As I Am: Abba Before & Beyond

By Brita Ähman and Agnetha Fältskog

The biography of Agnetha Faltskog focusing on the ABBA years. The book covers Agnetha's career from its beginnings in a small town in Sweden when she was 15, to knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts in Sweden two years later. Her career is traced through the hard slog of touring around Europe and the consequences of ABBA's success, the Eurovision song contest, concerts, hit records, TV appearances, media attention, fans, her marriage, her children, the good times, the bad times and the strain of the final tour in 1979. Agnetha explains everything and gives the reasons behind the group's break-up and the difficult times which followed.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852276541
• ISBN13: 9781852276546
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Virgin Pub
• Length: 158 Pages
• Weight: 2.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.5" x 0.8" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

One book to fall in love

I have read parts of different books about ABBA, but I have never liked to read the books about my favorite group.. for different reasons - and the main one is because in all these books it was not ABBA members' points of view, but the different person's. This is why I decided to try "As I Am" - not only because Agnetha Faltskog has been my favorite star for 10 years. I started the book the very day I took it in my hands and I was not able to put it aside and go to sleep until the next morning, when I finished it. I just could not go to sleep until I finished! The book is interesting, it is really very interesting. The style is nice and easy to read, although never plain. The authors shared their opinion on many points and revealed many questions one, who is interested in ABBA or Agnetha, can feel the need to ask. There are some funny and witty momnets that can easy make you smile. And which was the main point, for me at least, you can see the author's thoughts, her opinion on many things, her attitude to many problems. Agnetha really shares a lot with this book. It is not thrue that this book is empty - it is just fuul of deep thoughts of the wonderful woman, she shared with readers. Oh, yes, and pictures - the pictures are great! This book alone is enpgh to feel in love with the author. Thank you, Agnetha.Sincerely,Tatiana

Interesting Stuff!

Agnetha is a wonderful singer and interesting person. It is a pity that sometimes her talent is not portrayed that well in books on ABBA. Some authors are just notcapable to handle such a task. I do not like most ABBA books for this reason. Carl Magnus Palm e.g. pops out one book after the other without ever talking toAgnetha herself. And without being fair to eighter her talent or successful long time career. His ABBA stories are merely a simple reprint of the ABBA interviewsthat were printed in magazines during the years, illustrated with pictures we have seen before. Boring.Brita Ahman's book 'As I Am' on the otherhand is a new book with a real new (1997) interview with Agnetha. Okay, Agnetha could have been more open andtalk more about her frustrations during the ABBA years, her fights with manager Stig and her currentlife. But she does shine a light on the kind of person she is. Shereveals how she got into the showbizz. To me 'the early years chapters' are the most interesting. It is nice to learn that she had music in her at a very young age,how she felt when she turned into Swedens biggest popstar and how ABBA was created (it is the detail in these stories that interest me.)Being an ABBA fan for years I read the book 'The complete recording sessions' (the only decent book by C.M. Palm) and was intrigued then by Agnetha'sinvolvement in ABBA's records. Her voice is a golden thread in ABBA's music author Brita Ahman writes in As I Am, and she is right. Even today Agnetha aloneis more ABBA then Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid will ever be. As much as I like 'As I Am', I have to say that there is so much more to Agnetha's life and music then this books reveals. In Holland and Belgium a fantastic bookcalled 'ABBA - On Speaking Terms' is released. I've been told it will be released worldwide too. Look out for this book, fellow fans! Together with 'As I am','ABBA On Speaking Terms' gives you the most complete and revealing insight in Agnetha's life with and without ABBA! And the pictures, both old and new, arerare and stunning. Buy 'As I am' and especially 'ABBA - On Speaking Terms' and get to know Agnetha (and ABBA) the way she really is!

A moving view into Agnethas life

This book gives an incredible view at Agnetha as she is. I think that she is one of the greatest singers of all time and that it is terrible how she was corrupted by the media in such a vile way. Even though the translations are occasionally a little bit shaky you still get an amazing insight into Agnethas career. This is a very moving book and is one of my prized posessions. Anybody who loves Abba would really enjoy this book from start to end. Reading about how she survived two divorces and the death of both parents and still emerging strong at the end is really quite incredible. This is a terrible cliche I know, but,Agnetha, THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC!

Agnetha WAS ABBA. A modern-life tragedy. We want more!

Agnetha Faltskog's book is truly for the ultimate ABBA fan. It gives you the chance to hear her side of the story of her life with ABBA. Beautiful pictures, great text. It is one of my most valued possessions of this great woman of music.

Hard to put down

This book traces the Agnetha line of the Abba story, from her musical childhood in Jönköping, to her first band, through her first singles into the Abba days and into today. If your interest in Abba lies mostly in the music and the shows, the fluid narration and the huge, colorful photos on almost every page make the book worth the money. If you love Agnetha, though, the book holds more. You'll learn a lot about her personality, her feelings toward her musical life, and her conservative home-centered values. Though it may take a second read to catch everything about Agnetha's persona, IT IS ALL THERE. Read carefully and you will feel a sort of personal connection with Agnetha, almost as if you knew her well sometime. The emotionally reserved, yet expressive writing style has that special Agnetha quality; this experience cannot be reproduced by reading the liner notes to Abba Gold or any other Abba book. Definitely a must-read for all Abba fans, not just the devotees.