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Lorna Luft
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Me And My Shadows: A Family Memoir Hardcover – May 1, 1998

by Lorna Luft (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 436 ratings
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The daughter of Judy Garland describes how it felt growing up in the shadows of her famous mother and half-sister, Liza Minnelli, as well as the painful experience she endured watching Garland succumb to her drug and alcohol dependence.
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  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atria
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.5 x 10 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    067101899X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0671018993
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Luft, often identified as Judy Garland's "other daughter," steps center stage to describe what life was like as the child of an icon. For the first nine years of her life, Luft was protected from the vagaries of her mother's prescription-drug abuse and downward-spiraling mental health. But after her parents' divorce, Luft found herself in the role of chief cook and bottle washer--in charge of cleaning up her mother's messes. The horror stories from this period include breakdowns, breakups with almost everyone who was close to Garland, paranoia, and even knife-wielding episodes in which Garland went after her young son. After Luft had her own breakdown at 16, she left her mother's home and never saw Garland alive again. Despite all the horror, Luft is kind to her mother's memory, seeing the star as sick, not evil, and remembering all the many loving times shared between mother and daughter. Sister Liza Minelli doesn't fare quite as well. Although Luft has many nice things to say about her, Liza's drug abuse has left the pair estranged. Oh, yes, Luft had her own life, too, but not unexpectedly, her affairs with even the likes of Burt Reynolds and Barry Manilow and her own drug problems don't make for nearly as fascinating reading as her tales of Judy and Liza. Dishy--and sure to be popular. Ilene Cooper

From Kirkus Reviews

Breathless writing, tight structure, and an endless A-list of stars make this memoir by the younger Garland daughter a movie fan's parfait. Daughter of Garland and businessman Sid Luft, Lorna writes this book neither to glorify nor to vilify her family, but to tell ``a truer . . . story'' about ``a group of people who grew up in the public eye and got through it all the best way they could.'' Thankfully, understatement ends there. Beginning with Frances Gunn's first steps onstage at age two and ending with her daughter Lorna's happy second marriage, the book is rife with dramatic events. Skillfully divided into two partslife with Mama, life after her deathit details Garland's decades-long chemical dependency (including her first studio-sanctioned Benzedrine) and Lorna's early life as her caregiver, her emotional swings, and especially her great love for her two daughters and her son, Joe. Lorna also charts Garland's hard-won sobriety and attempts to bring Liza to detoxification programs. Throughout, the book brims with famous friends: Uncle Frank Sinatra, girlfriend's parents Bogart and Bacall, JFK and his sweet-voiced wife Jackie, early love Barry Manilow. Everything is presented in a pleasingly sustained voice that blends once-stylish phrasings, self-help lingo, and quirky if awkward locutions to create a linguistic world in which ``damn straight, ``dysfunctional,'' and the kooky line ``For every camel, there's a last straw, and there was for me'' coexist. It also suits the writer, for as she presents herselfby turns mature, facile, feeling, and graciousshe is a '90s everywoman, the person you'd see yourself being if you had been the child of a troubled movie legend. Confessional yet affectionate, this grants weight and closure to an overdiscussed film family. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) (Literary Guild selection; author tour; TV satellite tour; ABC-TV miniseries) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria (May 1, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 067101899X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671018993
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 436 ratings

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Lorna Luft

Lorna Luft

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
436 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book provides great insight into the lives of Garland and her children. They describe the storyline as interesting, gripping, and heartbreaking. Readers also say the book is well written and engaging.

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Reading experienceContentStorylineWriting style
24 customers mention "Reading experience"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good, quick read that's a real page turner.

"...I found Lorna's memoir to be a real page turner...." Read more

"...and while I wouldn't say it's the greatest thing ever, it is still worth reading...." Read more

"Me And My Shadows; A family Memoir was an excellent book. Lorna Luft was born on November 21, 1952, to the legendary Judy Garland and Sid Luft...." Read more

"...saw the movie, based on this book when it came out, and I thought it was very good...." Read more

15 customers mention "Content"13 positive2 negative

Customers find the book provides great insight into the lives of Garland and her children. They also say it's detailed, interesting, and a kind, powerful memoir.

"Having now read Lorna's very insightful and interesting biography, I thought it was time to add a short review...." Read more

"...Lorna wrote a powerful and emotionally moving family memoir...." Read more

"...kept me interested in the book is I appreciated the writing style, her candor and honesty about her life and observations...." Read more

"...She has wonderful stories about people she cared about. This is a kind, but powerful memoir. You will find yourself thinking about it afterwards." Read more

12 customers mention "Storyline"10 positive2 negative

Customers find the storyline interesting, engaging, and moving. They also say the biography is insightful and a very good story about Judy Garland.

"Having now read Lorna's very insightful and interesting biography, I thought it was time to add a short review...." Read more

"Such a gripping and heart breaking read. I am a fan of watching Turner Classic Movies and Judy Garland is a well loved "classic" movie actress...." Read more

"...fan nor showed an interest in Judy Garland, so this was an interesting memoir about her. I enjoyed it and would recommend this as a "Must read book!"" Read more

"...Found it very moving." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style well written and say the author has a gift for writing and story telling.

"...The author has a gift for writing and story telling. I really enjoyed it and got to know more about Judy Garland...." Read more

"...What kept me interested in the book is I appreciated the writing style, her candor and honesty about her life and observations...." Read more

"Well written" Read more

"Couldn't put this down. Lovingly written even with all the childhood dramas and adult challenges. An inspiring and thought provoking book." Read more

Family of artists
5 out of 5 stars
Family of artists
Lorna Luft does an excellent job on how she, even as a child, has had to deal with her mother's addiction to prescription drugs and how this affected her ability to function as a family woman. Because of that addiction, Lorna does not have a happy childhood and oftentimes has to engage in adult roles at an early age. Fortunately, once she herself becomes an adult with children, she scrambles out of that unhappy experience and functions well as a wife and mother.
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Top reviews from the United States

S. Main
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this memoir. Have read it twice.
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018
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Having now read Lorna's very insightful and interesting biography, I thought it was time to add a short review. As most people already know, Lorna Luft is the second daughter of Judy Garland (father is Sid Luft) and is the sister/half sister of Lisa Minnelli who is nothing short of a living legend. Having read some of the other not so favourable reviews, some of which are written by people who feel the need to personally attack and insult Lana, I would like to provide my take on Lorna's autobiography. As Lorna states in her memoir, this is her own story. It isn't her sister's (Liza), brother's (Joey) or her father's (Sid Lift) story. I found Lorna's memoir to be a real page turner. Having been a massive fan of Judy Garland's for many years, I felt that it was about time that we were presented with an insider's look on what it was like to be the daughter of one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. I agree that there are quite a number of facts which Ms Luft presents which ah felt was too much information (or just did not want to know about one of my all time favourite singers/actresses, however, what stood out for me whilst reading this book was Lorna's unconditional love for her mother. Ms Luft goes into great detail about her mother's addictions, but also devotes ample page time to her mother's achievements (Carnegie Hall triumph just to name). The saddest thing about this book is that not enough emphasis was placed on addiction back in the 40's and 50's. Had there been more awareness back in the day then I believe that Judy would have survived beyond the millennium. What a great job you have done Lorna. I love reading memoirs, biographies and pretty much anything to do with Hollywood's golden age. This book is one of my favourites. By the way, if you love this book then please consider reading Sid Luft's memoir which was published posthumously last year. What a contrast to Lorna's own memoir.
24 people found this helpful
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Mia83
4.0 out of 5 stars Not the greatest, but still worth reading.
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2012
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I haven't finished reading the book yet, but I'm more than half-way through. I've read other memoirs and autobiography's similar to this, and while I wouldn't say it's the greatest thing ever, it is still worth reading. It saddens me that others have compared this book to "Mommie Dearest" and I feel that is far from the truth. Yes, she exposes that her mother had a serious prescription drug problem, but she points out that her addiction is genetic AND at the time when her mother was alive they didn't know how to help people deal with addiction. They could get you clean, but they couldn't keep you clean.

Another thing to keep in mind that this is from Lorna's point of view. When Liza is ready she will write her own book and give her perspective. Once again keep in mind that there is a seven year age different and Lorna and her brother Joey were around their mother a lot more than Liza during all of this because their mother had sole-custody of them and by the point Judy was getting seriously ill, Liza was an adult living on her own.

I do recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about Judy, but if you're looking for Dorothy you're sadly mistaken. This is Judy Garland, a real person who had demons that over-took her career and eventually her life. I personally have more respect for Judy Garland, but also sadness for her because she was such a HUGE talent, but at the end of they day she was still human. If anything Judy Garland is just one of many stars we've seen that have been over-taken with trying to stay #1 and please everyone and the pills won in the end. Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston just to name a few that just like Ms. Garland tried to keep up with the hype and fell hard in the end.
20 people found this helpful
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Courtney Rabideau
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Life
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2004
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The book starts off with the story of Lorna Luft's grandparents (Judy's parents) Frank and Ethel Gumm and tells the story about how they met and the family they raised. The book then goes into the story of Lorna's mother Judy Garland growing up baby Frances Ethel Gumm. Lorna tells how her mother loved to perform and loved living in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (were she was born) and hated living in Lancaster, California where they moved when Judy was 4.
Lorna then goes into the story of the MGM years of Judy's life going from a radio singer to the star of The Wizard of OZ, one of the greatest hits of MGM's history all in the space of a year. After that, it was all pretty much down hill as far as MGM goes for Judy according to Lorna. Judy started on drugs to help her lose weight and help her sleep, and they soon controlled her life. Lorna tells that when Judy was 18 she got married to David Rose and after only a short period of time divorced him. She did this to get out of Ethel's hair because she could not stand being near her after the death of Frank, and Ethel's marrying a man exactly four years to the day after her father's death.
Lorna then goes into the sorted affair that was Judy's marriage to Vincent Minnelli and the birth of their daughter Liza. After only a few years though they divorced and Lorna goes on to talk about the next man in Judy's life, Lorna's father Sid Luft.
Lorna tells the story about her father being raised by a bon-vivent and a Russian Jewish designer in New York City. Lorna also tells a ridiculous story that her father once heard his father tell his mother about a mysterious note a woman wrote to him when his family was in Europe one summer.
Lorna tells about her parent's early relationship and how she never knew that she was actually on the way when they decided to get married. She describes the story about her early years in the house and then the hubbub of having little Joey come into the world. Lorna also writes about how when Joey was a little boy she actually went into his crib and scratched him so hard that to this day there are still scratch marks on his face, because she did not want him in the house anymore
This leads into the story about Lorna's own life. She writes about her early life at first staying at one house, but by the age of nine being shuffled from England to New York to California. She then elaborates about her parents separation and how a Psychiatrist used Lorna's fear of needles to get her to admit that she did not want to live with her dad, that she did not even love her dad. After this thing got a little better but she was still going from one step-father to another constantly moving, never being able to see her father, until at the age of 15 she moves in with her dad and several months later finds out that her mother was dead.
After her mother died, Lorna moved to New York to work in plays and things and had some love affairs (one with Barry Mataloe.) She tells about her dabbling with cocaine for several years and the diabolical that was her relationship with Burt Reynolds until she found the absolute wrong man for her-her husband Jake Hooker.
Lorna vividly details her relationship of almost 20 years with her husband. She tells about at first they were fine, and then after their son was born it was more like they were client and clientele instead of husband and wife and their daughters birth only made it worse. She details how their marriage broke up when their daughter was an infant and how only a week later she met the next man she was to marry.
Last, but not least Lorna describes her relationship with her sister Liza Minnelli. She tells that because Liza was seven years older than her she does not really have any memories of her when they were young, but she has a lot when they were older. Lorna details the struggle Liza had with drugs that culminated in Lorna virtually kidnapping her sister and taking her to the Betty Ford Center in about 1984.
19 people found this helpful
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Byron
3.0 out of 5 stars Talk too much about herself.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2020
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I loved all the things she wrote about her mom.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2018
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I have always been fan of Lorna luft so when her memoir came out I cannot wait to read it. As soon it was delivered I started to read it immediately couldnt put it down. Plus I wanted to see how Lorna writes before getting A Star is Born. You will love this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Tom Singer
4.0 out of 5 stars A little known story.
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2021
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I bought this book for my wife and she is really enjoying it.
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Patricia Livingstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2019
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Loved the whole book from cover to cover.
One person found this helpful
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Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2018
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Perfect
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Beanpole88
5.0 out of 5 stars Me and my shadows
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2013
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Loved the book and was extremely interested in her life, especially as she mentions Barry Manilow as am a huge fan
2 people found this helpful
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