Ashley Judd: Crying on the Inside

by James L. Dickerson

Although her mother, Naomi, and older sister, Wynonna, rose to fame as the country music duo the Judds, Ashley Judd took her own road to stardom, becoming one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood today. In this biography, veteran author and journalist James L. Dickerson recounts her difficult childhood in Kentucky and California, her sometimes troubled relationships with her mother and sister, her big-screen breakthrough in the 1993 movie "Ruby in Paradise," her ongoing series of starring roles, her life-long struggle with depression, her off-screen romances, and her marriage. Discover the inside story of the actress who has starred in movies such as "Heat," "Kiss the Girls," "High Crimes" and "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Journey with her as she makes the transition from actress to social activist, addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations on matters of the greatest importance. This is an excellent reading companion for Ashley Judd’s 2011 memoir, "All That is Bitter and Sweet." James L. Dickerson is an award-winning writer, mental health professional, and author of the music histories "Mojo Triangle" and "Memphis Going Down." As a biographer he has authored books on Nicole Kidman, Faith Hill, jazz legend Lil Hardin Armstrong, and Elvis Presley’s first guitarist and manager, Scotty Moore. An award winning newspaper editorial writer, he is co-author of the civil rights history, “Devil’s An Eyewitness History of Mississippi Hate Crimes.”

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written and poorly formatted for the Kindle app. Captain Obvious is alive and well and writing biographies. We get such gems as "It is also known as a film-making center, primarily because of the many movies made there..."
!!!
There are also numerous typos and misused words. Apparently Ashley's family treated her like a "pen cushion". Yeah, I guess getting stabbed with a Bic would make anyone cry on the inside.

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This poorly written poorly titled book was a waste of time. A better title would have been Mommie Dearest with a Side of Grits. The book had very little about Ashley Judd. There was as much or more about Naomi and about Wynnona. I am not a real fan of any of the Judd's and picked up this book as part of some research I am doing on child abuse and unhappy childhood experiences.

The writing style was uninteresting. Just a reporting of information gleaned from Naomi's autobiography and TV interviews with the various Judd's . In addition to the 40 page filmography, the book is padded with page after page of movie plots for each of Ashley's movies.

Nothing in this book told me why Ashley is crying on the inside. The back cover promised "psychological insights" but I found nothing that the average person could not deduce .

[Kary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure I like reading biography's. The true picture of a person would be in their own autobiography. I never knew Ashley's career was so up and down. I always thought she took star billing from the beginning. I hope she is a success in both her personal and professional life. She deserves it.

[Susan bly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Editorial Mess

This book is an editorial nightmare with multiple misspellings and inappropriate use of double, consecutive words. While the content is somewhat interesting, the book never touches on Judd's relationship with Harvey Weinstein, who was charged with sexually assaulting multiple aspiring actresses and company employees.

[Dorlene Trembly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a very well written book. Some data was incorrectly stated, names mispelled, etc. I did not read the entire book because of the above mentioned problems. This book does not do just to the life of Ashley Judd.

[M Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

I enjoyed the book but there were a lot of misspelled words. I was disappointed in that regard. I do admire Ashley after reading this .