Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for October 13th, 2008

Before I talk about Lynne Spear’s memoir, Through the Storm, (Thomas Nelson, 2008) you need to know that I didn’t pick up this book to learn dirt on any of the Spears, and in fact, I’ve never listened to Britney’s music or watched Jamie Lynn’s show.

My desire was to learn more about the mother behind the stars. The book didn’t disappoint. As I finished each chapter, I felt like I was reading part of Lynne’s personal journal.

While Lynne doesn’t reveal many details about Britney or Jamie Lynn, I learned a lot about the atmosphere the three Spears children were reared in. Lynne expresses her regrets and mentions things, in retrospect, that she believes could have been different.

For example, the family went to church, but at home the parents didn’t insist on devotions or Bible reading. She also expresses her inner struggle living with an alcoholic and how she wished she would have done things differently in front of the children.

Many people fault Lynne for her naivete when Britney, and later Jamie Lynn, started to climb the ladder of success. As Lynne says frequently, she just didn’t know. I believe she did what any mother would do with a talented child – give them the opportunity to learn more and pursue their talent.

Some fault her for allowing Britney to take lessons and then enter competitions. To me, that’s normal. Progressing to the next level of competition is normal. The Mickey Mouse Club? Broadway at age 10? Maybe not so normal, but still within reason when a child is as talented as Britney and has already surpassed most of her peers in the competition.

Lynne’s emotions are raw especially when she talks about living with an alcoholic and about watching her daughter fall apart before her eyes. Who hasn’t heard about Britney’s shaved head episode? Lynne tells what went on behind the scenes and some of it broke my heart.

While I enjoyed reading the story, I had a hard time with the book itself. With experience as an editor, I think this book needed more attention than it got in the editorial process. The chronology seemed confusing at times – like it was mixed up or totally missing. The overall structure of the story bounced back and forth leaving the reader wondering what happened, particularly when Lynne talks about her relationship with her husband. Rather than attempt the story in chronological order, I think it would have been better to deal with the overall issues up front and then detail a chapter about each individual in Lynne’s life. And I noticed some blatant errors – mostly spelling but also an obvious error about a town location. Unfortunately, I feel like Lynne was done a disservice since this book is clearly not as good as it had the potential to be.

At best, I’ll give the Through the Storm four stars. The story is great, but the book isn’t.