Christopher Ciccone’s sort-of biography is probably the juiciest book to hit the shelves in a long, long time. And it is no wonder, since it is all about one of the most famous women of our time, her pop royalty, and Christopher's sister, Madonna. If you ever wanted to get a scoop on her humble beginnings, how much of the Madonna mythology is actually true and just why her own brother would throw her under the bus, consider this book a must-buy.
From Humble Beginnings to International Stardom
Written by Christopher Ciccone, one of Madonna Louise Ciccone’s seven siblings (with the help of Wendy Leigh), Life With My Sister Madonna is a lengthy account of what it has been like for Christopher to grow up, work and live alongside his famous sister. It starts off in Rochester, Michigan, where the Ciccone children are mourning the loss of their mother and trying to accept their stepmother into the family. From then on, we follow Madonna and Christopher to the New York City scene, where determined Madonna is about to make a splash, and Christopher is along for the ride as her back-up dancer. From there, they go on many tours, some of them designed and choreographed by Christopher, until Madonna apparently starts cutting him off and going down her career path, solo.
Celebrities Galore
Christopher often talks about his love life, but always uses aliases to protect the people he mentions. However, he has no such problems with people in Madonna’s life – Sean Penn, Warren Beatty, Guy Ritchie, Gwyneth Paltrow and many, many other celebrity make an appearance. Christopher almost brags about hanging out with Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Dolly Parton. In fact, he manages to push a lot of his own agenda through the book. He accuses Madonna of many things, including outing him, neglecting him and being a cheapskate. He even goes as far as to accuse Guy Ritchie of having a crucial role in his fallout with Madonna, claiming that Madonna was influenced by her ex-husband’s homophobia. However, he keeps going back to his sister, be it for money, work or advice, which effectively undermines his finger pointing.
Consensus
Finally, is Life with My Sister Madonna a good book? Not really – it is too biased, too inconsistent, and the writing itself is substandard. But, is it a fun, juicy book? You bet. It provides a glamorous escape to a parallel celebrity universe and on very rare occasions even offers truly interesting views on the music industry and the world of pop music.
- Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
- ISBN-10: 1416587624
- ISBN-13: 978-1416587620
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