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Quivers: A Life
In one of the most no-holds-barred memoirs you're likely to read, Robin Quivers, mystery woman of "The Howard Stern Show," strips off her mask along with her gloves.
From Robin's embattled childhood in black Baltimore, through depression and despair to the height of broadcast fame as cohost of America's top-rated radio show, Quivers reveals the full, intimate story of a passionate and often misunderstood personality. Robin's thirteen-year partnership with Howard Stern, "The King of All Media" (including their recent successful attempt to talk a listener out of killing himself), is revealed in hilarious and profoundly personal detail.
Much more than a show-biz autobiography, Quivers is a vivid personal chronicle of the black experience and the universal struggle for female self-worth, as well as a rags-to-riches story in the grand tradition. Holding absolutely nothing back, Robin writes with the same warmth, strength, and candor that endear her to millions of fans. Whether she's describing a boxing match, a career crisis, or a love affair gone bad, she strikes a universal chord.
From Robin's embattled childhood in black Baltimore, through depression and despair to the height of broadcast fame as cohost of America's top-rated radio show, Quivers reveals the full, intimate story of a passionate and often misunderstood personality. Robin's thirteen-year partnership with Howard Stern, "The King of All Media" (including their recent successful attempt to talk a listener out of killing himself), is revealed in hilarious and profoundly personal detail.
Much more than a show-biz autobiography, Quivers is a vivid personal chronicle of the black experience and the universal struggle for female self-worth, as well as a rags-to-riches story in the grand tradition. Holding absolutely nothing back, Robin writes with the same warmth, strength, and candor that endear her to millions of fans. Whether she's describing a boxing match, a career crisis, or a love affair gone bad, she strikes a universal chord.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1995
18 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Robin Quivers
5 books13 followersRobin Ophelia Quivers is an American talk show host and Howard Stern's primary co-host on his morning radio show.
Quivers' autobiography was published in 1995, revealing to the world the details of her career as Stern's on-air "sidekick" with her distinctive laugh, as well as her former experiences in the military and and employed as a hospital nurse. The book also reveals the harrowing details of Quivers' abusive childhood.
Quivers' autobiography was published in 1995, revealing to the world the details of her career as Stern's on-air "sidekick" with her distinctive laugh, as well as her former experiences in the military and and employed as a hospital nurse. The book also reveals the harrowing details of Quivers' abusive childhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 12, 2010
This is the extremely well written gut wrenching biography of Howard Stern's sidekick. Even if you do not care for Howard you should read this biography of a black woman's struggle to become herself. Robin is unflinching in her honesty about her past and her self. This is a really good book.
March 11, 2009
Amazing. This book should be required reading for everyone, not just for Stern fans. If your look for a something akin to Private Parts, be fore-warned; Robin's tale, while extremely funny, is far darker then Howard's. The twin themes of the book are sexual and racial relations, and how her experiences with both shaped her into the Queen of All Media. Hysterically funny and extremely well written, it made me admire her even more.
February 28, 2009
Reasonably interesting if your a fan of Sterns show but if your not a Stern fan or aren't familiar with that cast of characters there's no real reason to read it unless your into books where people obsess on traumas in their life which she goes into plenty.
July 28, 2017
I'm a life-long listener of the Howard Stern Show (this is not hyperbole - my parents listened so I always heard it, and I turned out just fine, so take that, FCC), so I thought I knew quite a bit about Robin. I knew she thinks 4 inches is fine; I knew she has big, pendulous breasts; I knew she's a hilarious singer.
I also knew she was abused by her father and that she had a horrible childhood and family situation, but SHEESH - she survived a nightmare. Robin wanted more out of life than what she was told she was capable of, and she went after it voraciously. Many more challenges followed after she escaped her parents' home, including several periods of deep depression, but she always faced them head on.
In short, Robin is a BAD ASS BITCH.
"I'm not afraid to compete with men, and I have never been given any good reason to defer to them just by virtue of their gender. I'm definitely not the cheerleader type. Quite frankly, my attitude was that if a man could do something better than I could, he'd have to prove it. I wasn't in awe; I had no respect for them, and I couldn't be talked into anything." p. 78
"A person never forgets her first bong hit." p. 101 (Robin was 25 when she had hers.)
"My job wasn't regulating Howard's opinions on womanhood or anything else. My job was to be the most articulate possible representative for my own point of view. The more I confronted who I was, the less I had to pretend that I was someone else. There was no reason in the world why I had to agree with Howard. I was right there to present my opposing view if it was warranted and would make for good radio." p. 154
"I was the daughter who had learned to forgive but who would refuse to live as if the past had never happened." p. 310
"As I turn onto the street where I grew up, I realize for the first time that forgiving is an ongoing process, something I'm going to have to work on every day. I'm pleased, though, that I'm strong enough to try." p. 341
I also knew she was abused by her father and that she had a horrible childhood and family situation, but SHEESH - she survived a nightmare. Robin wanted more out of life than what she was told she was capable of, and she went after it voraciously. Many more challenges followed after she escaped her parents' home, including several periods of deep depression, but she always faced them head on.
In short, Robin is a BAD ASS BITCH.
"I'm not afraid to compete with men, and I have never been given any good reason to defer to them just by virtue of their gender. I'm definitely not the cheerleader type. Quite frankly, my attitude was that if a man could do something better than I could, he'd have to prove it. I wasn't in awe; I had no respect for them, and I couldn't be talked into anything." p. 78
"A person never forgets her first bong hit." p. 101 (Robin was 25 when she had hers.)
"My job wasn't regulating Howard's opinions on womanhood or anything else. My job was to be the most articulate possible representative for my own point of view. The more I confronted who I was, the less I had to pretend that I was someone else. There was no reason in the world why I had to agree with Howard. I was right there to present my opposing view if it was warranted and would make for good radio." p. 154
"I was the daughter who had learned to forgive but who would refuse to live as if the past had never happened." p. 310
"As I turn onto the street where I grew up, I realize for the first time that forgiving is an ongoing process, something I'm going to have to work on every day. I'm pleased, though, that I'm strong enough to try." p. 341
July 31, 2010
I tried really hard to finish this, but I had to stop half way through. I always liked listening to Robin Quivers on the radio, but I didn't like the book. The writing was bad and she seemed like such a quitter. I will probably leave this at the library on the take a book leave a book cart. In place of one that I have taken.
August 4, 2009
See review of Too Fat To Fish. You either love Stern's crew or hate 'em. Loved the candor of this book. Got more out of this one than Arte's. Enjoyed reading it several years after it was written. Would love to see more from her.
May 21, 2009
As a Howard Stern fan, I found this to be an interesting read but it probably wouldn't appeal to those not interested in the Stern show.
September 2, 2021
Robin Quivers, co-host of the Howard Stern Show, wrote her memoir in 1995. So while another quarter of a century has gone by since then, this gives a good glimpse into her childhood, early career in the Air Force, and her early years on the radio show with Howard Stern.
She's not shy about her flaws, or the times she struggled to find her way. A lot of this is real and raw. As a childhood abuse survivor who had to come to terms with setting healthy boundaries with my own parents, I found much of what she had to say relatable.
I'd love to see her write a new book, to cover the last 25 years, but that's okay. I can tune in whenever I like and hear her use her voice every day on the radio.
She's not shy about her flaws, or the times she struggled to find her way. A lot of this is real and raw. As a childhood abuse survivor who had to come to terms with setting healthy boundaries with my own parents, I found much of what she had to say relatable.
I'd love to see her write a new book, to cover the last 25 years, but that's okay. I can tune in whenever I like and hear her use her voice every day on the radio.
November 15, 2016
Strangely, I've never enjoyed The Howard Stern Show but I've always enjoyed Howard and Robin as themselves. I read Howard's book, watched his movie, and then this book showed up in our work kitchen. I read a page and knew I'd enjoy it. It was great getting to know Robin and all of her struggles and realized how fucked up we all are and can be from our childhood. I'm so glad Robin was one of those people who went the opposite way and decided to become good instead of bad even if that's not her conscious thought. Congrats to all of your successes Robin - thoroughly deserved.
January 18, 2021
More like "Quivers: A Lie". Robin is so full of herself. Except for *that* incident in San Francisco, the entire book is boring. I expected so much, but all I see is a case study for someone in desperate need for serious psychological counseling. Skip it. Read a coloring book instead.
June 23, 2024
As a Howard Stern fan and a mental health therapist, I thought this book was great. Robin talks about her history with Howard, but also her own struggles with mental health, her visits with a therapist, and the reasons behind her struggles. Well done!
September 12, 2017
Robin Quivers has always intrigued me, and how she found her way to working with Howard Stern. She has an interesting story to tell--triumph over tragedy.
June 24, 2016
This book is the life story of Howard Stern Show co-host Robin Quivers. It details her life until 1993, when it was published. It is mostly a look into the person Robin Quivers and not the character that most fans of the show know.
The book greatly details her life before radio. Her time as a nurse and in the Air Force and in great detail her childhood. It largely excludes any blow by blow accounts of the show and rather deals with the off air life. The author writes incredibly detailed accounts of her relationship with her parents. Since I am writing this 23 years after publishing, it seems her relationship has changed again. At the time of the writing her father was still alive and she seems to have forgiven him. However, comments she has made recently on the show seem that the anger returned.
I found this book used on Amazon after hearing Howard and Robin talking about it recently on Sirius. I enjoyed the book, but had hoped there would be more about her on air role in it. That said, it is a blunt, very frank discussion of her life. In it Robin does not hold back what I would consider secrets. It was an enjoyable read but also difficult in places. Robin dealing with her mental issues (no where did she say she had any mental illness, though it is obvious to anyone who has gone through them), was an emotional journey and difficult to read. Quite frankly, had Robin grown up more recently, both her parents would have been in prison for what they did to her.
If you are a fan of the show and only interested in reading a funny book as Private Parts basically was, give this a pass. If you want to know what makes Robin tick and understand the person behind the personae read this book.
The book greatly details her life before radio. Her time as a nurse and in the Air Force and in great detail her childhood. It largely excludes any blow by blow accounts of the show and rather deals with the off air life. The author writes incredibly detailed accounts of her relationship with her parents. Since I am writing this 23 years after publishing, it seems her relationship has changed again. At the time of the writing her father was still alive and she seems to have forgiven him. However, comments she has made recently on the show seem that the anger returned.
I found this book used on Amazon after hearing Howard and Robin talking about it recently on Sirius. I enjoyed the book, but had hoped there would be more about her on air role in it. That said, it is a blunt, very frank discussion of her life. In it Robin does not hold back what I would consider secrets. It was an enjoyable read but also difficult in places. Robin dealing with her mental issues (no where did she say she had any mental illness, though it is obvious to anyone who has gone through them), was an emotional journey and difficult to read. Quite frankly, had Robin grown up more recently, both her parents would have been in prison for what they did to her.
If you are a fan of the show and only interested in reading a funny book as Private Parts basically was, give this a pass. If you want to know what makes Robin tick and understand the person behind the personae read this book.
July 26, 2008
This is a compulsively readable, admirably honest heart-and-soul-laid-bare-on-the-table autobiography. Listeners of the Howard Stern show who read this should have a greater tolerance for Robin's aloof, guarded tendencies and occasional standoffish behavior. She has lots of scars and intimacy issues borne of a hellish childhood and angry youth. She starts the book off well, giving some context as part of the Howard Stern world before getting into the standard "I was born" chronology. This is the best way to start a life story... This is not just a litany of great Stern show "moments" as one might expect, but really digs deep into the woman's soul and her struggle to mend her damaged psyche. One thing she does not mention is her youthful "flirtation" with meat and vegetables... That revelation came out on the show in early 2006 after the move to Sirius. Anyway, I would recommend this. -EG
July 28, 2008
I only read this book because it was on the seat next to me on a long bus ride. Someone left it, and I happened to not have a book with me. This Lady sounds like a she has an undiagnosed personality disorder. She does makes it clear she has been through a lot of abuse in her life. But I still feel like I didn't get to know her. But I guess it's hard to know someone who has no sense of themselves.
It was also interesting to me that even though she had a sexually abusive father, she still puts someone like Howard Stern on a pedestal, not even making any type of correlation. I have heard and watched his show on several occasions having more than one person in my life who was a fan. It seems to me his type of humor and degradation towards everyone around him would stand at odds with someone who has suffered these very things by the people who where supposed to love her.
It was also interesting to me that even though she had a sexually abusive father, she still puts someone like Howard Stern on a pedestal, not even making any type of correlation. I have heard and watched his show on several occasions having more than one person in my life who was a fan. It seems to me his type of humor and degradation towards everyone around him would stand at odds with someone who has suffered these very things by the people who where supposed to love her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2007
I'm not sure why I decided to read this book. I do not listen to Howard Stern or care for the show. I did enjoy this book though. I knew nothing about her before reading this book. However, I am surprised by the life she has led. Not what I would have expected.
October 18, 2007
Great insight into Robin's childhood and upbringing, which has certainly shaped the way she is today and how she is able to be the only woman on the male dominated show. I wish she would write another!
July 20, 2012
I enjoyed reading Quivers: A Life. She has had difficult times in her past, present and future. Yet she remains the voice of reason on The Howard Stern Show. Read all about the good and not so good times of Robin. Another must read for Stern fans.
February 5, 2014
Robin is a bamf. You already know this if you've ever listened to or watched Howard Stern. She's been through a lot and grown a lot. One of the reviews complained that she was a quitter. She's human. Change and growth take time. I found this to be an engaging read.
April 27, 2007
I skipped through a lot of the detail, as it got redundant and boring, but I'm glad I got to know a bit more about her. She's an interesting person.
December 11, 2007
I only read this because I'm a huge Stern fan. Not that great of a read.
May 18, 2008
San Diego, CA
August 14, 2008
This was okay but definitely not as good as Private Parts. Can't wait for Artie's new book to come out!!
July 18, 2009
More about her personal history than insider stuff on the show, but very interesting
August 6, 2010
this book was so bad that i liked it.
September 7, 2011
I'm not sure why Robin Quivers thinks she grew up in the South. Baltimore Maryland? It's puzzling. But overall, a decent read to wade through.
July 31, 2011
Massive fan of the Howard Stern show and love biogs so decided I had to read this. Really enjoyed it and well written - what a life though!
December 11, 2012
Closer to 4.5. She's a little whiny at some points, but damn, she's had a crazy life - including pre-Howard Stern.
October 7, 2007
Way different from Stern's formula, but equally as great. Robin tells her story well.
April 1, 2009
I wanted more from the Howard years.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews