Books like Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life As a Fabulous Ronette

This was a very fast, compulsive read. A real page turner. I'm one of the biggest Ronnie Spector fans, but I didn't know what to expect. She has some crazy stories about Phil and about her alcoholism, but she presents everything as matter-of-fact. Her writing does not dwell on self-pity or her constant passivity even when she, as a character, is mired in them. What I find refreshing is that she never bashes Phil Spector, even though it would be so easy. The way she described their early professional relationship it is easy to see how she developed feelings for him. She admits that nobody around her understood what she saw in him, but she conveys her admiration of him very well to the reader. Once he becomes abusive, she describes all the signs that in hindsight should have warned her, if only she hadn't been so young, insecure and in love. She never blames anyone but herself, and even when she succumbs to Phil's mindgames and sabotage, she takes responsibility for her reactions to him. She has some wild stories, such as her various encounters with John Lennon who first tries to romance her in London, later sidles up to Phil and sits in on the session for her Apple Records flop, then appears at her divorce trial as a guest of Phil, and later befriend her in New York to the degree that Ronnie maintained a friendship with May Pang after John went back to Yoko. Also notable is Ronnie's friendship with Cher, already noted in Darlene Love's bio, whose marriage to Sonny Bono parallels Ronnie's marriage, except that Cher did not lose herself and was therefore better equipped to reinvent herself time and again. And the one night stand with Bowie is brief but memorable. I really can't recommend this book enough to anyone who has ever loved girls group music or the Wall of Sound.