Ginger: My Story

Ginger's Introduction sets an important parameter on her work, one that perhaps some reviewers and critics overlooked or failed to accept. She says, "mine would not be a sensational book...I have tried to use discretion and taste... something more elevated than the sordid details..." I wrestled with this limit as I read, but in the end I found I could understand and even applaud her choices even when, like most people, I wanted to know more about her failed marriages and related intimacies. Actually, the truth is in the title: Ginger: My Story. It's not "Ginger: My Life." A story is a work of art meant, not to fly from reality, but to transport us to the intrinsic meanings of life, to make some order out of the chaos of existence and to convey the essential arc of an individual's life. Ginger Rogers learned the importance of fine story-telling by a lifetime of experience with film, drama, comedy, dance, and song. She tells her important story with spare elegance, hits the high spots, corrects some records, and yet finds ways to talk to us individually in her own, inimitable voice. For those with ears to hear, it's wonderful. The main theme of her work, the main plot of her story so to speak, is about her life's work as an artist of the stage and screen. So her various Acts arc from a little girl who is kidnapped from her beloved mother, through six decades of amazing performances, to a day near the end when her work ethic is fully revealed, ironically and sadly, when even her mother's death does not "stop the show." Against this plan of the book, the various marriages appear almost as obstacles, the husbands as near-antagonists whose departures are less troubling than their arrivals in her life. The sorrow and the triumph in the story finally is about her dedication and final great achievements as an artist, not only a performer but one who has reached that pinnacle known simply as "immortality." But Ginger herself was concerned with a far different, more traditional idea of immortal life, one which she makes plain in her many references to her religion and her faith in Christianity. It's clear this is who she is, and really the book is better for her willingness to write openly about her faith and the experiences she had. The presentation of this volume from HarperCollins is a welcome surprise, from the inside cover art of Ginger dancing to the gorgeous plate photo of her, to the typeface, and the wonderful three sets of black and white photos. Beautiful work is so appropriate to the author herself. As I said, I can hear her voice as I read. She's as good, as feminine and strong as she appears in all her movies. She speaks from across the rapidly changing culture of America, from a far end for those who know only the internet, cellphone age. Not everything she reports is fully in step with our metaphoric dancing in this century; she is a woman who came of age in the 1920s, and it shows. But she is such an exemplary, hard-working, caring, passionate and proud member of those generations that readers of any age can be swept away in her story. This reviewer was. Read this lovely, truthful book and then go watch her movies. You will find inspiration.

I honestly don't get why someone would give this book a low rating or a bad review. As someone pointed out in their review of some other book on amazon, just because it didn't say what you wanted it to say doesn't mean it's a bad book. The author, Miss Rogers herself, tells her childhood life and the trials and tribulations of hollywood life as well as her personal life in a very lighthearted manner. The book has alot of quirks which will make you smile. She even had me saying "awww!" sometimes. She talks alot about her relationship with her mother. This is something I know alot about because I also grew up without much of a father figure. It was always my mom and I so her fond memories of growing up with her mother makes me think about the wonderful relationship I have with my mom. This book also makes me really excited about acting. I've always wanted to be an actress and she describes everything so wonderfully; being on set and working in movies; meeting the stars of her day and the tough times she had traveling with little money. She grew up around vaudeville too and it kinda makes me wish things like vaudeville still existed. Entertainment was very hearty back in those days (since I'm really interested in the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, reading an autobiography from someone like Miss Rogers who actually lived through it is a real treat!). This book also made me love her mother, Lela, and it made me fall in love with Ginger all over again. Ginger and her mother were very lovely people. And Ginger herself is a great author. I could've totally seen her retiring from Hollywood to publish books. As for the religious aspects, to those of you complaining about it, you have to realize, her faith in God was just as much apart of her as her acting. This book is her life and how she grew up. She's not throwing it in your face. She's only telling you how her religion and her faith in God helped her and her mother in life (when she does talk about her religion and her religious practices, she does go a bit deep sometimes to the point where it becomes quite boring and predictable; but my point is, she doesn't drone on and on about it in every chapter. There's actually a long pause in the middle-end of the book where she mentions absolutely nothing about her religion; Also, Ginger was not ego-driven either. I didn't get that vibe at all. I can see how some people might think she's being a bit uppity but I find some of those lines as quirks...you know "light humor". It's just a way to give the book some oomph!). Overall, I never really liked autobiographies or any kind of biography because they all seemed boring, but I highly recommend this book because it's more like a lighthearted novel than anything else. I actually couldn't put the book down. I had fun reading this book just as much fun as Ginger had living her life. Actually, the main reason I wanted this book was because I wanted a little peice of Ginger since I never got to meet her (I was only a year old when this book was published). But I got much more than that...I got an interesting life story of one of my favorite classic actresses and a book that I'll read time and time again. Don't be fooled by some of the negative reviews. It really is a good book. But my best advice is to just judge for yourself. I sometimes turn away books or movies based on 1 or 2 bad reviews or low ratings; I go back and read/watch it and it turns out, I really like it. Such was the case with this book. I couldn't make up my mind about whether I really wanted this book or not because of customer reviews pulling me every which way. But I'm glad I got it. I love you Ginger :)

Ein wunderbares Buch! Danke für die unglaubliche Erfahrung, Ginger!!! Du lebst für immer!

Con una narrazione rapida e frizzante, Ginger Rogers riesce ad accompagnarti per tutto il '900, tra cinema, arte e racconti di vita..

I am enjoying this lovely book about a very lovely, talented lady. Highly recommend.

Mrs ROGERS a un réel talent de conteuse et le livre est fort agréable à lire. Il faut cependant maîtriser l'anglais pour en tirer toute la subtilité.

Ha llegado en la fecha esperada, incluso algún día antes y en perfectas condiciones. Me ha dado gran confianza para repetir.