A Lifetime To Get Here: Diana Ross: The American Dreamgirl (Hardcover)

~ Thomas Adrahtas (Author)
Key Phrases: Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This unauthorized biography of entertainment legend Diana Ross strives to give a balanced account of her life and career while giving her the historical due that seems to have escaped her previously. Captured in vivid detail are her groundbreaking performances leading the Supremes, the renowned concert in Central Park amidst a raging thunderstorm, and the peaks and valleys of the more than 40 years of her ongoing stage, studio, and screen career. The book steers clear of dry biography, in that it is interspersed with entertaining essays that capture the effect her life and career have had on fans throughout the years. This book is a must-read for anyone with an appreciation for popular culture over the last half century.

About the Author

This is Tom Adrahtas's second book, following up his well-reviewed biography of hockey goalie Glenn Hall, Glenn Hall, The Man They Call Mr. Goalie. A lifelong Motown fan, Adrahtas was moved to write the book after seeing portrayals of Diana Ross that served to accentuate the sensational and negative, at a steep cost to her public perception. "I don't think anyone has captured what Diana Ross has really meant in the world of entertainment historically," he contends. "I believe that its time she's received her due." Adrahtas, 50, lives in the Chicago suburbs. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 404 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425971407
• ISBN-13: 978-1425971403
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #783,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing new to say about Miss Ross? Read this!, December 16, 2006

By	N. Wilburn (Portland OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Diana Ross fan for over four decades, I read this book with trepidation: would it just be a rehash of the same information all over again? It was not! Chock full of new details told with the right mix of journalistic integrity and gossipy dish - I couldn't put it down. The author names names, dates and corrects prior published untruths about The Supreme Supreme - supported by facts. An excellent read. Lots of unpublished pics from throughout her career make this the most sumptuous book on Diana Ross EVER!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're Gonna Love it!, December 28, 2006

By	Timothy D. Bellavia (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not since J. Randy Taraborelli's first Diana Ross book (the glowing "Diana: A Celebration of Her Life and Career", circa 1985) have I been so excited to read about Diana Ross. The cover, the facts, and the insider tidbits make this an enjoyable read for this ardent Supremes fan. I especially like the behind the scenes of the Supremes aborted - Return to Love tour as well as the stolen moments at certain venues that I was in attendance -- makes it all the more enjoyable to read. Overall, the book succeeds in making Ross look like the super human being that she is as well as a great super star that she became. I think the Billboard charting information is a real added plus to this book.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Respectfully, I say to Thee..., January 10, 2007

By	Shmarkus (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

On the positive side, the book is well-written and presents a solid documentation of the history of Diana Ross' multi-faceted career. Personally, I would have preferred a comprehensive look of what transpired in her life from the 1990s on, as much of what is featured before that decade has already been covered in previous books.

That said, while I understand where author Adrahatas is coming from - and I write this review as a long-standing Diana Ross fan - the book is as biased as the others written about her (e.g. Mary Wilson's). The overall tone is one in which the subject comes off as a nearly-perfect being, incapable of a personality flaw (save for the drunk driving incident), wherein any negative attribute of Ross is defended as reasonable and just behavior by the author.

For example, while it is well established that Ross' career nosedived in the U.S. in the mid 80s, the reader would be left with the impression that she has had nothing but spectacular success to this day (sold-out concerts, smashing album reviews, charting singles). I wish this was true; however, this interpretation remains only among the diehard fans. I feel that Diana Ross is partially responsible for the decline, as evidenced on her new CD, "I Love You." Despite reading raves from fans, I listened to the release, and the song selection and production are below par of what she is capable and will not bring her back to the contemporary music scene.

I do believe that Diana Ross has been unfairly maligned by jealous entertainers, disgruntled employees and those who call themselves professionals yet opt not to behave in a manner befitting the description. Is she tough? Probably. Those who set high standards are often misunderstood (and disliked), but I believe she has another side to her that she chooses to keep private. For one to be open, one has to be vulnerable, and when one has been betrayed as I feel Ross has repeatedly experienced (search YouTube for a clip of Mary Wilson outrageously backpeddling her version of events regarding the RTL tour), it is reasonable to expect one to be more protective of themself.

Between this book and "Call Her Miss Ross" and "Dreamgirl" perhaps exists the real story.