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Backstreet Mom: A Mother's Tale of Backstreet Boy AJ McLean's Rise to Fame, Struggle with Addiction, and Ultimate Triumph
Featured on "Oprah" and "Good Morning America.
Backstreet Mom is the story of one single mother's courageous battle to save her son could be the story of any woman with a child in trouble. There's more money at stake, more public attention and a larger than life career in the balance.
An integral part of the Backstreet Boys from the very beginning, AJ McClean's mother, Denise, traveled with the group and served as their publicist and fan club coordinator. In close proximity to the successes and heartbreaks of her son's career, Denise watched her son's painful descent into alcoholism and depression. This revealing account tells the tale of AJ's rise to superstardom, his decline into addiction, and his struggles through rehab, and offers a look at the harsh world of the music industry.
Any mother who's ever faced the pain of a child unraveling will find herself in the pages of this honest and inspiring memoir.
Backstreet Mom is the story of one single mother's courageous battle to save her son could be the story of any woman with a child in trouble. There's more money at stake, more public attention and a larger than life career in the balance.
An integral part of the Backstreet Boys from the very beginning, AJ McClean's mother, Denise, traveled with the group and served as their publicist and fan club coordinator. In close proximity to the successes and heartbreaks of her son's career, Denise watched her son's painful descent into alcoholism and depression. This revealing account tells the tale of AJ's rise to superstardom, his decline into addiction, and his struggles through rehab, and offers a look at the harsh world of the music industry.
Any mother who's ever faced the pain of a child unraveling will find herself in the pages of this honest and inspiring memoir.
248 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2003
17 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 21, 2021
Well this book tossed me right back into '96/'97 when my obsession with the Backstreet Boys began, even though it starts out much earlier than that. AJ immediately became my favorite and I'm still true to him to this day. So, realizing the struggles he had when it all got to be too much for him wasn't easy. Some things I knew, being a diehard Backstreet Boys (and especially AJ) fan, but some things I didn't.
He has set a wonderful example of being able to overcome anything as long as you are willing and set your mind to it. His mom did a good job at giving us details and showing us exactly what lead him to rock bottom and the love for his family is what got him through it. Sometimes, we need to learn to lean on people that God has put in our lives when we are blessed enough to have them.
Now, I think I will go to YouTube and watch old Backstreet Boys videos because I'm feeling nostalgic. Recommended!
He has set a wonderful example of being able to overcome anything as long as you are willing and set your mind to it. His mom did a good job at giving us details and showing us exactly what lead him to rock bottom and the love for his family is what got him through it. Sometimes, we need to learn to lean on people that God has put in our lives when we are blessed enough to have them.
Now, I think I will go to YouTube and watch old Backstreet Boys videos because I'm feeling nostalgic. Recommended!
September 17, 2019
I've been a huge Backstreet Boys fan for 24 years and counting now and their music has gotten me through some really bad, dark times in my life. And even today at 31 years old their music still touches my life in so many ways. They are the only group I've seen in concert more than once (3 times, first concert ever was the Millennium Tour 1999 and recently I just saw their DNA Tour with my best friend on August 24th)! Out of all the musicians/bands I truly enjoy today no other group has inspired me like BSB has.
And so now when it comes to my BIGGEST reason for loving BSB as much as I have and still do, honestly it would be the man with the voice that's like pure velvet to my soul. And that's the one and only Alexander James (AJ) Mclean! To grow up with knowing his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse it was definitely a huge shock for me at 14 years old. But, even with knowing all that to see how far he's come since it all happened and since his mom wrote this book, it just has shown 2 things to me, 'Regardless of your career even if that career makes you famous...you're still human and make mistakes. Also, even when you fall and make those mistakes no matter how bad it may seem you can always pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and move forward, start over!' I myself have struggled with the loss of my own grandmother because she was the one family member that I was closest to, so losing crushed my world. Even now after almost 10 years it still feels like it just happened. I also have been struggling with my own addictions , some I have overcome, some I still struggle with. But, for people who don't struggle with addictions and or don't understand those that struggle with addictions know this, no matter what addiction someone has they ARE an addict even if they may have fought the battle with it and have overcome it for years. They will always still be an addict because there can be ANY day at any time that that person can relapse regardless of how long they've been clean! I have, AJ has relapsed from what I've found out recently about 4 times and one of my favorite Stunt Men has fallen off the wagon! But, even though we are addicts that DOESN'T make us weak in any way, we will continue to fight the battle no matter what! Especially when we know we have people that love and care for us that are supporting us day by day as we go through our struggles. That alone is what keeps addicts like us going and if you are struggling with an addiction please remember, you are NOT alone!
Anyway, I definitely recommend this book to any BSB fans out there and any parents that are helping their child follow their dreams. Denise is a good example of how hard a mother works and how far she will go to help her Son become the man they've always wanted to be.
:D Well, being my first review of a book and a new member on this site thanks to a best friend I hope this review was helpful in some way, shape or form. I apologize if it was too wordy. When it comes to BSB and AJ, I can talk about them for hours! So, if you did read ALL of this, I thank you!
KTBSPA (Keep The Backstreet Pride Alive)!! 'BSB Is In My DNA!'
And so now when it comes to my BIGGEST reason for loving BSB as much as I have and still do, honestly it would be the man with the voice that's like pure velvet to my soul. And that's the one and only Alexander James (AJ) Mclean! To grow up with knowing his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse it was definitely a huge shock for me at 14 years old. But, even with knowing all that to see how far he's come since it all happened and since his mom wrote this book, it just has shown 2 things to me, 'Regardless of your career even if that career makes you famous...you're still human and make mistakes. Also, even when you fall and make those mistakes no matter how bad it may seem you can always pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and move forward, start over!' I myself have struggled with the loss of my own grandmother because she was the one family member that I was closest to, so losing crushed my world. Even now after almost 10 years it still feels like it just happened. I also have been struggling with my own addictions , some I have overcome, some I still struggle with. But, for people who don't struggle with addictions and or don't understand those that struggle with addictions know this, no matter what addiction someone has they ARE an addict even if they may have fought the battle with it and have overcome it for years. They will always still be an addict because there can be ANY day at any time that that person can relapse regardless of how long they've been clean! I have, AJ has relapsed from what I've found out recently about 4 times and one of my favorite Stunt Men has fallen off the wagon! But, even though we are addicts that DOESN'T make us weak in any way, we will continue to fight the battle no matter what! Especially when we know we have people that love and care for us that are supporting us day by day as we go through our struggles. That alone is what keeps addicts like us going and if you are struggling with an addiction please remember, you are NOT alone!
Anyway, I definitely recommend this book to any BSB fans out there and any parents that are helping their child follow their dreams. Denise is a good example of how hard a mother works and how far she will go to help her Son become the man they've always wanted to be.
:D Well, being my first review of a book and a new member on this site thanks to a best friend I hope this review was helpful in some way, shape or form. I apologize if it was too wordy. When it comes to BSB and AJ, I can talk about them for hours! So, if you did read ALL of this, I thank you!
KTBSPA (Keep The Backstreet Pride Alive)!! 'BSB Is In My DNA!'
March 23, 2012
SPOILERS!
It was a very quick read. It was interesting but not heart-wrenchingly dramatic or very inspiring. It was kind of a play-by-play of events but without a lot of details. It has my respect for that because I don't want to be stuck reading a pity-party book, if you know what I mean. Everything sounded very panicked and crazy and exhausting at times, but it wasn't really put together like a readable novel. While I would befriend Ms. McLean, I wouldn't name her a salable writer.
Don't expect a lot of juicy gossip though. Ms. McLean kept the book about her life and her son's. While management is mentioned and Lou Pearlman was dragged through the mud (as he deserved) and Jive Records was trounced (again, deservedly so) and overly creepy managers were mentioned as well, there isn't a whole lot of the crazy that everyone seems so intent to find out about. Jane Carter is mentioned, I think, twice. The other boys families, girlfriends and bodyguards aren't really mentioned a whole lot. They were always sort of classified as other and not necessary to the story.
The boys were mentioned, obviously, and she seemed to have a real affection for them though at times she seemed very hurt by their lack of respect. I think Nick was mentioned the least, while Kevin was mentioned often. He was the one more likely to have a fight with someone because of his temper and he seemed the most moral of the group. I found that surprising because he seems so stoic most of the time. I also found it surprising that Brian has a temper as well because he's always such a goof and seems so happy all of the time. Howie was the most humble and most likely to not have a fight or have a conflict with anyone and he sounded like everyone's favorite mellow fellow. Alex/AJ was obviously the most mentioned. A few of his girlfriends and bodyguards are mentioned by name and Kevin's girlfriend Kirsten was mentioned once or twice.
The McLeans family was mentioned a lot, because family was very important to them. And sadly, one of them passed away while AJ was at his most vulnerable.
The most emotionally driven part of this book was towards the end when AJ is in rehab. That part was very painful and it showed through.
The ending is a bit corny and it makes me wonder if it was the one time the author decided to stretch the truth in the entire book, but it did make me smile for the McLeans.
Not a favorite book, but interesting.
It was a very quick read. It was interesting but not heart-wrenchingly dramatic or very inspiring. It was kind of a play-by-play of events but without a lot of details. It has my respect for that because I don't want to be stuck reading a pity-party book, if you know what I mean. Everything sounded very panicked and crazy and exhausting at times, but it wasn't really put together like a readable novel. While I would befriend Ms. McLean, I wouldn't name her a salable writer.
Don't expect a lot of juicy gossip though. Ms. McLean kept the book about her life and her son's. While management is mentioned and Lou Pearlman was dragged through the mud (as he deserved) and Jive Records was trounced (again, deservedly so) and overly creepy managers were mentioned as well, there isn't a whole lot of the crazy that everyone seems so intent to find out about. Jane Carter is mentioned, I think, twice. The other boys families, girlfriends and bodyguards aren't really mentioned a whole lot. They were always sort of classified as other and not necessary to the story.
The boys were mentioned, obviously, and she seemed to have a real affection for them though at times she seemed very hurt by their lack of respect. I think Nick was mentioned the least, while Kevin was mentioned often. He was the one more likely to have a fight with someone because of his temper and he seemed the most moral of the group. I found that surprising because he seems so stoic most of the time. I also found it surprising that Brian has a temper as well because he's always such a goof and seems so happy all of the time. Howie was the most humble and most likely to not have a fight or have a conflict with anyone and he sounded like everyone's favorite mellow fellow. Alex/AJ was obviously the most mentioned. A few of his girlfriends and bodyguards are mentioned by name and Kevin's girlfriend Kirsten was mentioned once or twice.
The McLeans family was mentioned a lot, because family was very important to them. And sadly, one of them passed away while AJ was at his most vulnerable.
The most emotionally driven part of this book was towards the end when AJ is in rehab. That part was very painful and it showed through.
The ending is a bit corny and it makes me wonder if it was the one time the author decided to stretch the truth in the entire book, but it did make me smile for the McLeans.
Not a favorite book, but interesting.
May 14, 2022
I really thought that I outgrew my boy band days. I guess the truth is, it never really leaves us.
I was always intrigued by AJ McLean in my adult years, and what made him the way he was. Though I was also curious about Lou Pearlman and everything he had to do with the Backstreet Boys.
I was a little disappointed in the fact that there wasn't much said about Lou Pearlman and the Backstreet Boys Vs. *NSYNC days. It was touched on briefly but it wasn't described. I guess that's the sort of "dirt" I was looking for.
If anything, it was incredibly obvious how much Denise McLean loves her son. It was an enjoyable read.
I was always intrigued by AJ McLean in my adult years, and what made him the way he was. Though I was also curious about Lou Pearlman and everything he had to do with the Backstreet Boys.
I was a little disappointed in the fact that there wasn't much said about Lou Pearlman and the Backstreet Boys Vs. *NSYNC days. It was touched on briefly but it wasn't described. I guess that's the sort of "dirt" I was looking for.
If anything, it was incredibly obvious how much Denise McLean loves her son. It was an enjoyable read.
December 17, 2010
The only reason I picked this up is because I was hoping for some good behind the scenes Jane Carter drama. Unfortunately, there is none. There isn’t any drama about anyone else either, because this is a mind numbingly boring, poorly written account of the early half of Backstreet, where Denise reveals exciting things like they all trusted Lou Pearlman, or that Howie prefers to avoid conflict. (Maybe this is why he sleeps all the time. He’s playing ‘possum.) Or that Kevin has a temper and is “emotionally fragile.”
Okay, that and the multiple mentions of the “heart-to-heart” talks Denise and Kevin have is the only reason this gets two stars. And since we’re on the topic of Denise/Kevin, let me give you a steamy little excerpt. “If you ever found yourself deep in conversation with Kev, he would fix his piercing eyes on you and make you feel as though you were the only one in the room.” Wow, Denise. She also talks about Kevin’s “muscular frame.”
I didn’t learn anything from this that hadn’t already been covered in better detail in the Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Oprah interviews, she doesn’t say anything useful or inspiring about being a single mother or the mother of a son with addictions, and it has the most completely cheesetastic groaner of an ending in the history of time. This book was actually worse than I expected it to be, and my expectations were pretty damn low.
Okay, that and the multiple mentions of the “heart-to-heart” talks Denise and Kevin have is the only reason this gets two stars. And since we’re on the topic of Denise/Kevin, let me give you a steamy little excerpt. “If you ever found yourself deep in conversation with Kev, he would fix his piercing eyes on you and make you feel as though you were the only one in the room.” Wow, Denise. She also talks about Kevin’s “muscular frame.”
I didn’t learn anything from this that hadn’t already been covered in better detail in the Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Oprah interviews, she doesn’t say anything useful or inspiring about being a single mother or the mother of a son with addictions, and it has the most completely cheesetastic groaner of an ending in the history of time. This book was actually worse than I expected it to be, and my expectations were pretty damn low.
April 4, 2013
Wanted to read this book as I've followed AJ McLean's struggles with sobriety for years.
From his mum's perspective, this book tells of the battles that AJ has had with addiction, his rehab and how it affected his family, friends and the other Backstreet Boys. I enjoyed this book, the best part was all the photos.
From his mum's perspective, this book tells of the battles that AJ has had with addiction, his rehab and how it affected his family, friends and the other Backstreet Boys. I enjoyed this book, the best part was all the photos.
October 25, 2010
Hands down the most amazing book I've ever read. AJ's mom even autographed it for me, when I met her last month!! :)
December 5, 2020
A really interesting read!
I was a huge BSB/AJ fan in my teens, and this was a fascinating account of the early years. There was a lot of detail about some parts and not about some other fairly major events, but I enjoyed hearing her side of the story. Some of the criticisms of the band/her son did surprise me.
The book ends after AJ’s first stint in rehab, which both thought had “cured” him. I would love her to write a sequel given that this book covers the first ten years of the group and another 17 years, various tours, albums, further stints in rehab and settling down to family life has happened.
It would also be interesting to read AJ’s own account of that time.
I was a huge BSB/AJ fan in my teens, and this was a fascinating account of the early years. There was a lot of detail about some parts and not about some other fairly major events, but I enjoyed hearing her side of the story. Some of the criticisms of the band/her son did surprise me.
The book ends after AJ’s first stint in rehab, which both thought had “cured” him. I would love her to write a sequel given that this book covers the first ten years of the group and another 17 years, various tours, albums, further stints in rehab and settling down to family life has happened.
It would also be interesting to read AJ’s own account of that time.
January 19, 2021
Bs b rocks
June 26, 2024
“If I learned nothing else during those negotiations, I learned that no one could be trusted. If something appears too good to be true, then it is.”
I felt sad for Denise and what she went through. As a big fan of the Backstreet Boys for more than 12 years it's better to put my love aside to be objective.
This is my second read. I felt the need to re-read because Backstreet Boys released their first documentary film, 'Show 'Em What You're Made Of' and I needed to remind myself a bit about their journey and Denise has done a proper job in capturing how everything started.
I normally like to read biographies and then try to figure out what happened or went wrong with that specific individual that led to his/her distraction/success. Sometimes it's out of the person's hands and sometimes it is their own doing but nonetheless the lessons in their stories are illuminating to the rest of us.
Alex's story is a cautionary tale. He chose this persona, all the rebellion, the bad people/girlfriends.... He marched into that path of destruction headfirst. I absolutely feel sad about his talent. Alex since his early years was an extremely talented kid–it will amaze you when you read about that in the book but he didn't know how to take care of it, he didn't try to polish it and evolve it. There are too many years wasted in self-destruction, and then a few other years in recovery, and the rest of his life now will be spent in trying not to destroy himself again. That's heartbreaking.
I supported and watched him before and throughout his recovery since the beginning and I'm relieved to see how brave he was to stand up and to fight for his life. I do wish him well for eternity and beyond.
Anyway, the book is great for any Backstreet fan who wants to know how Backstreet were formed or seeking to learn about the betrayals, the legal & financial problems, and about the fall & the rise again of a Backstreet Boy, AJ McLean.
It's worth reading because it'll provide you with a few valuable lessons about trust, drugs, dealing with finance, facing reality and being a single mother raising a rebel child & a superstar.
May 19, 2013
Words cannot express this story of AJ McLean, from starting in The Backstreet Boys to his first stint in rehab. In the press, you only see one side, so reading this story you get the real side. (I know they will never see this) But thank you AJ and Denise McLean for sharing this beautiful heartbreaking story.
September 17, 2012
Growing up, AJ was always my favorite. It's heart wrenching to think he went through so much. I pray he is still doing well.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews