Life is Just What You Make It...Review

About the book:
At age five, Donny Osmond first sang his way into North Americas heart. By the time he was a teenager, he had four separate careers successfully underway, as a solo artist, as a member of the Osmond Brothers, as part of a singing duo with his sister, Marie, and as the co-host of a highly successful network television variety show. But by the early 80s, public perception had changed, and Donny discovered that, thanks to his squeaky-clean image, his very name had become poison.

In this inspiring autobiography, Donny tells what it is like to survive the ups and downs of the entertainment business while trying to keep his faith, dignity, and sense of humor intact. He recalls memories of his experiences with a variety of celebrities, from Groucho Marx and Lucille Ball to Michael Jackson and Howard Stern. He shares how he finally achieved resolution through marriage, fatherhood, perseverance, and self-acceptance. And he recounts the long and difficult road leading to a renewed recording career, nearly two thousand triumphant performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and a new nationally syndicated talk show. The millions of people who watched Donny grow up are now embracing the man whose life and career exemplify the classic values that so many now share.

I'm an Osmond fan. I'll state that fact right up front! I reread this book recently and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Donny shares his life and his career experiences. He's honest and forthright: at times his recollections are heart-breaking.

The Osmonds went through some incredible successes and just as incredible losses. As Donny talks about trying to find himself as an entertainer and the humiliations he endured, your heart just breaks for him. As he finds his comeback and transitions to his successful theater career, you cheer, even as he then struggles with social phobia. At no time does he ask for your pity, nor do you feel the need to offer it. When he talks about singing, "Puppy Love" as a heavy metal song in a concert, in response to some jeering bikers, you laugh out loud.

He's open about his faith and his family and the joy and frustrations that came from being an Osmond. The point that comes through in this book, over and over, is to believe in yourself. Your life is literally just what you make it, and even if you don't succeed in what you think you want the most, you still need to find a way to be happy.

I read my personal copy, but you can purchase your own here.

Read 5/08

* * * *

4/5 Stars

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