The Woman I Am

by Helen Reddy

The Woman I Am is an incredibly inspiring autobiography by Helen Reddy, the woman who made "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" a household phrase. With her song "I Am Woman," Reddy provided the feminist anthem of the 1970s. She became the first Australian to win a Grammy, to have her own prime-time variety show on a U.S. television network, and to have three number-one singles in the same year.

Then, at the height of her career, Reddy's world was shattered by the death of both her parents, and simultaneously, the news that she had a rare, incurable disease. In this riveting, frank, and ultimately brave memoir, Reddy reveals the emotional highs and lows that have shaped her as an artist and as a complex woman, with a rich inner life sustained by a strong spiritual faith.

Genres: Autobiography, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Womens, Feminism, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Helen Maxine Reddy was an Australian singer, actress, and activist who held dual Australian and American citizenship. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, to a show-business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I had no intention of reading this book. I didn't even know Helen Reddy wrote a book. But growing bored with the novel I am STILL reading, I turned to see what was new on Netflix and I Am Woman caught my eye and interest which ultimately led me back in search of a novel.

The movie was pretty good with a great ending in Washington D.C. and the book jumps around in the telling with a great deal of content about her parents, but I learned a lot about this brave, formidable woman Helen Reddy and I really liked her....and her beautiful voice.

Helen, born in Melbourne, Australia was strong and determined from a young age. Often left alone by her active vaudevillian parents, (who worked close by), she recounts what happened one dark scary night at age 5 during a thunderstorm....the tenacious little scamp....and quality time spent with her beloved Nana and Aunty Nell thereafter where she found a safe haven....plus inherited some of "the Reddy huff"....which she desperately needed with husband's #1, OMG #2 and #3 (we didn't learned much about.)

Winning a singing contest in Australia brought Helen to America with her young daughter, and even after a big initial disappointment and struggles with misogyny, she battled on until she made it big with I AM WOMAN, a song that eventually became the unofficial anthem for the women's rights movement of the 1970's.

Such an interesting lady....woman....this singer, songwriter . Helen was selfless, self-supporting from age 15, dearly loved her two children and was a good mother. She was also a spiritual woman sharing an out-of-body experience at age 11. She studied psychotherapy, believed in reincarnation, and after becoming familiar with various religions felt they were all basically the same at the core. Helen was also a feminist who fought for women to be treated fairly and respectfully with commensurate pay.

She was kind and found joy in helping others even when she became fatigued. She worked tirelessly for decades even after her diagnosis of Addison's Disease and then dementia hit.

Helen achieved her dream of having a successful international singing career despite husband #2's debacles, and I AM WOMAN will now forever be a part of American History.

Helen Reddy - 10-25-41 * 9-29-20.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apr 16, 1135pm ~~ I had hoped and expected to find this book more interesting than it turned out to be. I enjoy learning about the people behind the names I have known for most of my life. All I knew about Helen Reddy was that she was from Australia, she was on the radio all the time during my high school years, and she will be forever known for the song I Am Woman. But what was the rest of her story?

Well, I had no idea that she had show-biz parents and performed in theatres as a child. And that in later years she became a hypnotherapist, and had some intriguing ideas about life and reincarnation.

But I had such a hard time keeping myself interested in the book! It was not a book I kept thinking about when I was not reading; it was too easy to put down and became harder and harder to pick back up. I found myself skimming around page 150 and not long after that I gave up.

DNF after about 160 pages.

[Lisa Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian, Grammy award winner, singer/songwriter Helen Reddy published her memoir, The Woman I Am, 14 years ago. I was pleasantly reminded and reconnected to the power of her music by the recent trailer for the movie "I Am Woman" which will be released in Australia in May and hopefully, soon in the United States. The director of the movie, UnJoon Moon, is equally as impressive in her passion and desire to get the spirit of Helen Reddy right after meeting her six years ago. I stumbled upon Reddy's music in the late 70s when the woman I was babysitting for had Reddy's greatest hits album. I couldn't stop listening to it as it was powerful. I was a little too young to be consumed by the women's movement back then. Helen Reddy is more than just a voice she is an incredibly intelligent and spirited woman who's connections will delight and inspire anyone. I couldn't find this book in the library so I ordered it (found it unexpectedly autographed to someone else) and it's unlike any memoir you will read. It's beautiful. Her self-deprecating insights into life are wonderful as she has experienced so many highs and incredible lows (her ex-husband/manager degraded and saddled her with enormous debt while addicted to cocaine). It's one of those books that requires more than one reading because it will transform the reader each time. Complete with photos and epilogue (pp.368).

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very young when Helen Reddy exploded on the music scene with I Am Woman. Seemed like it was playing everywhere, along with her other radio hits: Delta Dawn, Leave Me Alone, and my favorite, Angie Baby. And Helen, herself, was on TV Specials and variety shows, and then... it seemed as if she just disappeared. I felt a brief curiosity when she passed away last year, but more when the biodoc I Am Woman was released on Netflix.

This book answered some of my questions. She had Addison's disease, and a very messy divorce. A third husband, who she refers to in this book as Number Three. Unclear as to when that divorce took place. I discovered when her TV career faded, she did a lot of theatre, much in London, and shows in Las Vegas, not easy to balance with her illness and demands of motherhood.

So many unanswered questions. She wrote the seminal I Am Woman - her other hits were material written by others. Did she try to write more songs, and was dissuaded? Did they flop? There's a lot of information about her parents and their careers in Australia's vaudeville circuit, and the bones of what she did, but little about how she FELT. There's also some side paths into her research into genealogy (before Ancestry made it easy), her belief in reincarnation, and her speculation into which of the current British royal family were reincarnated from earlier versions of the British Royal family.

The photos were interesting, and many of the stories, but Helen herself came across as very guarded, emotionally. It's not an awful book, but I expected something juicier, something a bit deeper.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story of her life

I loved the story of Helen Reddy’s life but it didn’t flow as quickly and I would have wanted (not her actual life, of course, just the way it was written). There were a lot of tangents that I just wasn’t interested in but that’s the downside to biographies I guess.

[Lorena molieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was fortunate to have met and go to one of her author listenings. i was very moved by her, i was eager to read her thoughts... i was not disapointed.

[Goose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to learn that Helen Reddy had written a memoir. The Woman I Am gives Reddy's family history along with her own personal history and thoughts. I enjoyed reading about her early family life with her parents, favorite aunt, and grandmother. Not knowing a lot of Australian history, I was also interested in some of her geneology and how she went about looking into her family's past. I couldn't believe how hard Reddy worked even when she had a string of top singles. Truly an inspiring read for anyone wanting to persue a life in show business. I wasn't a big fan of some of the more in depth geneology chapters and the hypno-therapist past life chapters just were not my cup of tea. Add a half star each if you love geneology and past life experience. Subtract half a star if you like neither of those and were just looking for a show biz biography.

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd backed off of this book because I'd read that Helen Reddy came off really odd in it. Well, not true. Unique, original, deep, but not odd. I liked it, but then again maybe it's because I believe in many of the same things that she does. Oh wait, does that make me weird too?

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! From her childhood years, family history, and performing years to her interest in genealogy and belief in reincarnation, her writing is clear and interesting. I listened to her music as a teenager (and since), but I'm glad to know more about her now from this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting woman. I grew up listening to her music so I wanted to know more about her as a person. Strong, intelligent and certainly an individual in the best sense of the word.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

You got to love Helen Reddy to enjoy this book. Thankfully I do!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about Helen after watching the movie they made last year about her