Miniskirts Books

Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life As a Fabulous RonetteI wanted to read the original edition (availability online varies) so had my library get it. I remember buying the original 45 rpm of Be My Baby and wondering how three girls in the same group could be so gorgeous. Ronnie delivers in this delicious account of her life until 1990. The story of her alcoholism makes for a depressing read, so the latter part of the book slides. For a musical and photographic overview of these years, get the 4 CD set of Phil Spector productions Back to Mono (1958-1969). Also see the Ronettes' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame video online. The book is an essential piece of Rock history, but get it through your library (unless you want to possess forever the gorgeous photographs).

They wore the highest hair, and heels, and the shortest, tightest skirts when the Ronettes, lead singer Ronnie Bennett, first burst upon the girl group scene in the early 1960's. And their dancing: well, nobody stepped as high. They were the only girl group ever to tour with the Rolling Stones. They signed with music producer Phil Spector: at his famed Los Angeles Gold Star studios, he invented the "wall of sound" technique, backing rock singers with full orchestral sound; he wrote several monster hits for them: "Be My Baby," "Walking in the Rain," and "Baby I Love You," and they achieved mega-stardom.

Then Ronnie, rock's original bad girl, half-American Indian, half Puerto Rican, and a proud product of New York's East Harlem barrio, as were the cousins who backed her, married New York's Bronx-born Spector. He became increasingly eccentric, reclusive, and violent. She became a solo star, when and if he would let her out of the house, or the castle, as the case might be, in a marriage that drove her literally to drink -- Manischevitz, the sweetest drink she could find. It was an epically bad marriage, as people might guess who are following Phil Spector's current Los Angeles trial for murdering a woman that wanted to leave the castle.

But Ronnie busted out, endured some tough times -- Phil, who had written her greatest hits, wouldn't allow her to sing them in performance. She beat the alcoholism, and finally found her way back to her career, and, perhaps more importantly to her, to creating the family she'd always wished for.

Ronnie has given us, and continues to give us, a lot. In his introduction to this autobiography, Long Island born Billy Joel tells us that as teenagers, he and his friends always knew they were going to get lucky with the girls when "Be My Baby" boomed out of the jukebox. I've been lucky enough to see her live, several times, once at an outdoor summer concert at New York's World Trade Center, no longer on the skyline, as we all know, and watched a thousand people singing -- "For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three--" and dancing along with her: including a man who appeared to be African by his dress, dancing, transfigured, on top of a big urn.

Her autobiography, written with Vince Waldron, with a Foreward by Cher, and the Introduction by Billy Joel, is honest, open, and informative about the good years, and the bad. It stands on its own, as a good read.

This book really helped me get to the heart of gender and belief issues. I am now more careful about how I carry myself. I can make or break my husband's reputation in this culture. I loved gaining the wisdom from one book that took years for the author to attain. Thanks

This book is even more timely to read now that Ronnie's ex-hubby Phil Spector was arrested the other day for the murder of a woman in his house. It gives great insight not only into Ronnie's life story and rise to stardom but also into Phil's personality and temperament. While there is absolutely no doubt of Phil's musical genius, the man was(and possibly still is)mentally unstable(he claims to be bipolar and does not like to take his meds). I first bought and read this book when it first came out years ago but it is still a great read, one of the very best rock-bios around. It is also a great companion piece to Darlene Love's autobiography. If you are a fan of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, both books are essential reading. Very highly recommended.

Ronnie Spector is more interesting when she was young and a Ronnette as opposed to when she got older. The first half of the book was fascinating, especially from the music history point of view. Once she seperated from Phil Spector, it was not that interesting.

Since the book was updated, I would have liked to hear a lot more about the homicide at Phil Spector's hosue as well as how Joey Ramone's relationship with her.

If you are a fan of Ronnie SPector than this is an enjoyable read.

I've been in love with this woman and her music ever since I saw The Ronettes live at The Brooklyn Fox Theatre in 1964. I was only 15 years old at the time. If you love Ronnie Spector as much as I do, then do yourself a favor and buy this book. It isn't only about music. It is about courage, and the ability to overcome barriers. Very inspirational. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Like so many other baby boomers I grew up listening to the likes of many girl groups, doo wop, early British and American rock as well as buble gum pop of both East and West coast origin. In high school I fell in love with the sound of one of these girl groups. The voice, the smooth moves and grooves of the greatest of these groups kept me longing for more. I couldn't buy enouph of anything relating to The Ronnets. When I stumbled on this book by accident, some 7 years ago, I thought hmmm, no accident, I am destined to read and know more about my musical Lady heroine.
In this read, I learned more about Ronnie than I ever dreamed I might. I took a trip back in time and found it difficult to put this book down. I felt her pains and gains, and I grew to know more about her than I probably wanted to, after all I had been in love with the likes of this Fabulous Ronnet for so long, that it was often cause for discomfort. I learned so much about other musicians and singers from that era as well, to think that Ronnie hung out with the likes of some of them.
This is a must read for someone who thought they knew a thing or two of a time gone by and its musical influence and the people who helped make it what it was. If ever Rock-101 were taught in any format, this book need-be included.

For Ronnie Spector fans everywhere, this book has it all. Her early days in New York City, the beginning of the Ronettes, their spectacular number 1 hit BE MY BABY, her nightmare of booze and obsession while married to that creep Phil Spector, and her triumphant return to her first love of music and singing. If you want a fascinating look at the girl groups in Rock and Roll history, then you want to read this book. She writes in a down-to-earth way that makes you feel like a good friend is telling you a heart-wrenching story of pain and loss, of fear and courage. Good going, Ronnie! We love you.

Lead singer for the Ronettes, one of the better so-called "girl groups" of the 1960s, Spector provides an insider's look at the madness and glamour of an explosive period in rock music. Much of the book revolves around her relationship with Phil Spector, the star-making producer whose "Wall of Sound" concept revolutionized recording studio technique. According to the singer, her husband was obsessed with control, keeping her a virtual prisoner in his mansion for nearly five years before she broke free to reestablish a life and career of her own. Now remarried with two children, and having met with success in her struggle against alcoholism, the singer, aided by freelance writer Waldron, reminisces with apparent objectivity. Her candor, amid the recent rash of tell-all books by aging rock stars, is refreshing and puts Be My Baby a cut above the standard self-serving, bonkers-and-back autobiography.

This is the book that, when I bought it 20 years ago, fired my enthusiasm for sixties pop culture. That enthusiasm has not waned even though my book is now torn, dog-eared and missing the cover.
The book covers nearly every aspect of 60's pop culture, from the mini-skirt to the obsession with spies and the cold war. Of course it has The Beatles and Twiggy and the whole 'British Invasion,' as well as the California surfing scene and Woodstock.
I actually found the book quite useful for expanding my 60's music collection and getting aquainted with groups that I was previously unfamiliar with. I was amazed intially at how many of the T.V. shows that I grew up loving were originally produced in the 60's. 'Gilligan's Island', 'The Twilight Zone', 'Laugh-In', 'Mission Imposible'...they're all here!
The book is loaded with great pictures, but unfortunately they are all in black and white. A book such as this, about such a colorful decade, just cries out for the glossy full-color, hard cover treatment.
Also unfortunately, the cover was very loose on my copy and the book came apart very quickly.
I hope this book comes back into print only with better production values and expanded sections to include such faves as 'The Avengers', 'Doctor Who', 'Thunderbirds', and 'Land of The Giants'. I wouldn't mind spending the extra dollars because, even as it was, this book has brought me many years of enjoyment, as I'm sure it will to anyone who is interested in the groovy, gear, mad, mod sixties.

This book is meant to improve one's effectiveness at Christian ministry in Arab countries by teaching the principle that if you do not respect culturally established norms, you and your religion will not be seen with respect. If you're a non-Muslim who likes to (or wants to) see things from different perspectives, a careful reading of this book may give you some new material to wrap your open mind around. But it's important to note that Muslim is not synonomous with Arab, and this book almost exclusively concerns Arab countries.

This is another book I read last year.It was ok and showed a lot of opinion I thought.It was written well.I didn't agree with everything in there I believe was the impression I'd gotten from the book.The subject matter is,of course,of great interest to me because of my own experiences into Islam(and out).Nadia N.Rehmani-author of Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword-A True Story Of One Woman's Walk Into Islam And Out.

I enjoyed this book and appreciated hearing about this author's particular experiences in various Arab countries, however, it is definitely a book for missionaries. It seems like she is advocating respect for Muslims, but mainly in order to open the door for them to be lead to Christianity. All in all I did enjoy the author's stories, and it was thought-provoking.

I did NOT enjoy this book. I am a convert to Islam and find this book to be simplistically written and completely biased.

I will be living soon in a muslim country and find this very helpful in understanding muslim culture.

This book critically addressed the idea of 'clash of cultures' as it relates to second generation South Asian immigrant girls in Canada. I truly appreciated the historical context the author provided. This is not simply a book about girls but about the ways in which mainstream society frames certain communities as 'backwards' and the ways in which identities are negotiated in this context. Bravo!

I follow books written on this subject quite ardently.

However, disappointment would put my reaction mildly. The South Asian women described in the book are predominantly 13-15 year old girls. Anywhere in the world, in any culture, confused or not confused, girls in this age group tend to show signs of rebellion; it is the beginning of adulthood. Can such an extensive study be based on such a fragile sample of people?

Most of the study has been based on Asian girls from North India or Pakistan. As a result, the title is very misleading. Yes, there is brief mention of women from Sri Lanka, but their inclusion in the study is only incidental. The discussion of music and dance in the Indian community is very stereotyped and represents only a fragment of Indian culture prevailing in North America. For instance, South Indian classical music has a significant influence on several South Indian women in the Toronto area. This shapes and certainly influences the attitudes of young women towards Indian culture.

Other than a good account of the history of South Asian immigration to Canada during the British Raj and after, I found this a very superficial study on the actual subject. The author does have a very impressive style of written expression but the lack of depth in the content was disappointing.