Still Woman Enough: A Memoir

by Loretta Lynn, Patsi Bale Cox

In this riveting follow-up to her #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn continues her captivating story about triumph over the odds. Loretta Lynn's first memoir, Coal Miner's Daughter , was a #1 national bestseller that sparked an Oscar-winning movie and left fans hungry for more. Now Loretta finishes that story, and the second half of her life is every bit as remarkable and inspiring as the first. In a friendly, down-home style that belies her stature as country music's most celebrated performer, Loretta writes candidly about the price of fame and the stresses of stardom; tells of friends and family she's loved and lost along the way; and shares secrets not included in her first book. But at the heart of this memoir is her stormy relationship with Doo, the man she married at thirteen and stayed with until he died, through his drinking, their violent arguments, and their passionate reconciliations. Loretta reveals the devotion behind "one of the hardest love stories in the world." Filled with intimate portraits of country legends, and brimming with folksy humor, this personal tale of grit, determination, and loyalty will enthrall Loretta's countless fans and anyone who adores a good old-fashioned love story. Loretta Lynn, the most celebrated entertainer in the history of country music has a lot to sing about: --9 gold albums
--A national bestselling book and film, Coal Miner's Daughter
--First female artist to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year
--First country artist to win the prestigious Golden Plate award given to those who excel in all fields of achievement worldwide
--First female recording artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
--Longtime member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
--One of Entertainment Weekly's 100 Entertainers for 1950-2000
--One of Ladies Home Journal's 10 Most Admired Women of the World

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Music, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Pop Culture

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Loretta Lynn was an American country music singer-songwriter whose work spanned almost 60 years. She was the only woman to be named "Artist of the Decade" for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music. Lynn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988.

Reviews

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Doolittle Lynn was still alive, there was plenty he didn't want Loretta Lynn to say in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER. Here, she tells us just what the book left out and what the movie got wrong, in her own simple, down-home style. The highs and the lows are covered in equal measure and with an unforgettable flair.

Loretta married a hard-drinkin', abusive man, and stayed with him through more nonsense than anyone should ever experience. Ruined awards ceremonies, holidays and tours due to his drinking, his cheating and his outrageous jealousy (heaven forbid that Loretta, who was always faithful but always suspected of not being so, should give the skirt-chaser a taste of his own medicine). Her thoughts as to why she felt the need to remain in the marriage make for compelling reading. Even if I didn't agree with her, at least I was able to understand her motivations.

Also discussed are the sad losses in her life - Patsy Cline, her son Jack Benny, Tammy Wynette, and of course, Doo, whom she forgave in the end, and with whom she had a peaceful final year or two before his passing. At least she has this to remember, and luckily for us, she set it down on paper.

Hats off to the co-writer and editors of this book, who let Loretta's voice shine through. She is a plainspoken woman, who sometimes uses "creative" grammar. Leaving the words just as we know she spoke them only makes the story that much more impressive.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loretty will always be woman enough.

[Jennifer]

Mine is autographed! :)

[Mom · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always loved Loretta Lynn and appreciated her music. However, this book is intolerable to me because she is defending herself for her acceptance and approval of the abuse she endured during her entire marriage. I feel this sends a very bad message to women that if you love someone you will be glad to put up with abuse from them no matter what form it is. I thought maybe by the end she would come up with a strong stance about becoming a powerful woman who learned that abuse was not acceptable and women must protect and stand up for themselves, but no, that didn't happen.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was surprised at how much I like this book. she's really funny. had me talkin' like i was from kentucky everytime i put the book down

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part Two of Loretta Lynn's life story, this one goes over some of the material presented in "Coal Miner's Daughter" more in depth, or the "real" story on some of it. Domestic violence, her husband's alcoholism and unfaithfulness, lots of loss. How she survived and stayed sane is a true testament of her strength.

From a feminist perspective its easy to say "Why on earth did she ever stay?" and judge accordingly. What the reader has to remember is that things were so different in Ms. Lynn's generation that digging your heels into your marriage, no matter how bad or challenging, was how it worked. Add to the mix growing up in poverty and you're twice as bound to hold on at all costs. Women didn't have resources like they do now, and the author even discusses its long after she's famous that she finally gets some control over the money she earned.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about these memoirs is their honesty and strong voice. She doesn't make "excuses" but provides explanations for why things were the way they were.

I hope she is able to find some peace and happiness in old age.

[Jeanne (love2cook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a big fan of Loretta Lynn. Loved Coal Miner's Daughter, both the book and the movie. This book told more of the bad side of her life. The abuse she put up with from Doo, both physical and vocal. Her sad times, with the lose of her mother, her son, her friends, and her husband. She put up with alot..........but she gave some too. A hard life even though she made it rich and famous. Not a easy road by any imagination. This was an interesting read.

June 3, 2016
I needed a book for the states read challenge, so I chose this one. Now that I've finished it, I find that I read it before in 2012. Oh well, I didn't remember it, so it was an interesting read again.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loretta Lynn's second autobiography covers some of the same tracks as Coal Miner's Daughter and goes on to look at Lynn's life after "walking into the sunset" with her husband, Doo, at the end of the film. The stories and folksiness are just what you would expect from Loretta, and while certain sections drag a bit, overall this book is a sincere, readable, and often revealing look at one of my favorite country music stars.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided I didn't want to read the whole book just a little so I read the first 20 or so pages not including the introduction and skimmed ahead to the end. I like Loretta but really dislike her husband and can't stand or quite understand that she loved him despite how he was. So I didn't want to read any more about him or how she loved him and what she put up with. I understand that she may not have had any real choice early on in the marriage and that by the time she was famous and had the money to be able to support herself she was already attached to him, married and unable to comprehend anything else. I feel sorry for her in a way and I know she wouldn't want that.

Her writing style makes it seem like she's right in the room with you and she's talking to you one on one. Warm, inviting, honest, explaining not excusing.

Her life not only in Butcher Holler, but from the 40's and married to an alcoholic, abusive, womanizer is so alien to me. I can kind of understand that she stayed with her husband because that's just what you did (especially when poor? you had fewer choices when poor?), you didn't leave him no matter what but... part of me still can't comprehend it. I feel sorry for her to have been married to such a man and it really bothers me.

As an autobiography I'd say it's a good one, it really is inviting, warm.

I recommend this if you like Loretta Lynn, or if you've read her Coal Miner's Daughter book. If you want to read both books then read Coal Miner's Daughter book first since Still Woman Enough picks up after Coal Miner's Daughter, the book and the movie. One of the better autobiographies I've read.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coal Miner's Daughter was one of my favorite movies, watched repeatedly when I was a kid because the movie theater was often my babysitter. Even though I didn't listen to country music, I really enjoyed the film for the strong characters, compelling story and overall likability that Loretta's character had. I also read the book on which it was based at some point years ago. One day earlier this year, I caught part of the movie on TV and it reminded me of how much I loved it, and prompted me to see if Loretta had written anything else. So I ended up with this copy in hand and found a book that was in parts very interesting, and in parts disappointing.

First off, Loretta still has that folksy, honest style. Sometimes it's a bit too folksy -- the woman who helped her write it sprinkled it with poor grammar that I assume is an accurate representation of the singer who, while she has plenty of intelligence, didn't get much schooling. The result both makes you hear Loretta's voice and makes you fear, the longer you read and the more the voice gets into your head, that you'll start saying "them" instead of "those," "done" instead of "did" and so on.

Also, while I felt she was telling a story as honestly as she was willing to (meaning I'm sure there were still plenty of things she glossed over or left out, probably regarding her husband's atrocious behavior, but I can understand that). However, I'd get a little twinge anytime she referenced her age when she was married or had her first baby, and this came up several times in the book. She always claimed she was married at 13 and very shortly after got pregnant, which made a poignant part of her story and I'm sure figured into that story being compelling enough to make into a movie. In 2012, it was discovered that she'd lied about her age by about 3 years -- she was really just shy of 16 when she got married. Since she started her music career after she was well into adulthood, I imagine she shaved those years off thinking she needed to seem as young as possible to succeed, and so she stuck with the lie when she wrote her first book. Why she didn't feel she could come clean at that point I don't know, as she was already successful and famous. Then, with this book, she just continued on. It would've been an ideal time to come clean, but nope, she wasn't having it.

This book came out a decade before her true age was discovered and made public, so since she didn't have to address that issue, she just stuck with what she'd said all along. It does take a little away from her tale, and how open you feel she's being, knowing she still couldn't own up to the fact that she shaved a few years off her age long ago. It wouldn't even be that big of a deal if it weren't for how much more harrowing it made her life story seem. Her story would've been interesting even with the truth, but it revved up the drama and trauma a lot to think of her going through what she did with her husband starting at age 13. Being 15 is still young to get married, but it wasn't all that uncommon at that time and place.

As to the rest of the book, there are lots of interesting and funny stories, and it still seems like it'd be a hoot to sit down for a chat with Loretta. However, an awful lot of stories she shares here depict in greater detail how physically and emotionally abusive her husband could be. Loretta talks about how, before she became a singer, Doo would just take off for a couple of weeks, probably on a bender of drinking and womanizing. And she and the kids would rely on the charity of others and eating dandelion greens (wtf?!) to survive. She comments on how Doo would spend money as he pleased and not worry about the family. They owned a boat but wouldn't have bread to eat. Doo owned camera equipment, but his wife and children are eating grass. He never really seemed to change, either, not until the very end of his life when he was too sick to carry on as he had been. He continued to burn through and waste her money when she was making plenty as a performer, so she always had to keep working hard, and he continued sleeping around, too. One time she came back from the road and was home for a very short stay, so she asked Doo to please not drink as she was there for just one night. He showed how much he thought of her (and everyone else on the road) by starting to drink as he drove her home from the airport.

This book has a lot of engaging insight for fans, whether you love country music and are interested in earlier days, or you just love Loretta Lynn, or you loved the movie Coal Miner's Daughter. I do think reading this took away from some of the rough charm you felt Doo had in the movie -- sure, it showed he could be a horrible person, but he still seemed somewhat likable at times (thanks to the acting skill of Tommy Lee Jones). He doesn't come off that way in this book, and it makes you really sad for Loretta and her kids for what they went through with him. I'm sure they have fond memories of him, though, and that's likely what they try and focus on. That's probably why Loretta's kids didn't want her to write this book, as she admits early on.

[aidan]

loretta 🥲🫶

[Kayti Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha, obviously I’m biased but I love to read her story♥️

[HeavyReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first thing anyone should know about this book is that it may be triggering to anyone who has experienced domestic violence. The review might be triggering too, so watch out.

So, Loretta Lynn wrote this memoir at least 20 years after writing her famous Coal Miner's Daughter. She wrote this one after her husband, Doolittle, died. Doolittle basically acted like a piece of shit for decades, hitting Loretta, cheating on her without even trying to hide it, and emotionally abusing her and their kids. Loretta admits to hitting him back. Dysfunctional all the way! Of course, Loretta never left him, because she loved him, and the way she was raised, when you marry a man as a thirteen year old girl, that's for life, for better or for worse. Yuck!

I also learned by reading this book that Loretta is in to god (which didn't really surprise me) and BOTH presidents Bush. Gross! The Bush part really caused me to lose any respect I had left for her.

I'm not sure why I read this book. I felt like I needed to complete my Loretta Lynn memoir reading, I guess. I'll never again be able to hear her music without thinking of her support for those Bush idiots.

[Clay Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one damn good autobiography. It doesn't feel like you're actually reading but rather, having Loretta in front of you, telling you, personally, about the ups and downs of her family and her marriage that she could not tell while her beloved husband Doo was still alive. You can hear her voice in ever word.

Loretta's husband and children certainly put her through one emotional wringer after another in these pages. What stands out the most, to me, was the story where, one day, Loretta was out in the yard pulling weeds in front of her dream home that she had finally moved into, only to be approached by a woman who started bossing her around. Loretta told her off only to discover that, the woman was Doo's girlfriend and she had slept in Loretta's marital bed with her husband in Loretta's dream house before Loretta moved in. Loretta said that house, where she still lives, never felt like her own. And that story is just one of many where you'll go, "he did what?"

Hunt this one down. Now.

[Arlian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, though I had been hoping that even if she couldn't/wouldn't say she wished she had left her husband that she would at least have become outspoken about domestic violence, and how women shouldn't have to put up with it. As someone who grew up in a fucked up family, I can understand why she rationalizes her relationship and her husbands behaviour the way she does. But that doesn't excuse her from the responsibility to talk the consequences of domestic violence more openly. Her book (and her life story) can definitely be read as excusing and rationalizing abusive men. To be fair, she DOES hint at these things, and a sensitive reader will see her offhand comments as round-about ways to discuss these topics. It seems that she is still protecting....something.....by refusing to be more honest, but no memoir is ever completely "True".

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to read this book, make sure you read Coal Miner's Daughter first because this is a sequel, and she keeps referring back to her first book. Since it's an update of her biography, Loretta rushes through childhood memories and her early career, and focuses more on what happened since her first book and after the movie came out. It's written like she talks which makes for a fun read, but her life has been anything but fun. I don't think there's an entertainer who has been struck by tragedy as much and as often as Loretta Lynn, and it's amazing that she still puts on a brave face and keeps on singing! Her life is a tale of perseverance and it's no wonder she became the legend she is today.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved Loretta Lynn since I first discovered her; so much grit, determination and faith. Many times I dipped into her well to find strength for myself. This book is the non-Hollywood version of her story: her issues with her husband, her struggle to keep it all together, her rise to the top. She humbles herself before her readers and doesn't hold anything back; she sets the record straight. Her life was a country song! I loved to read how she kept close tabs on her country roots and even hung out her own laundry on the clothesline when she could have certainly afforded someone to take care of that for her. Even under the glitz and glam is a women who's strong as nails and my hero.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great autobiography. Couldn't put it down. On page 35 I was deeply touched by Loretta's mother's impoverished childhood:

"Mommy had lost her own mama by the time she was five, and her daddy, my Grandpa Ramey, didn't pay no attention to his kids. He just let 'em root around for their own food, and for places to stay. It didn't take long before her little brother died, and then a sister. I once asked Mommy what they did about a funeral for 'em. She said they didn't have no funeral. She just wrapped 'em up, dug a hole, and buried 'em herself. That is starting life out hard."

I loved this book. I'm gonna buy me a Loretty CD tomorrow.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to read this, as I had read COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER. I wanted to find out what happened in Loretta's life since 1980. Since she wrote this book after her husband, Doolittle, died, it was much more frank and candid than the first. I have such admiration for her strength and tenacity. I hope I get to see her in concert sometime soon. This book falls into the "biography" category for Book Bingo.

[Crystal Bowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up on Loretta Lynn and watching "Coal Miner's Daughter" more times than I will ever be able to count, I was so happy to hear what she had to say. And Loretta didn't leave anything out. While I haven't read her first autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, I know that she is much more honest about her and Doolittle's relationship, which was sad but very interesting to read. It's a great look into one of the best country artists to ever grace the airwaves.

[Elise Mckoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much to my surprise this was a great book. Loretta Lynn made you feel like you knew her personally. She is so humble and down to earth. She is a an example of women from the past. Doo (her husband) treated her like garbage but she stayed with him because she knew he had a drinking problem. I do not agree with staying with a man that mistreat you but I do believe in loyalty and that is one of Loretta strongest assets.

[Corynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. Usually I don't like biographies much, I prefer autobiographies and I'm kind of picky even when It comes to those. I've seen Coal Miner's Daughter what seems like a million times so I wanted to read more about her. Her life was very rough and tumble and it's funny the way she describes it. The way she wrote the book makes it seems like she is sitting right next to you telling you her story, which gives a really awesome effect. Great Book!

[Tanya T]

I loved her first book "Coal Miner's Daughter" and thought that was the end of the story for her. It took alot of courage for her to reveal the details of her life with her husband Mooney (doolittle). I thought they had a storybook marriage and a great life together, so it was pretty shocking to see the truth of it all. This woman has gone thru so much, i cried when she wrote about her son's death. What an amazing strong woman she is!!!

[Advie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Memory of my Mom I read Loretta Lynn's book...originally I intended only to read a bit to say I did. I finished the whole book. I thank Mrs. Lynn for her openess and honesty and I only wished My Mom could have been able to read it also. Loretta you are "Still" a role model for many and being a woman has little but everything thing to do with that. Thank you most kindly

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, written after Loretta was famous and her husband had died and she had more control over her own life, she tells many things that she had to leave out of her first biography. Very interesting for fans, or those who are just interested in the lives of famous people. It is written in her own "voice," so if you are familiar with her, you can "hear" her telling you the stories.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Coal Miner's Daughter but, it is Loretta Lynn and I adore her her honesty and grit. She talks about losing her mother, her son, and her husband and her relationship with her children ... she really is "Still Woman Enough" a true Steal Magnolia.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could hear Loretta Lynn talk while reading this book and she can tell a great story. Very folksy and interesting even if you aren't a country music fan and only know about Conway Twitty from the clips they play on "Family Guy." Book Bingo- Biography

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Made me laugh cry and mad. For someone with such a famous life; she had it so hard. Coal miner daughter didn't touch on what half her life was like. This was written after her husband passed.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fascinating and empowering women of my generation! Loretta Lynn has always been my idol. Even if someone is not a fan of country music, her life and dedication to changing the lives of women starting in the 1950's makes her book worth reading!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a 3.5. Picked this up because I caught Coal Miner's Daughter on tv a couple of weeks ago. I had seen it before, but I wondered if there was more to the story. It is quickly evident why she has had such a long career, singing or writing, Loretta Lynn can tell a story.