school. She mentions the men that come and go from her house. She just doesnt get it!!

I was really pulling for this girl to get herself together after the first book, but she still has the same warped perception. I can't believe she's in her mid 20's either. You see her on interviews and she looks at least 40.

If you must read this book, get it from the library like I did. Don't waste your money. The writing is terrible and jumps around so much. It's hard to keep up. Karrine will keep telling you how great of an author and writer she is. It sounds like she is trying to convince you...and probably herself.

This is an update to an earlier review. I have just finished up the audiobook of Vixen Diaries 8/31/09. I haven't read up much on Steffans since I wasted my damn library card on Confessions in the summer of '05. Not much overall has changed with her in my opinion with book 2 which is all the things that have happened to her since book 1. It is still sad that per this book she still seems obsessed with hanging out with the who's who of Hollyweird she likes to brag about knowing and while she trashes how that society is she is still enthralled in being in it's limelight. Too bad the energy she focuses on enabling Bobby Brown (until she had enough of that), replacing a Mercedes that she scratched up herself (instead of getting the damages fixed), jumping from man to man, not getting over her breakup with Bill Maher that she ends up cutting herself (who by my surprise as a regular watcher of his "Real Time" show and watching him on tv for over a decade had been used to his ahole personality was actually really good to her even if she thought of him too safe and boring yet she still carries her feelings for her "daddy") not realizing all of this mess and the impact it has on her son (who gets taken away after she cuts herself up due to the break up with Maher really affecting her BADLY) she could have been using to work on her very strained relations with her negative, bitter mother. Ironically enough she doesn't poison her son on his grandmom yet I don't buy all that BS of her having moved on and forward of her resolved childhood issues about her bitter mom. Yet she has more forgiveness in her heart on some of these guys who treated her bad and used her in body (again my mind boggles on her schizoid personality). It is laughable when she talks about people not being able to see beyond her first book and yet at the same time she loves to brag about her New York Times Best Seller status (ummm darling that is how you got to be famous in the first place). Her schizoid personality shines brightly on relationships on how she flips between wanting safe, educated and stable guy one minute (Maher) and the wild, crazy , hip hop and likes to party guy (Bobby Brown, Ray J, Boy Toys, Baby Boy, this boxer dude who was married) the next. It's like you wanna tell girlfriend to really really get some deep intensive counseling to discover that woman who birthed you that you despise and run away from you share some of the same mental traits and personality flaws of. Just like in book one I STILL TRULY FEEL SORRY SORRY FOR HER SON!!!

The true icing to end it all is the letter to Papa (aka Method Man) and how she states she has evolved and changed. Yet she felt remorse on the tryst she shared with him and carries a torch with him while moving onto Daddy Maher-LOL. Again throughout the course of this book, like book 1 is the ins and outs of her and various men she develops feelings for that she ends up in romantic relationships for. AGAIN I TRULY FEEL SORRY FOR HER SON!! I pray her son doesn't grow up with a negative outlook on women and can learn from his mom's bad experience on how NOT TO TREAT A YOUNG WOMAN!!!! This book should be read by single moms to learn on how to be more cautious on NOT HAVING various men in and out of your life and house around your kid.

Now who really knows (but herself and The Lord) if Karrine has finally settled down now that she has married Darius McCrary (from Family Matters who she also had someone of a crazed relationship with) but if she has God bless her. Yet she must realize when she does interviews for this latest book "Vixen Manuals" people will still be inquiring on her first book that has given her the best seller status (that she loves to brag about) and not to come off with such a nasty attitude (as showcased on a few online interviews I have seen-LMAO)!! She has to prove to folks she has evolved from her first book and by showcasing stank attitude she has fallen right into the trap the interviewers baiting her on what made her famous (in the first place) are wanting!! By doing that she still has just been nothing more than just a woman who writes stuff that isn't genuinely true on evolving and finally growing the hell up!!

Sorry, but this book is terrible no matter what you were expecting from it. If you want to know about any relevant celebrity gossip, this book is not for you. Go reread "Confessions" or read that terrible (but still more juicy) Carmen book "It's no Secret." If you want to hear an uplifting inspirational story about a girl that has changed her life for the better; sorry this book is definately not that either. Go read "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. However, if you want to read a book about a delusional woman who believes she is more of a celebrity than Bobby Brown and Lorenz Tate, then this is the book for you. If you want to read about a woman's intense, almost crazy, love for Bill Maher and how he loves her back yet he won't get back with her (b/c he knows she is a psycho), then this is the book for you. If you want to hear about someone bragging about having obscure celebrity friends on MySpace like that is something special when ANYBODY can be MySpace friends with a bunch of celebrities, then this is the book for you! Lastly, if you want to hear someone complain about and then brag about their "fame" in the same sentence, this book was written for you! However, I think 97% of the population would not find this interesting, especially when this person is NOT famous for being a New York best selling author! She became famous for dishing about other famous people!! Don't buy this book to support this delusional woman because she is still the same person from the first book squandering all her money. Why in the world would you stay in California when you know your money isn't going to stretch far there? Why in the world are you buying a Mercedes? If you were really smart and concerned about maintaining a stable life for your son, you would live somewhere where the cost of living is lower and you would be driving a moderately priced car! Then the rest of your money would be in savings and investments! How could you have once hit rock-bottom, but yet you continue to do the same things that made you hit rock-bottom before you wrote your first book?
Long story short, don't buy this book. If you are curious, a few websites have already told the juicy parts, so visit them...or, as other people have suggested, borrow it from a friend, borrow it from the library, or just read it in a store.

First off let me start by saying her writing skills have improved drastically (most likely due to a highly paid editor). Based on her first book I assumed the writing would be equally as bad.

Anyway, in this book Karrine chronicles her expierences after 'Confessions' (her first book for those of you who are unaware). She discusses encounters from celebrities mentioned in her previous book and new encounters (yes, some sexual, unsuprisingly). However, Karrine defitnetly leaves many more undisclosed names in this one than the last, which is a BIG disappointment. As she says somewhere in the book, she has many secrets and will never tell all of them. As a reader I believe if you're going to choose to write a book, don't do short cuts or leave s*** out; be upfront and honest about it. I understand she owes the audience nothing, but we're the ones who put money in her pocket, so essentially she does owe the audience something - an honest, no-holds-barred book.

Anybody who claims they read "The Vixen Diaries" not hoping for some juicy gossip is a lie, point blank. If that IS what you're hoping for, you will be extremely disappointed, trust me. Something else I found quite annoying is how she went on and on about herself, as if she's the scientist who found the cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and every other disease out there with no known cure . I'm glad that she has improved and evolved as a woman, but Jesus GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, SHUT UP AND GET TO THE GOOD STUFF (which is limited in this book). For example she finally reveals who Papa is ('papa' is a little nickname she gave to a man in her first book but refused to reveal his identity for some odd reason). I don't know about the rest of you all, but his identity didn't shock me at all. It's purely obvious that Bill Maher is a man she truly loves (or THINKS she loves anyway), as she constantly mentions him throughout the book. The funny thing about that is, somewhere in the book she states herself that Maher is known for dating strippers, video models, women of that caliber. Interesting.

I find it quite hilarious that she actually believes she became famous because of the fact that she is a "New York time's best-selling author," as she repeatedly mentions throughout the book, so much so that you will probably want to heave the book across the room. While that's all gravy, I'm unapologetically saying NO HONEY, you're famous because you wrote a book about how you sucked the life out of hundreds of men who so happen to be well-known celebrities.

Let me sum this review up by saying NO, this book is not worth your $24.99 plus tax; & NO, this book is not even worth the price amazon offers. I suggest reading this at the library or borrowing from a friend.