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taedw's review against another edition
2.0
If you want to know about Whitney, read something else. If you want to know about Cissy and her life and reasoning, read this.
ianrosales08's review against another edition
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Reading this made me miss Whitney Houston more. Before, I just know and loved her because of her music and talent but with this book and by knowing what she went through, the level of respect that I have for her is now on a whole new level. She is truly an icon and her music immortalized her precious gift that will be enjoyed by the future generations.
princesszinza's review against another edition
3.0
Cissy seems like a nice, god fearing woman. I suppose she wrote this book so that she could tell Whitney's story from her perspective. Problem is, by her own admission Whitney frequently shut Cissy out of her life, so she often didn't know what was going on. Cissy says she admires Winnie Mandela because like herself, she 'doesn't like any mess'. Sadly, both Winnie and Cissy had their share of messes in life. Admirably, Cissy goes out of her way not to blame others in Whitney's life for her drug addiction. Quick if not very insightful read.
shannanh's review against another edition
4.0
A book about a mother's love for her one and only daughter. A very emotional read an I enjoyed reading it.
lilmatt050's review against another edition
5.0
To check out my review: https://dancinginth3dark.wordpress.com/2016/08/18/remembering-whitney-my-story-of-love-lost-and-the-night-the-music-stopped/
Whitney Houston will always be one of greatest singers of our history and it is a complete tragic how she had so much potential, so much talent and in the end left to mere fragments of the icon she had become in our society. She is one my idols when it comes to music and till this day I still listen to her music and I become completely speechless whenever I hear sing whether it be belting high notes or the smallest ornamentation she makes in her music. I am constantly trying to emulate her style of singing and if I am ever lucky enough to get a small fraction of that gifted talent I would be satisfied. I was on a school performance field trip that day when she passed and I was in the bus when news broke out and since the internet connection was horrible, I could not find out about the facts and believed it was not true. I was in complete shock that, "The Voice" had passed away.
Since she passed away in 2012, there has been countless rumors and speculation to her death, her relationship to Bobby Brown, drugs, and other garbage that tarnishes over all the wonderful things she accomplished as a human being and the beautiful music that I believe will last for generations to come. So after a year in mourning, her mother decided that she wanted to tell the truth about her Daughter and to showcase that even though she is one of the best singers of all time, she is still human, and she was a daughter, mother, and a friend.
A huge misconception that I believe people have when it comes to this book that this is like a gossip tell-all when it comes to Whitney's life when it fact its more of a biography of Whitney's upbringing, career, and her relationship with her mother. The book is divided into three parts and I believe I will do the same for this review.
Part 1: The Beginning
In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and Whitney Houston. For the most part we are introduced to the horrific day that Cissy found out about Whitney's death and then immediately we are introduced to Cissy's upbringing. This woman clearly suffered so much pain and agony when it comes to the loss of her loved ones and how this woman survives it all it is absolutely courageous to find meaning in life after so much lost and tragedy. I believe it was essential that we learn about Cissy Houston because you get a better understanding of Whitney's mothers, the choices she made in life, and how her upbringing would later influence Whitney. Cissy never did drugs, always followed the righteous path, and had to work her butt off when it comes to working for the music industry, making a living, and supporting the family.
Part 2: The Rise & Fall of Whitney Houston
In the first part, we only get glimpses of Whitney Houston as a child and nothing substantial until part 2 when at the age of 12 she declared that she wanted to become a famous singer. Cissy pushed her to her limits, the same way they taught Cissy how to sing because 1.) Whitney was her daughter. 2.) You have to have thick skin when it comes to the entertainment business and how they want to tear you apart and dedicate what type of singer you are and 3.) She did not believe that Whitney had what it takes to deal with the price of fame.
We get to learn how Cissy introduced her to the world of music and how quick people took notice of her talent and by the time she was 19 years old, she already had offers to be signed to a record label. We learn through Cissy's point of view that between touring, albums, appearance, dealing with your franchise took a toll on Whitney and by the late 80s, she was already doing drugs. Countless people would say if Cissy is a great mother why did she let her daughter ruin her career? My belief is when it comes to drug addicts, they do not want to admit that they have a problem, and Cissy could not be around Whitney 24/7 especially since Whitney to tell anything private to her mother. CIssy had to work and make a living and she raised her daughter in a loving home where drugs would never have crossed her mind. Plus at the end of the day, it was Whitney's decision to do drugs, no one has the blame except for her especially since she was stubborn.
We get to learn the struggles that Whitney had among the black community since they consider her to be white, how Whitney met and fell in love with Bobby Brown, The Bodyguard, Bobbi kristina, and how the 90s was horrific for Whitney. No one believed that, "The Bodyguard" would be a success and when she did "I Will Always Love You" it broke records and made Whitney more famous than ever before which I got to admit you would never think it could be possible. That song became her signature song and till this day is one of my all time favorite especially since one time I listened to the song for 8 hours straight without changing my music player!
Based on from what Cissy account of events and my personal research, I believe Bobby Brown & Whitney Houston did love each other in the beginning but once "The Bodyguard" became an epic success and Bobby Brown's career going down the toilet, mix it with drugs, it ruined the relationships and brought out the inner demons among these two individuals. Plus what did not helped which I always believed and Cissy proved me right was that no one didn't like Whitney with Bobby and because she was extremely stubborn and had pride, she made it a point that she was going to make this relationship last and to prove everyone that they were wrong.
Maybe in the beginning it was a loving relationship but I guarantee you that by the time the year 2000 rolled around, the relationship became dysfunctional and chaotic with a child. Sadly I hate how Whitney put up walls with her family and her friends who did not get to see how horrific the situation was and even her mother was clueless about her drug addiction until they had an intervention. I do not how I would have handle the situation because even reading the book was just horrific to see this beautiful daughter become a complete stranger that you cannot recognize anymore.
Part 3: The Rebirth
In this part of the story, we learn everything from Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary concert in 2001 through 2014. From 2001-2004, Whitney sold her house in New Jersey and moved to Atlanta with Bobby. They did that on purpose so that way Cissy wouldn't be able to visit her, she can continue doing drugs, and for Bobby Brown to abuse her both emotionally, and physically. There was a point in time that she could have died and she survived thanks to her mother who forced her by the courts to go to Rehab. By showing her bad side to her mother finally made a huge wake up call to her that she has a problem. At first she hated her mother for sending her to rehab but later on realize that her mother basically saved her from death.
We learn how Whitney finally was able to separate and divorce Bobby Brown, and how she was able to make another successful album as a major comeback since it had been years since she released an album. Everything was going great for Whitney and so much was revealed about the past thanks to Oprah Winfrey, but sadly between losing her voice to drugs, not being able to sing the songs that you loved and want, and the demand of the people wanting "Whitney Houston" it took a toll on her which I believed she should have never done a tour and instead just make albums.
In the end regardless of your religious belief that it was her time to go thanks to God. I believe if she were still alive today, I believe she would be in constant pain between fighting her inner demons, the woman she used to be, and losing the voice that millions adored and worship. I hope she is in a better place and I pray that wherever she is that she has found peace and happiness. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was a very spiritual and loving book regardless of the drugs and I felt that it showcases the true Whitney that people should know as a person and not the icon she truly became in our pop cultured society. I highly recommend this book for fans of Whitney or want a better understanding of her life through her mother's eyes!
Whitney Houston will always be one of greatest singers of our history and it is a complete tragic how she had so much potential, so much talent and in the end left to mere fragments of the icon she had become in our society. She is one my idols when it comes to music and till this day I still listen to her music and I become completely speechless whenever I hear sing whether it be belting high notes or the smallest ornamentation she makes in her music. I am constantly trying to emulate her style of singing and if I am ever lucky enough to get a small fraction of that gifted talent I would be satisfied. I was on a school performance field trip that day when she passed and I was in the bus when news broke out and since the internet connection was horrible, I could not find out about the facts and believed it was not true. I was in complete shock that, "The Voice" had passed away.
Since she passed away in 2012, there has been countless rumors and speculation to her death, her relationship to Bobby Brown, drugs, and other garbage that tarnishes over all the wonderful things she accomplished as a human being and the beautiful music that I believe will last for generations to come. So after a year in mourning, her mother decided that she wanted to tell the truth about her Daughter and to showcase that even though she is one of the best singers of all time, she is still human, and she was a daughter, mother, and a friend.
A huge misconception that I believe people have when it comes to this book that this is like a gossip tell-all when it comes to Whitney's life when it fact its more of a biography of Whitney's upbringing, career, and her relationship with her mother. The book is divided into three parts and I believe I will do the same for this review.
Part 1: The Beginning
In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and Whitney Houston. For the most part we are introduced to the horrific day that Cissy found out about Whitney's death and then immediately we are introduced to Cissy's upbringing. This woman clearly suffered so much pain and agony when it comes to the loss of her loved ones and how this woman survives it all it is absolutely courageous to find meaning in life after so much lost and tragedy. I believe it was essential that we learn about Cissy Houston because you get a better understanding of Whitney's mothers, the choices she made in life, and how her upbringing would later influence Whitney. Cissy never did drugs, always followed the righteous path, and had to work her butt off when it comes to working for the music industry, making a living, and supporting the family.
Part 2: The Rise & Fall of Whitney Houston
In the first part, we only get glimpses of Whitney Houston as a child and nothing substantial until part 2 when at the age of 12 she declared that she wanted to become a famous singer. Cissy pushed her to her limits, the same way they taught Cissy how to sing because 1.) Whitney was her daughter. 2.) You have to have thick skin when it comes to the entertainment business and how they want to tear you apart and dedicate what type of singer you are and 3.) She did not believe that Whitney had what it takes to deal with the price of fame.
We get to learn how Cissy introduced her to the world of music and how quick people took notice of her talent and by the time she was 19 years old, she already had offers to be signed to a record label. We learn through Cissy's point of view that between touring, albums, appearance, dealing with your franchise took a toll on Whitney and by the late 80s, she was already doing drugs. Countless people would say if Cissy is a great mother why did she let her daughter ruin her career? My belief is when it comes to drug addicts, they do not want to admit that they have a problem, and Cissy could not be around Whitney 24/7 especially since Whitney to tell anything private to her mother. CIssy had to work and make a living and she raised her daughter in a loving home where drugs would never have crossed her mind. Plus at the end of the day, it was Whitney's decision to do drugs, no one has the blame except for her especially since she was stubborn.
We get to learn the struggles that Whitney had among the black community since they consider her to be white, how Whitney met and fell in love with Bobby Brown, The Bodyguard, Bobbi kristina, and how the 90s was horrific for Whitney. No one believed that, "The Bodyguard" would be a success and when she did "I Will Always Love You" it broke records and made Whitney more famous than ever before which I got to admit you would never think it could be possible. That song became her signature song and till this day is one of my all time favorite especially since one time I listened to the song for 8 hours straight without changing my music player!
Based on from what Cissy account of events and my personal research, I believe Bobby Brown & Whitney Houston did love each other in the beginning but once "The Bodyguard" became an epic success and Bobby Brown's career going down the toilet, mix it with drugs, it ruined the relationships and brought out the inner demons among these two individuals. Plus what did not helped which I always believed and Cissy proved me right was that no one didn't like Whitney with Bobby and because she was extremely stubborn and had pride, she made it a point that she was going to make this relationship last and to prove everyone that they were wrong.
Maybe in the beginning it was a loving relationship but I guarantee you that by the time the year 2000 rolled around, the relationship became dysfunctional and chaotic with a child. Sadly I hate how Whitney put up walls with her family and her friends who did not get to see how horrific the situation was and even her mother was clueless about her drug addiction until they had an intervention. I do not how I would have handle the situation because even reading the book was just horrific to see this beautiful daughter become a complete stranger that you cannot recognize anymore.
Part 3: The Rebirth
In this part of the story, we learn everything from Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary concert in 2001 through 2014. From 2001-2004, Whitney sold her house in New Jersey and moved to Atlanta with Bobby. They did that on purpose so that way Cissy wouldn't be able to visit her, she can continue doing drugs, and for Bobby Brown to abuse her both emotionally, and physically. There was a point in time that she could have died and she survived thanks to her mother who forced her by the courts to go to Rehab. By showing her bad side to her mother finally made a huge wake up call to her that she has a problem. At first she hated her mother for sending her to rehab but later on realize that her mother basically saved her from death.
We learn how Whitney finally was able to separate and divorce Bobby Brown, and how she was able to make another successful album as a major comeback since it had been years since she released an album. Everything was going great for Whitney and so much was revealed about the past thanks to Oprah Winfrey, but sadly between losing her voice to drugs, not being able to sing the songs that you loved and want, and the demand of the people wanting "Whitney Houston" it took a toll on her which I believed she should have never done a tour and instead just make albums.
In the end regardless of your religious belief that it was her time to go thanks to God. I believe if she were still alive today, I believe she would be in constant pain between fighting her inner demons, the woman she used to be, and losing the voice that millions adored and worship. I hope she is in a better place and I pray that wherever she is that she has found peace and happiness. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was a very spiritual and loving book regardless of the drugs and I felt that it showcases the true Whitney that people should know as a person and not the icon she truly became in our pop cultured society. I highly recommend this book for fans of Whitney or want a better understanding of her life through her mother's eyes!
emquegeeaye's review against another edition
5.0
Very good book. This is my third book from what I describe as my “I loved and shared my life with Whitney Houston”. First was Bobby’s book. Then Robyn’s. Now Cissy’s. Cissy’s was something else. Been mean and ornery her whole life. They didn’t necessarily say it in the book but I got the vibe that she may have been a tad bit jealous of Whitney when it came to her looks, talent and career. Like most parents who have famous children they retire or their kids retire them Cissy kept working bc it didn’t seem like she liked being known as “Whitney Houston’s mother” bc she wanted it to be known that Whitney was “Cissy Houston’s daughter” and that had it not been for her there would be no Whitney. I will say there were times she seemed to contradict herself. Like she blames Bobby for all of Whitney’s tribulations and claims she didn’t know Whitney was using but said Robyn (who she hates with a passion) told her Whitney was in trouble and struggling with drugs and needed help in the 80s around maybe 87 two years before she met Bobby. But it’s very clear that although she didn’t like anybody that Whitney chose for herself and didn’t like Bobby she really hated Robyn and for no other reason than Robyn was a lesbian and she knew even though she denies it that she and Whitney were in a lesbian relationship and she didn’t agree with that lifestyle. Also as much as people like to believe it Bobby was not the problem. For all three of these people to dislike each other there are way too many similarities of stories when it comes to Bobby’s personality and how he really loved Whitney. I learned lots of things like Cissy and John were not married until May of 64 almost a year after Whitney was born bc John was married to his first wife. The dad John and Aunt Bae who Whitney spoke of often raised those kids. Cissy was always on the road. And that was bc John didn’t really work. I always thought they were middle class bc of his income but nope it was Cissy’s. The dad had a mean streak and loved being Whitney Houston’s dad. What wasn’t mentioned was how Gary and Michael were really the downfall of Whitney. They were the ones buying and supplying her with drugs but Cissy was so blind to that bc she was laser focused on getting Robyn & Bobby out of the picture. But it was her kids the whole time. Great book. Good stories. Learned a lot and was surprised by how forthcoming she was. But she blamed Robyn & Bobby for everything and her, John, Gary and Michael were not the problem in her eyes.
artinyourworld's review against another edition
1.0
"I thought reading this biography, written by her mother, would be the best way to fill in those gaps and honor Black History month. And I got to say, I was wrong. Yes, I learned some things about Whitney Houston: the basic steps of her life. But if you asked about anything specific or personal about Whitney Houston, I think I'd only really have something to say about Cissy Houston.
I'd have a lot of things to say about Cissy Houston. This biography really made me not like her. She makes subtle antisemitic comments, homophobic comments, and willfully ignored her family's growing drug problem and mental health issues."
For my full review, click the following link: https://artinyourworld.com/2021/02/16/remembering-whitney-by-cissy-houston/
I'd have a lot of things to say about Cissy Houston. This biography really made me not like her. She makes subtle antisemitic comments, homophobic comments, and willfully ignored her family's growing drug problem and mental health issues."
For my full review, click the following link: https://artinyourworld.com/2021/02/16/remembering-whitney-by-cissy-houston/