Loving Amy

January 25, 2016
When first approached by a literary agent in 2007 about her daughter Amy, Janis Winehouse had reservations. "Don't do it Mum," Amy said when her mother asked for her thoughts on the matter. "I don't want people to know who I am." Four years later, Amy was dead. In this touching, intimate account, Janis attempts to let the world know who her daughter was, warts and all. The portrait she paints is one of a headstrong and talented girl who had trouble focusing but "could do most things she turned her hand to but only if and when she wanted to." And when it was singing, she excelled. Signed by a management company at just 17, Amy soon found herself on the fast track to stardom and all it entailed. Her substance abuse quickly escalated even before she began work on her second, landmark album, Back to Black, and only got worse until it ultimately resulted in her death in 2011. The elder Winehouse--who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just before Amy's birth--questions her actions. Their's was wearying, exhausting tale, but it's one Janis Winehouse felt the need to write and writes well. Those expecting salacious details that didn't make it into the British tabloids will likely be disappointed, but fans who want to get to know the troubled artist a little better will find this a fond remembrance. Agent: Helen Edwards, Transworld Publishers.

January 1, 2016
Winehouse's candid memoir of life with her award-winning, bestselling, hugely talented, and desperately troubled daughter, Amy Winehouse (1983-2011). Fans of the star and her music will snap this book up and read it from cover to cover in a couple of days. It is necessary reading for anyone interested in the stratospheric success of the musician, her publicly played-out drug and alcohol addictions, and her untimely death at the age of 27. The main narrative is sandwiched between a prologue and epilogue, adding to the sense of the drama it contains. This is a story already told from the perspective of her father, Mitch Winehouse, and recounted in various biographies and, recently, in the acclaimed documentary about her, Amy (2015). In the epilogue, the author makes clear that one of the reasons for writing this book, despite Amy asking her not to write such a book, was a desire to bring out the truth. It's certainly questionable whether this is the whole truth. What this book does provide is the author's perspective of life with her daughter as she grew up: "Amy was one of those rare people who made an impact. Right from the very beginning, when she was a toddler, she was loud and boisterous and scared and sensitive. She was a bundle of emotions, at times adorable and at times unbearable. All this is consistent with the struggle she went through to overcome the addictions that eventually robbed her of her life." The author offers some delightful and illuminating moments from her daughter's life, but it is hard not to wonder whose record is being set straight. Unfortunately, much of the narrative is a depressing account of Amy's illness and addictions rather than a celebration of her whole life. Although this book may help others going through the heartbreak of addiction, readers may wonder whether it is helpful to the legacy of Amy Winehouse herself.

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February 1, 2016

Amy Jade Winehouse (1983-2011) was, according to her mother, a strong-willed child with a penchant for attention and thrill-seeking behavior. She is often described as oscillating between petulant and pleasant, the embodiment of extremes that could neither be chalked up to a childhood/teenage phase, nor to the addictions that would come to frame her career. This is Janis's reflection on Amy's rise to stardom and the path she took to get there. It is a revealing memoir chronicling Amy's troubles with school, her home life, and relationships. Winehouse reflects on several moments in Amy's life (tantrums, poor grades/interpersonal relationships, impulsivity) that may lead readers to question whether something more is at play then a simple test of will. Like the life of her daughter, Janis's story manages to be both intimate and detached. A recurring theme throughout the narrative is acceptance of "Amy as she was," yet questions about whether more could have or should have been done are certain to arise. The book is a roller coaster of highs and lows that will have readers wishing for a different outcome than Amy's untimely death at age 28. VERDICT Recommended mostly for Amy Winehouse fans.--Tamela Chambers, Chicago Pub. Schs., IL

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2015
We think we know her: just another rock star whose meteoric rise to the top led to a premature and deadly fall. But Winehouse also tells the other side of her daughter's story. Even as a toddler, we're told, she was a handful; her first nickname was Hurricane Amy. From a young age, she loved singing everything from A Spoonful of Sugar from Mary Poppins to Jewish hymns. She was the perennial life of the party, always hell bent on pushing the boundaries. But Amy maintained her brassy exterior to hide her many insecurities and vulnerabilities. Winehouse captures her daughter's contradictory personality ( She feared success, but she feared being ignored even more ), ultimately presenting a thoughtful, personal backstory of a complicated person behind the beehive and eyeliner. As Winehouse tells Amy's story of fame and addiction, she also reveals her own health struggles with multiple sclerosis. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, an organization that works to prevent the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on young people.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)