I Will Survive
The Book
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
I Will Survive is the story of Gloria Gaynor, America's "Queen of Disco." It is the story of riches and fame, despair, and finally salvation. Her meteoric rise to stardom in the mid-1970s was nothing short of phenomenal, and hits poured forth that pushed her to the top of the charts, including "Honey Bee," "I Got You Under My Skin," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and the song that has immortalized her, "I Will Survive," which became a #1 international gold seller. With that song, Gloria heralded the international rise of disco that became synonymous with a way of life in the fast lane - the sweaty bodies at Studio 54, the lines of cocaine, the indescribable feeling that you could always be at the top of your game and never come down. But down she came after her early stardom, and problems followed in the wake, including the death of her mother, whose love had anchored the young singer, as well as constant battles with weight, drugs, and alcohol. While her fans always imagined her to be rich, her personal finances collapsed due to poor management; and while many envied her, she felt completely empty inside. In the early 1980s, sustained by her marriage to music publisher Linwood Simon, Gloria took three years off and reflected upon her life. She visited churches and revisited her mother's old Bible. Discovering the world of gospel, she made a commitment to Christ that sustains her to this day.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With memoirs the current genre du jour, it was only a matter of time before Gaynor took pen in hand. The result is a chatty but fairly selective walk down memory lane with the "Queen of Disco." In some ways, hers is a familiar tale. Gaynor was born into poverty, got her big break when a club manager by chance heard her singing, got sidetracked by drugs and too much partying and ultimately found salvation by giving her life over to God and Jesus. In between chronicling her life, Gaynor offers advice on everything from weight loss--she has battled the scale her entire life--to how readers can find themselves through God. Never overtly preachy, the book is at times frustratingly short on details. In a section on her husband, Linwood, and their excessive carousing for instance, Gaynor teases the reader by noting she had allowed things to happen that shouldn't have happened but, "I'll say no more than this: Linwood and I gave a lot of parties, we took drugs, we spent a lot of money... and we drifted apart." In abbreviating major experiences like these, Gaynor misses out on the chance to make her book an effective cautionary tale. Ultimately, her story is a lot like her hit song of the same title: a fast, frivolous dance whose impact ends with the last chord. Photos not seen by PW.