Donna Summer: An Unauthorized Biography

By James Haskins and J. M. Stifle

Monumental epic poem of Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped the burning ruins of Troy to found a new city in the west--Rome.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316350036
• ISBN13: 9780316350037
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

very interesting

i found this book at a public library 15 years ago and it is still there. i believe this book was written for preteen or teen because it was pretty thick and full of photos. it mostly covered summer's career up to 1983. i am a early donna summer fan and i really do not care for anything past the mid eighties so this book was a gem. i read it four times and i wish that i could have my own copy. it was that great.

Not the last dance

The authors present a refreshing and accurate story about a very real Donna. The story really shows how driven and talented the superstar is and how she worked very hard to develop her talent despite external influences. Overall, the message the reader is left with is that Donna has always had a great deal of integrity. A lot of insight is given to the earlier stages of her life as a child, teenager, and young adult in Europe, all of which formed the foundation for her phenomenal success. A great read that ends way too soon. A sequel is definitely in order. Read this book and everything you ever thought about Donna will be turned on its ear.

Tells The Story behind the Star and her Artistry

In this short, compelling book, Haskins tells the life story of Diva Donna Summer; from her humble beginnings as a child in Boston, singing in the Grant AME Baptist church and dreaming of stardom, to her budding musical theatre career in Germany, her first success with "Love To Love You Baby", her loves, aspirations and most of all, music. This book separates myth from fact and shows the reader the true person underneath the trappings of stardom. Donna Summer, touted as a sex goddess was really a shy, private person who knew she was going to be a star but wasn't prepared for the stress and pressure of a mega career. But Summer overcomes the obstacles and in the 80's begins towards a new watermark. The only flaw with this book is it ends in 1982; that was just the beginning for Donna. She won the Grammy in 98 for Best Dance Song, "Carry On" and she's mounting a musical play based on her life, "Ordinary Girl". But alas, you won't read any of these newer developments in Haskins book.