At the 63rd Academy Awards Madonna created a sensation by showing up with
Michael Jackson. At the MTV Video Music Awards,
Madonna popped out of a wedding cake wearing trashy bridal fashion, singing her soon-to-be-smash hit “Like a Virgin.” An upset Pope banned her concerts in Italy when her “blasphemous” video “Like a Prayer” was released. Sure, Madonna can be shocking, provocative – even offensive. But Madonna has certainly entertained millions of people around the world.
In this biogragphy, author Mary Cross pulls no punches about the intriguing life of the original “material girl”…
It covers the one major event in Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone’s childhood that dramatically changed her life (her mother died from breast cancer when Madonna was five years old).
It talks about the mistakes Madonna made and her grueling years in New York City as she struggling to break into the music business.
It talks about the numerous love affairs Madonna had with her “boy toys” and with the few men she really loved (Sean Penn, Warren Beatty,
Guy Ritchie).
“I loved seeing the visual effect I had on people.” – Madonna, on fashion
It credits Madonna with “flash trash style of dress” that girls everywhere tried to imitate but which also earned a spot on Blackwell's “Worst Dressed”.
“She was a nobody who was about to be somebody.” – Camille Barbone, Madonna’s first manager
It reviews her movie career highs (
Desperately Seeking Susan and
Evita) and lows (everything else).
And it sheds light on the some of the stories Madonna strategically fabricated to literally shock the pants off the public, driven by sheer ambition to do whatever it took to become a mega star.
“You will never know the real me. Ever.” – Madonna, as told to Vanity Fair magazine.
We may never know the real Madonna, for she constantly reinvents her image, from “Little Nonnie” (her childhood nickname) to “Emmy” (her nickname during her early band days) to “Her Madge-esty” (her name from British tabloids). Since this former Catholic girl has now embraced Kabbalah, a branch of Jewish faith, Madonna has written several books for children, including
The English Roses and
Mr. Peabody’s Apples, both of which are reviewed on the Shvoong website (see links below). Overall, this is a well-written, thoroughly researched biography that will be appreciated by “True Blue” Madonna fans and those people who are “Borderline” curious and merely wondering “Who’s That Girl?”