Amy Winehouse: In Her Words

by Amy Winehouse

The Estate of Amy Winehouse will donate 100% of the advance and royalties it receives from the production and sale of this book to The Amy Winehouse Foundation. These funds will help assist the charity in continuing their vital work helping thousands of young people to feel supported in managing their emotional wellbeing and making informed life choices.*

Global iconSix-time Grammy winnerHeadline-makerThe most talented recording artist of her generationMuch has been said about Amy Winehouse since her tragic death aged at age 27. But who was the real Amy?

Amy In Her Words shines a spotlight on her incredible writing talent, her wit, her charm and lust for life. Bringing together Amy’s own never-before-seen journals, handwritten lyrics and family photographs together for the first time, this intimate tribute traces her creative evolution from growing up in North London to global superstardom, and provides a rare insight into the girl who became a legend.

* The Estate of Amy Winehouse will donate 100% of the advance and royalties it receives (net of agency fees charged) from the production and sale of this book to The Amy Winehouse Foundation (registered charity number1143740). The minimum donation will be £70,000. Initiatives include Amy’s Place, which provides addiction recovery housing for young women; resilience-building programs in schools and music therapy programs supporting children with special educational needs and life-limiting conditions. More information can be found at .

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

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including soul, jazz and R&B.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album Frank did well, both commercially and critically, in her native Britain. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album Back to Black led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first British singer to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On February 14, 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award twice, among other prestigious distinctions.

Winehouse created media buzz apart from her singing. Her distinctive style, most notably her former signature beehive hairstyle, spawned imitators and been the muse for fashion designers, most notably Karl Lagerfeld. The singer's struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as self-destructive behaviour, became regular tabloid news from 2007. She and her former husband were also plagued by legal troubles that led to the cancellation of several tour dates.

Her body was found in her London home on July 23, 2011.

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this and I enjoyed it in parts, but I was left feeling conflicted about the fact that it’s arguably quite an intrusive endeavour. In Her Words was assembled by Amy’s parents, and it’s largely made up of youthful ephemera – letters, photographs, school reports, pages from notebooks and diaries. But it’s emphasised over and over again that Amy was a very private person (to the point of her family not hearing much of her music until it was ready to be released), and most of the material is the sort of thing she might not have wanted the world to see. I felt uncomfortable reading journal entries about which classmates Amy hated or fancied – I have loads of stuff like this in old notebooks and even now I’d be mortified if anyone else read it!

The sections that deal with Amy’s evolution as a musician and songwriter are more interesting. Here, we get to see handwritten lyrics and unfinished songs, and there’s a clear sense of how her songwriting process worked. It’s easy to read many of the lines as she might have sung them. There are some beautiful photographs too, and at the end, two stories from people who have benefitted from the services offered by the Amy Winehouse Foundation. These are lovely to read – perhaps they should have taken up a larger portion of the book?

With any person, famous or not, childhood scribblings might well provide glimpses of the adult they became, but I don’t know that they’re particularly interesting in themselves to anyone other than the person’s family. In Her Words is mostly these, and more or less cuts off at the point Amy became truly famous. It’s unclear whether this is because there’s little or no material available from those years, or just that her parents find it too painful to revisit them. As understandable as that might be, it shows the limitations of this book being curated by Amy’s family. While it was a time of great torment for Amy as an individual, that period of creative productivity and fame is, after all, the reason she is remembered, and the reason people want to read more about her in the first place.

(Also, I’d mistakenly got the impression that In Her Words was some kind of follow-on from Amy Winehouse: Beyond Black, perhaps because of the similar format and design of the books, when in fact they were produced and published separately. If you want to read one book about Amy Winehouse, Beyond Black is the far better option, and a truly gorgeous tribute.)

[Loretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

In no particular order. Dolores O’Riordan, *Jim Morrison, John Entwistle, Jimi Hendrix, Frankie Lymon, Tom Petty, *Elvis, Jimmy McCulloch, Janis Joplin, Rick James, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, *Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, *Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Brian Jones, Judy Garland, Prince, Dee Dee Ramone, John Bonham, AMY WINEHOUSE.

Obviously this is a very small list of people who had God given talent and in my opinion, threw it away due to their careless and cavalier abuse of drugs and alcohol. What a shame.

If you’re looking for some real insight into Amy Winehouse, the book, Amy Winehouse – In Her Words does not have any real depth. Its pages are filled with snippets from her notebooks which consist of her thoughts, lyrics to her songs, drawings and lists of things to do and accomplish. There’s small paragraphs to accompany the pages. Nice pictures throughout. You can actually see, within the pictures, where her abuse was catching up to her.

Asterisks above indicate autopsy reports that the person died of either cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure, or in Kurt Cobain’s case, suicide, due to alcohol or drug abuse.

I guess if you’re a true Amy Winehouse fan, this book is for you. I am not, really. Do really like her song “Rehab” but that’s probably where it ends. I did actually buy the book because her parents are donating the proceeds to a charitable fund that was set up in Amy’s name to help others in their plight to get clean/sober.

[Liz F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Amy Winehouse, but I couldn’t help feel like I was intruding into her private life. It was a bit much. I get the premise behind it, but it felt like such a violation of her privacy, especially the young and teenage years. Then it just rushed through her career and later life. I almost felt uncomfortable by the time I finished.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of memories and photos of Amy Winehouse. The forward, written by her parents, acknowledges that her life became more chaotic as fame and addiction came alongside her immense talent but this is not the focus of this book. I appreciated how her parents presented photos and memories of Amy's early years and a window into her talent. If you were a fan of her music, you'd appreciate this book. At the same time, it left me with a sad feeling as it's also a reminder of where fame and artistic genius can end too soon.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

love you Amy, wish you were here

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mi verdadero yo está más en la música que en cualquier cosa de la TV o en cualquier cosa de la radio, porque así soy yo. Mi música es la única área en mi vida donde tengo plena confianza y hago lo que quiero".

Amy Winehouse nos dejó un legado increíble. Me da muchísima pena pensar en toda la música que le quedó por hacer, pero me enorgullece saber que siempre se esforzó en ser ella misma y dejar su huella en cada canción. Este libro ha sido un regalo precioso y recopila material con un valor brutal.

"El éxito para mí no es lo mismo que para la compañía discográfica o para quien sea. El éxito para mí es tener la libertad de trabajar con quien quiera". Ojalá te hubieran permitido triunfar a tu manera, Amy, y no según sus propias convenciones.

[subversivagrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Não estou tentando evitar ser uma celebridade, não estou dizendo 'Não sou naaaada famosa'; estou tentando continuar sendo musicista em uma época em que todo mundo é muito orientado pela fama. Não sou Amy, a estrela. sou Amy, a mulher com o violão."
sim! e que saudade de você, Amy.
esse livro é muito interessante para relembrar quem foi a Amy Winehouse, não sou a artista, mas a pessoa também. as fotos são preciosidades. mas, é claro, tem uma parte de mim que fica pensativa sobre o quanto a Amy gostaria de ter tido muita de sua vida pessoal exposta aqui, sabendo o quão reservada ela era.
gostei deles terem colocado um pouco mais sobre a fundação da Amy e seu impacto após a morte dela nesse programa.

[ValTheBookEater]

I love Amy Winehouse. Like many have noted, I wonder whether Amy would have wanted the general public to see her writing, art and childhood memories (even teacher comments). Especially as it is said in the book that she wouldn't share her music or sometimes her albums with others, until they were done.

[Katherine Fernández · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por tratarse de Amy, de quien me considero fan, quería que este libro me encantara pero no es más que una colección de fotos (muy bellas, por cierto) y algunos escritos sueltos, listas, poemas que no sé si la autora hubiese querido compartir con el mundo. Le doy un par de estrellas porque su lectura en parte me hizo sentir como una intrusa y la traducción es malaza.

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craziest part was when I was listening to “Frank” and as soon as I flipped the page, the song “Take the Box” began to play. AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE PAGE I FLIPPED TO IS AMY’s NOTEBOOK LYRICS FOR THAT EXACT PART.

[Maree Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am excited to listen to her Frank album after reading this. Yay for new music!

[Bryony Crain · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Amy Winehouse fan I enjoyed this book. It’s primarily photos of her and lyrics and other writings from her personal notebooks. I didn’t learn anything groundbreaking or shocking about her but it was nice to see her as a person, the way her family saw her, rather than Amy Winehouse the celebrity.

[Lynnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So talented and so tragic.

[abril · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy has been my favorite artist ever since I first came to the U.S., so I was really excited to read this book. Although her struggle was clear throughout her life, this just didn’t feel good to read. It felt intrusive and, at times, like a cash grab rather than a heartfelt tribute. The writing didn’t do her justice, either. When someone has passed, especially someone as beloved as Amy, they deserve to be remembered with care and dignity. Sadly, this book missed that mark.

[Ella-Louise Davey]

Feels wrong to add this to a numerical value so I won’t review it in stars etc. very insightful, could’ve easily felt shitty and cash grabby if the proceeds were not directly funding the foundation. I enjoyed hearing from the parents perspectives and hearing about life from Amy’s own words.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great coffee table book.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, fabulous pictures, song lyrics, lists and a heartfelt description of Amy.

A book to be treasured.

[Emma Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in a few days. I cried the whole last chapter ‘legacy’. It just goes to show how impactful hearing Amy’s story can be.

[alba · Rating 3 out of 5]

jeg synes ikke at det der stod i bogen var særlig godt, men jeg synes alle billeder af hendes notesbøger osv var

[Madeleine LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loosely organized, interesting but in a very surface level way. As a fan I enjoyed it, but it’s hard to read through her notebooks and not get the sense that you’re intruding on something that she wouldn’t want out there for everyone to see.

[Suzie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for fans of Amy Winehouse. Mostly pictorial, including photos and school and personal ephemera. The book also talks a bit about the work the Amy Winehouse Foundation has been doing to assist others with drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Book doesn’t work well as an e-book. Can’t see all the finer detail with the handwriting images.

[Michael Royal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect coffee table book for fans of Amy Winehouse. I felt like a lot of the things included are not new, but I did love the notebook pages where Amy wrote songs because you could visibly see her thought process. 3/5 stars

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ enjoyable and interesting but I felt conflicted about how personal some parts were

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the premise and intention of this book, where her parents are paying homage to Amy on what would have been her 40th birthday by looking back at her childhood and youth through diary entries, drawings, doodles, chicken scratches, letters, rough sketches of lyrics, etc. They're indeed very endearing, funny, cute, sweet, and heartwarming as they reveal just how brilliant, creative, and complex Amy was even as a girl and teen. But something about this book feels intrusive. We would never know if Amy ever wanted to have any of this published, as chances are, that most likely was never the intention for what are clearly very personal diary-like entries being aired out for the whole world to see without her consent/permission. And since we don't know the context of most of these writings, especially ones that involve her love life, crushes, and romantic interests, it just feels weird, especially since her parents are behind this book, and yes, they do admit here and there that "it's best that as parents we don't know what she's talking about here" but that's the thing, as loving as this book is, it just adds more to the weird and awkward factor to this publication, knowing that her parents went through all her most personal and innermost thoughts that she probably didn't want for her parents to see in the first place. It borders on being too much. Reading on her lyrics and inspiration behind her songs is one thing, but do we really need to see and know every thought, emotion, and memory that she wrote down when she was a child and teenager? Did everything that her parents ever found of her words, of the ones that are intact, easy to read, and not lost or destroyed, need to be published? It made me feel guilty, something about this book doesn't feel right sometimes. I'm glad that they gave homage to the Amy Winehouse foundation and shared with us some insight into their daughter, I just think they could have scaled back on some of these artifacts as a lot of it felt too personal and doesn't seem fair to Amy as she can't speak up for herself on whether or not she wanted any of this stuff to see the light of day. Just because everything in this book was written in her own words, doesn't necessarily make it okay to publish them. Going into this book, I didn't think there was going to be so much stuff from when she was a kid, I thought it was going to be more like interviews and such. So yeah, I'm torn about this book. It is a beautiful way to get a glimpse of the musical genius she was, but so much of it outside of her creative and musical output really didn't need to be shared and felt like more of an invasion of her privacy than anything else. This book also gives you a bittersweet feeling, as all that we have of Amy is just two albums and this clear, lively, and colorful compilation to remember her by, which deepens the great sadness of her loss after all these years. It's definitely worth reading, but just be warned, it does feel intrusive.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the time of when Amy Winehouse was alive, I really wasn't a fan. I heard "Back to Rehab," and I thought it had a catchy tune but, ultimately, wasn't really impressed. I do have a friend from high school who absolutely loved her catalog. I don't know what made me want to read this book about her, but I did, and I'm glad.

It's a surprisingly short read. My only recommendation is to read the actual book and not the ebook as I did. Some of the copies of her lyrics and acceptance letters are too small to read. In this instance, it'll be better to read the actual book.

I can definitely admire the parents who did something astonishing: use the heartbreak of their daughter passing because of addiction and utilize it to create a rehab center called Amy's Place." People who have experienced the devastating effects of someone they love who's addicted to drugs and/ or alcohol are probably the best advisors to combat it. To start something very positive after your child's death is incredibly admirable. Also, to continually keep it going is amazing. As evidenced by the two testimonies of residents of Amy's Place.

Amy Winehouse: In Her Words has made me want to get into her music. I do believe that Winehouse was an incredible lyricist. I do like her jazz vibe to her. This is one of the unfortunate situations that, although, technically, Winehouse was older than me, I'm older than she'll ever be. I wish she could have gotten real help. I liked her lyrics and quotes. I felt very similar to her sans the heartbreak over a guy. I've never done that. However, the wishing for something more: I have. I feel it's almost ubiquitous.

I guess the only hard-core problem for fans would be the book is so short. I finished it in a day.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the flight to Japan, I watched the documentary about Amy Winehouse. I didn't really know her story, just the tragedy of her dying at age 27 back in 2011. I had an idea of who she was based on the tabloids and media, but it was totally off from who I learned she was from the documentary. So I wanted to know more about Amy - she was a fascinating person and unique in her looks and style - so I checked some books out from the library. This one was more of a tribute to her during what would have been her 40th birthday year. It featured her notes/lists, some drawings, lots of photos, some commentary, and some of her poetry, lyrics, and writing. I did get a fairly closer sense of her, but some of the commentary (made by her parents, who published the book) that went along with the documents felt off and superficial. Like, that's what you pulled from reading this or looking at this? I have a couple more books to read, so maybe those other ones will tell more of her story, though the documentary did a pretty good job in rounding things out - at least for someone like me, who didn't know much of anything about her. I do know that we lost her too early and I would've loved to see what else she created.

Book: borrowed from NB Branch.

[••• Emilee ••• · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just deleted my review on accident and I’m sad. Anyway here goes round 2.

3 star book - 5 star person.

It’s hard to rate this because it’s essentially a coffee table book, but I’m glad it exists and was made by her parents. It’s filled with lyrics, poems, pictures, and quotes with additional comments made throughout by her folks. Her parents also talk about charities they opened in her honour and included excerpts of personal stories of people who have been helped by those charities.

I really like Amy Winehouse. Back to Black is one of my favourite albums. I love the way she brilliantly combined jazz and soul music with hip-hop beats. I adore her 60s style that she made her own: beehive hairdo with a cute dress and heels to match; thick-winged eyeliner, cool tattoos, and an adorable lip piercing. A true icon and a genuine poet.

It shocks and impresses me that her music took off like it did in the later 2000s. Her music was legit like nothing else out there and she was top of the freaking charts!! It goes to show that when someone is a true musician, and their heart, mind, soul and body are devoted to their craft, people can tell and people will listen. It’s quite special and beautiful.

Anyway, listen to Back in Black AND watch the documentary Amy (2015).

[Emma Ridgway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book, I feel that it captured a piece of Amy’s essence and it was nice to get to know a part of her.

feel that readers would have been more interested in a comprehensive book highlighting her career and struggles from her perspective all the way up until her untimely demise. This book, written by her parents, seems largely focused on how she grew up and her scribblings as a child and teenager, and really seems to gloss over the last few years of her life. This is understandable of course, given the difficult nature of the subject, but I think it would have been very brave to explore behind Amy’s eyes as she gained the celebrity that she never asked for, to be able to better understand her and learn from her experiences.

I was also very confused when I started the book because you don’t get any evidence of who might actually have written it until page 31! I wish there was something at the very beginning that explained exactly who was speaking to us. I know that it’s supposed to be “in her words”, but authorship was unclear to me, and I wish the reader at least had an idea of the people involved in compiling this book.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

É difícil romantizar qualquer aspecto da vida de Amy Winehouse quando se entende o quanto ela foi explorada por pessoas próximas, especialmente por quem deveria protegê-la. Um dos principais exemplos disso é seu pai. Não me cabe julgar o amor de um pai por sua filha, mas, à luz do que foi exposto em documentários sobre sua vida, é impossível ignorar como ele priorizava sua carreira em detrimento de sua saúde mental. Isso torna qualquer leitura escrita por ele uma experiência agridoce.

Apesar desse sentimento, o livro é uma leitura válida, especialmente para quem é fã da cantora, como eu. A obra reúne memórias, fotos de família, páginas de seus diários, rascunhos de letras que mais tarde se tornaram grandes sucessos — e, mais do que isso, nos oferece um vislumbre de sua essência. Amy era extremamente inteligente, sensível e até metódica (fazia listas para tudo) até me identifiquei nesse aspecto.

Mas é doloroso saber que uma personalidade tão única e um talento tão genuíno se foram tão cedo. Esse é o terceiro livro que leio sobre Amy, e a sensação de tristeza permanece. Ainda assim, sua música continua sendo um consolo — um acalento eterno para quem a admira.

[Božana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If being a diva is getting what you want and knowing how to go and get it, then I guess I'm a big fu**ing fat diva."
"My music is the only area in my life where I'm fully confident and fully embrace everything."
"Success to me is having the freedom to work whoever I want to. '
✨

When Amy Winehouse appeared, I was mesmerized by her, her creativity captivated me, and her distinctive style revealed a brave and fearless woman who fought for what she wanted. But unfortunately, her musical genius was abruptly cut short due to her lifestyle and with her untimely departure we probably lost her many more wonderful musical miracles.
This book is her story, a biography composed of her messages, verses, lyrics, drawings, pictures, which she left behind, following her life from childhood to her legacy after her death. It's a bit too private, but it lets us meet the Amy before becoming famous. If you have a chance to get it, I highly recommend it!