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From This Moment On Paperback – March 27 2012
by
Shania Twain
(Author)
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Now in paperback from superstar Shania Twain, a poignant, heartfelt, and beautifully told account of her hard-scrabble childhood, rise to worldwide fame, and recent personal tragedies.
The world may know Shania Twain as many things: a music legend, a mother, and recently, a fixture in the news for her painful, public divorce and subsequent marriage to a cherished friend. But in this extraordinary autobiography, Shania reveals that she is so much more. She is Eilleen Twain, one of five children born into poverty in rural Canada, where her family often didn’t have enough food to send her to school with lunch. She’s the teenage girl who helped her mother and young siblings escape to a battered woman’s shelter to put an end to the domestic violence in her family home. And she’s the courageous twenty-two-year-old who sacrificed to keep her younger siblings together after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident.
Shania Twain’s life has evolved from a series of pivotal moments, and in unflinching, heartbreaking prose, Shania spares no details as she takes us through the events that have made her who she is. She recounts her difficult childhood, her parents’ sudden death and its painful aftermath, her dramatic rise to stardom, her devastating betrayal by a trusted friend, and her joyful marriage to the love of her life. From these moments, she offers profound, moving insights into families, personal tragedies, making sense of one’s life, and the process of healing. Shania Twain is a singular, remarkable woman who has faced enormous odds and downfalls, and her extraordinary story will provide wisdom, inspiration, and hope for almost anyone.
The world may know Shania Twain as many things: a music legend, a mother, and recently, a fixture in the news for her painful, public divorce and subsequent marriage to a cherished friend. But in this extraordinary autobiography, Shania reveals that she is so much more. She is Eilleen Twain, one of five children born into poverty in rural Canada, where her family often didn’t have enough food to send her to school with lunch. She’s the teenage girl who helped her mother and young siblings escape to a battered woman’s shelter to put an end to the domestic violence in her family home. And she’s the courageous twenty-two-year-old who sacrificed to keep her younger siblings together after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident.
Shania Twain’s life has evolved from a series of pivotal moments, and in unflinching, heartbreaking prose, Shania spares no details as she takes us through the events that have made her who she is. She recounts her difficult childhood, her parents’ sudden death and its painful aftermath, her dramatic rise to stardom, her devastating betrayal by a trusted friend, and her joyful marriage to the love of her life. From these moments, she offers profound, moving insights into families, personal tragedies, making sense of one’s life, and the process of healing. Shania Twain is a singular, remarkable woman who has faced enormous odds and downfalls, and her extraordinary story will provide wisdom, inspiration, and hope for almost anyone.
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMarch 27 2012
- Dimensions13.97 x 3.56 x 21.43 cm
- ISBN-101451620756
- ISBN-13978-1451620757
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Product description
Review
“Packed with intimate details that may surprise even her most dedicated fans.” —EW.com
About the Author
Shania Twain achieved worldwide success with her album Come On Over, which became the bestselling album of all time by a female musician, and the bestselling country album of all time. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Twain has also achieved major success as a songwriter and has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide to date.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Why Look Back?
I have to say, it’s been satisfying bringing myself up-to-date with myself, if you will, through writing this book. I can see now that I was missing out on some wonderful feelings and emotions from the memories of my youth as a result of closing the book too tightly behind myself—leaving the chapters to collect dust on a shelf so high above arm’s reach that it would take too much effort to reopen them down the road. Much to my relief, in some instances I can say there were things I thought would be a lot scarier than they actually were when revisiting them, and it surprised me how things seemed so much smaller in retrospect. It’s like the giant tree at the end of your grandparents’ driveway, which you thought only Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk could ever be brave enough to climb. But when you go back as an adult, that towering tree might now be dwarfed in comparison to the magnified lens you once saw it through as a tiny child.
Before I started writing, this pretty much summed up my attitude toward the past: “That was then; tomorrow’s another day.” I did that because some of my past was painful, and this outlook helped me stay afloat. Now I see that in closing off part of my past, I also missed what was happening to me in the present. I was always in a rush toward tomorrow. Sometimes addressing things openly at the time they happen prevents “getting stuck” later on.
I was unhappy. My life had been a fight for security, a place in the world, the chance to pursue my goals. From a very young age, I grew up with the mind-set of a survivor, like a boxer in the middle of the ring, constantly spinning and turning, ready to punch anyone coming at me. Life was not going to knock me down! I had to make it. So I didn’t let anyone close enough to find a weakness that could undermine me. I lived in this survivor mode into my adult years and through the ascent of my music career. Long after I’d achieved success and security, I still kept my dukes up, as if no one told me that the fight was over or that I was at least between rounds. It was exhausting living in this defensive state, and other than being tired of it, I also slowly began to feel more confident that life wasn’t necessarily trying to beat me up all the time.
The bell still sounds for my defensive survival mode now and then, but I practice not responding to it. I now find it more worthwhile trying to accept that my days will unfold as they will. That’s not to say I’ve become complacent. I’ve just redirected that strength to pursuing the fun stuff.
I also no longer sweat the discomfort of sharing the past, the present, or the voyage along the way. And I don’t see any point in keeping my story to myself, as explaining about life with my parents, for example, might inspire and give strength to many suffering men and women out there who can relate to and benefit from my parents’ challenges, and from the courage they displayed during some of the more difficult times. It would be a shame for their life’s experiences to have died along with them. Better to remember even their pain as a source of inspiration than to forget them in vain. My parents were conscientious people with good intentions. If they were alive today to reflect on the years when my brothers and sisters and I were growing up, they might not feel that they’d lived up to their good intentions. There were plenty of times when the Twain family didn’t have enough to eat, lacked warm clothes in the frigid Northern Ontario winters, and lived in a cramped, rented apartment or house with no heat. The perpetual undertow of financial instability took its toll in other ways, as it usually does, compromising my parents’ love for each other at times and no doubt feeding my mother’s recurrent bouts of depression.
Because of the unpredictable periods of instability in my childhood home, I didn’t feel that I could really rely on my parents to be consistent caregivers or protectors of me. I didn’t know what to count on from one day to the next—calm or chaos—and this made me anxious and insecure. It was hard to know what to expect, so it was easier to just be ready for anything, all the time. But I understand and forgive my parents completely for this because I know they did their best. All mothers and fathers have shortcomings, and although there were circumstances during my childhood that to some may seem extreme, if one could say my parents failed at times, I would say they did so honestly. They were often caught up in circumstances beyond their control. If my parents were here today, I’d tell them what a great job they did under the conditions. I would want them to feel good about how they raised me. I would thank them for showing me love and teaching me to never lose hope, to always remember that things could be worse and to be thankful for everything good in my life. Most important, they taught me to never forget to laugh. I thank them for always encouraging me to look on the bright side; it’s a gift that has carried me through many challenges. They may not always have been the best examples, or practiced what they preached, but it was clear they wanted better for us. That in itself was exemplary.
Ultimately, I am responsible for how I live my life now, and what I make out of it. In fact, I am actually grateful for what I’ve gone through and wouldn’t change a thing—although I admit I wouldn’t want to live it over again, either. Once was enough.
© 2011 Shania Twain
I have to say, it’s been satisfying bringing myself up-to-date with myself, if you will, through writing this book. I can see now that I was missing out on some wonderful feelings and emotions from the memories of my youth as a result of closing the book too tightly behind myself—leaving the chapters to collect dust on a shelf so high above arm’s reach that it would take too much effort to reopen them down the road. Much to my relief, in some instances I can say there were things I thought would be a lot scarier than they actually were when revisiting them, and it surprised me how things seemed so much smaller in retrospect. It’s like the giant tree at the end of your grandparents’ driveway, which you thought only Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk could ever be brave enough to climb. But when you go back as an adult, that towering tree might now be dwarfed in comparison to the magnified lens you once saw it through as a tiny child.
Before I started writing, this pretty much summed up my attitude toward the past: “That was then; tomorrow’s another day.” I did that because some of my past was painful, and this outlook helped me stay afloat. Now I see that in closing off part of my past, I also missed what was happening to me in the present. I was always in a rush toward tomorrow. Sometimes addressing things openly at the time they happen prevents “getting stuck” later on.
I was unhappy. My life had been a fight for security, a place in the world, the chance to pursue my goals. From a very young age, I grew up with the mind-set of a survivor, like a boxer in the middle of the ring, constantly spinning and turning, ready to punch anyone coming at me. Life was not going to knock me down! I had to make it. So I didn’t let anyone close enough to find a weakness that could undermine me. I lived in this survivor mode into my adult years and through the ascent of my music career. Long after I’d achieved success and security, I still kept my dukes up, as if no one told me that the fight was over or that I was at least between rounds. It was exhausting living in this defensive state, and other than being tired of it, I also slowly began to feel more confident that life wasn’t necessarily trying to beat me up all the time.
The bell still sounds for my defensive survival mode now and then, but I practice not responding to it. I now find it more worthwhile trying to accept that my days will unfold as they will. That’s not to say I’ve become complacent. I’ve just redirected that strength to pursuing the fun stuff.
I also no longer sweat the discomfort of sharing the past, the present, or the voyage along the way. And I don’t see any point in keeping my story to myself, as explaining about life with my parents, for example, might inspire and give strength to many suffering men and women out there who can relate to and benefit from my parents’ challenges, and from the courage they displayed during some of the more difficult times. It would be a shame for their life’s experiences to have died along with them. Better to remember even their pain as a source of inspiration than to forget them in vain. My parents were conscientious people with good intentions. If they were alive today to reflect on the years when my brothers and sisters and I were growing up, they might not feel that they’d lived up to their good intentions. There were plenty of times when the Twain family didn’t have enough to eat, lacked warm clothes in the frigid Northern Ontario winters, and lived in a cramped, rented apartment or house with no heat. The perpetual undertow of financial instability took its toll in other ways, as it usually does, compromising my parents’ love for each other at times and no doubt feeding my mother’s recurrent bouts of depression.
Because of the unpredictable periods of instability in my childhood home, I didn’t feel that I could really rely on my parents to be consistent caregivers or protectors of me. I didn’t know what to count on from one day to the next—calm or chaos—and this made me anxious and insecure. It was hard to know what to expect, so it was easier to just be ready for anything, all the time. But I understand and forgive my parents completely for this because I know they did their best. All mothers and fathers have shortcomings, and although there were circumstances during my childhood that to some may seem extreme, if one could say my parents failed at times, I would say they did so honestly. They were often caught up in circumstances beyond their control. If my parents were here today, I’d tell them what a great job they did under the conditions. I would want them to feel good about how they raised me. I would thank them for showing me love and teaching me to never lose hope, to always remember that things could be worse and to be thankful for everything good in my life. Most important, they taught me to never forget to laugh. I thank them for always encouraging me to look on the bright side; it’s a gift that has carried me through many challenges. They may not always have been the best examples, or practiced what they preached, but it was clear they wanted better for us. That in itself was exemplary.
Ultimately, I am responsible for how I live my life now, and what I make out of it. In fact, I am actually grateful for what I’ve gone through and wouldn’t change a thing—although I admit I wouldn’t want to live it over again, either. Once was enough.
© 2011 Shania Twain
Product details
- Publisher : Atria Books; Reprint edition (March 27 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1451620756
- ISBN-13 : 978-1451620757
- Item weight : 435 g
- Dimensions : 13.97 x 3.56 x 21.43 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: #28,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18 in Bluegrass Music
- #18 in Country Music (Books)
- #293 in Entertainer
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in Canada on August 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
She has it half read and is enjoying the book emencely.
Reviewed in Canada on January 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have been a fan of Shania Twain ever since I first heard Any Man of Mine. I think I found her more relatable and any other celebrity because like me she grew up in Northern Ontario. Her childhood stories of bitter cold winters, walking in knee deep (or deeper) snow, the old tongue on metal that is a rite of passage of any Canadian. What appealed to me the most was her stories of tree planting as I grew up on an MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) tree nursery, right around the same time that the Twain family were running their business. Hearing the stories and even seeing the pictures brought back memories of several yellow school buses full of people coming from all over to harvest trees to be shipped out to be planted in the forest. Reading these stories made Shania feel less like a star and more like a real person to me. I found it brave to of her to write so honestly about her life. It wasn't always pretty, and was often nasty, but in the end she did triumph. I found this book hard to put down at times because it was so engaging. Even though we all know the story, it was nice to hear the events coming from the person who actually lived through them and not just second or third hand stories passed on. I admire her courage for writing this story, and her courage for getting through the tough times in her life and I found inspiration in it for my own times of difficulty that made it a most enjoyable read.
Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
That was one fabulous book to read, with the most honesty from the beginning to the end. That woman is amazing if you loved her before, you'll simply adore her afterward, that make us Canadians very proud of her. One tiny woman with a huge courage to overcome anything at all so at the end she found the best in her charming new man and husband, a wonderful sister that anyone would love to have as their own, what a trooper Carrie Ann is and the best shoulder to lean on for her sister too. That's one of my favorite book ever. Thank you so much Eillen Twain alias Shania Twain for sharing your life with us, in doing so, you've help a lot of peoples out there and give them the boost they need to do positive changes in their life, so they will know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all. Please come back to us as a song writer and singer and performer, you're way to good to let it go ever. Love from Montréal, Québec, Canada. XXX
VINE VOICE
Verified Purchase
Let me be up front and say that I am not at all a country music fan but like most who have heard Shania's music over the years, it's hard to deny the infectious talent that this woman possesses.
Furthermore, her rather meteoric rise from humble and tragic begins, through super stardom, culminating in a life altering divorce, is spellbinding. In this autobiography, Shania seems to spare no secrets, no pain and no self analysis. At times seemingly naive, self deprecating and humorous but always seeming sincere, I was captivated by the read and even more in awe of the woman. This is a phenomenal window into the realities behind one of the people who we might see as having everything.
This book almost felt like sitting with her over coffee and having a real honest talk. A pleasure to read.
Furthermore, her rather meteoric rise from humble and tragic begins, through super stardom, culminating in a life altering divorce, is spellbinding. In this autobiography, Shania seems to spare no secrets, no pain and no self analysis. At times seemingly naive, self deprecating and humorous but always seeming sincere, I was captivated by the read and even more in awe of the woman. This is a phenomenal window into the realities behind one of the people who we might see as having everything.
This book almost felt like sitting with her over coffee and having a real honest talk. A pleasure to read.
Reviewed in Canada on July 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
Loved reading her journey. So strong and resilient and a testament that love always wins!
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was an alright read. Ms. Twain comes across as pretty into herself which may or may not be true. Since the information
in this book is suppose to be true then I would say she has over emphasized her helping her siblings after her parents died
because it was only for a couple of years and it was pretty much all about her it sounds. I wish Ms Shania Twain all the luck
in the world in her re-organized life and with her second husband. I do think if it weren't for her first husband, Mutt Lange, that
she may not have made it onto the world scene as she did but the combo could really write good songs together and Mr. Lange is a
top notch producer too. Now she has had to pretty much start over.
in this book is suppose to be true then I would say she has over emphasized her helping her siblings after her parents died
because it was only for a couple of years and it was pretty much all about her it sounds. I wish Ms Shania Twain all the luck
in the world in her re-organized life and with her second husband. I do think if it weren't for her first husband, Mutt Lange, that
she may not have made it onto the world scene as she did but the combo could really write good songs together and Mr. Lange is a
top notch producer too. Now she has had to pretty much start over.
Reviewed in Canada on June 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
Wow! I really enjoyed this book. I have to admit to being a little skeptical of reading the autobiography of such a big star. But I remember loving Keith Richard's book and so I thought... why not?
Extremely inspirational. She has a great moral compass and work ethic. It took some getting used to, but she eventually won me over with her "chit-chat-style" of writing. Very revealing and good reading.
Extremely inspirational. She has a great moral compass and work ethic. It took some getting used to, but she eventually won me over with her "chit-chat-style" of writing. Very revealing and good reading.
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great read! I could really relate to Shania as we both had similar up bringings, she’s very honest and for that I really respect. Even if you’re not a Shania fan, I think you’d still enjoy this book.
Top reviews from other countries
Kenlah0406
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brave and powerdul book
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2011Verified Purchase
I devoured this book. The book is riveting and so well written. The honesty with which Shania writes about her life is searing and eye opening.
This is a woman who has survived a lot of hardships, but has come out stronger on the other side. I had no doubt that this book would be thoughtfully written, as she is a talented song writer. Her writing is matter of fact and not salacious in any way, but very revealing.
I found it very disturbing to read the other reviews that criticized her way of writing about her parents with such compassion, though she grew up with poverty, abuse and too much adult responsibility thrust upon her at an early age. Family relationships are complicated and filled with a lot of gray areas, even if you consider your family to be "typical" or "normal".
I think she handled herself unbelievable well as a child given the unstable and dysfunctional environment she was born into. And it is clear that though she knows her parents were not perfect, she loved them nonetheless. All of these people who are critical of her for this need to ask themselves if they were able to turn off the love they feel for people in their lives who mistreated, neglected, manipulated or even abused them in their lives.
If they are honest with themselves, they will admit that these people are probably still part of their lives in some capacity. Whether it is a friend you can't rely on or a parent who knows all the right buttons to push and mean words to say to make you feel guilty about something in order to control you or a sibling who constantly takes advantage of you. And the list goes on and on.
I was also quite impressed with the way she explained the inner workings of the music industry and how she was able to come to terms with her success once she became famous. This was illuminating for me as I read how well she articulated her feelings without coming across as "poor, famous celebrity". Many regular people like me have this idea that once you are rich and famous, you have MORE freedom and anything that you have to give up in the way of being a "regular person" is a small price to pay for money, accolades, adoration, special treatment, glamour and anything else positive that comes with it. When I read the part in the book about what a daily itinerary was like for her when promoting her album I was in disbelief. Or the schedule that she kept while working and touring.
I have to admit that when I see my favorite artists performing or see them giving interviews, I picture it all as them having fun doing what they do 24/7. I had no idea about all the hard work, loneliness, isolation and sacrifice that comes with trying to get famous and then stay on top. What real problems could these people possibly have? Well it turns out that they have the same problems we do mixed in with ones we could not even imagine or fathom how to deal with. And pressure that we will never know.
No wonder so many Hollywood marriages fail. No wonder there are so many certifiably crazy, drug addicted out of control celebrities out there. It is a miracle than anyone famous can keep a firm grip on reality. And I think that is why it is so endearing to learn about someone you admire who is famous continually striving to keep their life as normal as humanly possible. It is hard to have compassion for someone that you feel has a life that is much easier that yours. Easy is a relative term. But as we have seen countless times with many famous, beautiful, talented and adored celebrities, NONE of these things make you exempt from the pain that life brings on all of us. Getting through life unscathed is impossible.
When reading this book, I was also watching Shania's show "Why not?" on OWN, which really delves into the breakdown of her marriage, the betrayal she experienced and how she was getting her life back on track. When I saw her emotions as opposed to reading them on the page with regard to her marriage breaking up, I was able to better understand how this kind of betrayal nearly broke her.
Everyone thinks that they would never be blindsided by such a thing. Some people know in their gut that they are being lied to and some people are really so out of touch with their lives that they never see it coming at all. Most people believe that they would immediately leave and never look back. Most people believe that they would not want the person who betrayed them back. The point is you don't have any real idea what you would do when faced with such pain and how low your mind can take you in order to escape going through the pain.
The harsh criticism she is receiving is unfair and unwarranted. None of us have all the answers so why should she? She is figuring things out as she goes along just like everybody else and she is beyond brave and truly open for showing this, because she believes that any negative response she will receive from doing this pales in comparison to the insight it will give to other people. I applaud her strength for doing this b/c I would not have the courage to let other people who I don't know or trust see my struggles, insecurities and human frailty.
This book will help people understand who Shania really is as well as help people who will identify with certain aspects of her life. Even if you are not a fan of Shania, I think anyone who is introspective and curious about life and how you can move forward with hope even after terrible things have happened will enjoy this book. It made me look at a lot of things from a different perspective for sure.
I think Shania can be extremely proud of this book, her life and her career. I am so glad that she is experiencing happiness in her life and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
This is a woman who has survived a lot of hardships, but has come out stronger on the other side. I had no doubt that this book would be thoughtfully written, as she is a talented song writer. Her writing is matter of fact and not salacious in any way, but very revealing.
I found it very disturbing to read the other reviews that criticized her way of writing about her parents with such compassion, though she grew up with poverty, abuse and too much adult responsibility thrust upon her at an early age. Family relationships are complicated and filled with a lot of gray areas, even if you consider your family to be "typical" or "normal".
I think she handled herself unbelievable well as a child given the unstable and dysfunctional environment she was born into. And it is clear that though she knows her parents were not perfect, she loved them nonetheless. All of these people who are critical of her for this need to ask themselves if they were able to turn off the love they feel for people in their lives who mistreated, neglected, manipulated or even abused them in their lives.
If they are honest with themselves, they will admit that these people are probably still part of their lives in some capacity. Whether it is a friend you can't rely on or a parent who knows all the right buttons to push and mean words to say to make you feel guilty about something in order to control you or a sibling who constantly takes advantage of you. And the list goes on and on.
I was also quite impressed with the way she explained the inner workings of the music industry and how she was able to come to terms with her success once she became famous. This was illuminating for me as I read how well she articulated her feelings without coming across as "poor, famous celebrity". Many regular people like me have this idea that once you are rich and famous, you have MORE freedom and anything that you have to give up in the way of being a "regular person" is a small price to pay for money, accolades, adoration, special treatment, glamour and anything else positive that comes with it. When I read the part in the book about what a daily itinerary was like for her when promoting her album I was in disbelief. Or the schedule that she kept while working and touring.
I have to admit that when I see my favorite artists performing or see them giving interviews, I picture it all as them having fun doing what they do 24/7. I had no idea about all the hard work, loneliness, isolation and sacrifice that comes with trying to get famous and then stay on top. What real problems could these people possibly have? Well it turns out that they have the same problems we do mixed in with ones we could not even imagine or fathom how to deal with. And pressure that we will never know.
No wonder so many Hollywood marriages fail. No wonder there are so many certifiably crazy, drug addicted out of control celebrities out there. It is a miracle than anyone famous can keep a firm grip on reality. And I think that is why it is so endearing to learn about someone you admire who is famous continually striving to keep their life as normal as humanly possible. It is hard to have compassion for someone that you feel has a life that is much easier that yours. Easy is a relative term. But as we have seen countless times with many famous, beautiful, talented and adored celebrities, NONE of these things make you exempt from the pain that life brings on all of us. Getting through life unscathed is impossible.
When reading this book, I was also watching Shania's show "Why not?" on OWN, which really delves into the breakdown of her marriage, the betrayal she experienced and how she was getting her life back on track. When I saw her emotions as opposed to reading them on the page with regard to her marriage breaking up, I was able to better understand how this kind of betrayal nearly broke her.
Everyone thinks that they would never be blindsided by such a thing. Some people know in their gut that they are being lied to and some people are really so out of touch with their lives that they never see it coming at all. Most people believe that they would immediately leave and never look back. Most people believe that they would not want the person who betrayed them back. The point is you don't have any real idea what you would do when faced with such pain and how low your mind can take you in order to escape going through the pain.
The harsh criticism she is receiving is unfair and unwarranted. None of us have all the answers so why should she? She is figuring things out as she goes along just like everybody else and she is beyond brave and truly open for showing this, because she believes that any negative response she will receive from doing this pales in comparison to the insight it will give to other people. I applaud her strength for doing this b/c I would not have the courage to let other people who I don't know or trust see my struggles, insecurities and human frailty.
This book will help people understand who Shania really is as well as help people who will identify with certain aspects of her life. Even if you are not a fan of Shania, I think anyone who is introspective and curious about life and how you can move forward with hope even after terrible things have happened will enjoy this book. It made me look at a lot of things from a different perspective for sure.
I think Shania can be extremely proud of this book, her life and her career. I am so glad that she is experiencing happiness in her life and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
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HB Dude
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Inspiring Autobiography
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2015Verified Purchase
This was an excellent book! I don't know where to begin. It was so well done and Shania Twain did an incredible job. She's very detailed and it feels as if she covers most everything throughout the trajectory of her life from birth to early 40's, even though that's impossible, but it is jam packed and layered with tons of insight and detail running about 400 pages or so. The first 1/3 of the book are the struggles in her life pre-fame. The abusive violent household she was raised in and being dirt poor to the point where they wouldn't know if they would have a meal that day. The second 1/3 of the book is the rise of her career and how that just kept getting bigger and bigger. The final 1/3 is the taking a break from the career and witnessing the crumbling of her marriage and the discovery of a new love.
I'm not doing this book justice with this, but all I can say is that I loved it. It was entertaining and moving. I was a little intimidated by how big and detailed it was, so I decided to take it one step at a time and just savor it slowly. I would pick it up and read a few pages to a chapter or two. I'd put it down and pick it up on another day and read a few more pages or chapter. Over the course of four months I was reading this book. Dragging it on like that made me feel the longevity of her life to date and all the experiences, hardships, challenges and blessings that were being bestowed to her.
It was a nice glimpse into a beautiful rags to riches story and what it's truly like from the perspective of someone who is well-known. You don't get that impression though. She's down to earth, fun and incredibly hard working. You feel like she's just like anybody else, but this great stuff in her career is happening and people are recognizing her, but she's still the same person she was before the fame. She really breaks all of that down and then you feel for her and what she was going through with the dissolve of her marriage due to infidelity on the husband's part. I think aside from the career bit, many would be able to relate to her troubled childhood and the heartbreak in love. The career fame stuff is interesting to read what it's like from the perspective of the famous person and how she's just like anybody else, but not because people know her, but she doesn't know them. I loved all of that stuff too and what it's like to make an album, get a contract, and do all the promo stuff, the touring, and the grueling hard work that ultimately drained her as it would anybody. This was a fascinating and interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read it again at another date in the future.
I'm not doing this book justice with this, but all I can say is that I loved it. It was entertaining and moving. I was a little intimidated by how big and detailed it was, so I decided to take it one step at a time and just savor it slowly. I would pick it up and read a few pages to a chapter or two. I'd put it down and pick it up on another day and read a few more pages or chapter. Over the course of four months I was reading this book. Dragging it on like that made me feel the longevity of her life to date and all the experiences, hardships, challenges and blessings that were being bestowed to her.
It was a nice glimpse into a beautiful rags to riches story and what it's truly like from the perspective of someone who is well-known. You don't get that impression though. She's down to earth, fun and incredibly hard working. You feel like she's just like anybody else, but this great stuff in her career is happening and people are recognizing her, but she's still the same person she was before the fame. She really breaks all of that down and then you feel for her and what she was going through with the dissolve of her marriage due to infidelity on the husband's part. I think aside from the career bit, many would be able to relate to her troubled childhood and the heartbreak in love. The career fame stuff is interesting to read what it's like from the perspective of the famous person and how she's just like anybody else, but not because people know her, but she doesn't know them. I loved all of that stuff too and what it's like to make an album, get a contract, and do all the promo stuff, the touring, and the grueling hard work that ultimately drained her as it would anybody. This was a fascinating and interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read it again at another date in the future.
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M Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing life story from a strong woman!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2023Verified Purchase
I didn’t realise the tragedy of Shania’s life, too loose your parents in a sudden and tragic way and to have find the strength to pick yourself up and be there for your siblings. Then to believe in yourself that you will be successful and deserve to be is inspiring. Also to be betrayed by a friend and your husband and still believe in love. All I’ve got to say is Man, She Is A Woman!



