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Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!
Global icon Liza Minnelli shares her inspiring stepping out from the long shadow of a mega-star mother and legendary film director father, fighting a lifetime battle with addiction, and emerging from it all to become a once-in-a-lifetime artist.
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! is the autobiography of EGOT icon Liza Minnelli. This fascinating, untold story reveals the intimate truth of the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking.
Liza decided at the age of 16 that “sympathy is my mother’s business. I give people joy.” That veil of joy, however, masks a lifelong struggle with Substance Use Disorder ("SUD," which Liza inherited from her mother's branch of her family), boundless love to give and an equal need to receive it, broken marriages, multiple miscarriages, and hospitalizations—the highs and lows of unparalleled artistic success and lifelong friendships, as well as chronic anxiety and the threat of financial ruin.
Despite every challenge, Liza’s is a life wrapped in laughter and her tremendous capacity to give and receive love. Today at nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. Liza’s book celebrates supreme artistry and, more importantly, her human rights activism.
“It’s time to tell the truth," Liza says, “and help people heal, as I have, one day at a time.”
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! is the autobiography of EGOT icon Liza Minnelli. This fascinating, untold story reveals the intimate truth of the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking.
Liza decided at the age of 16 that “sympathy is my mother’s business. I give people joy.” That veil of joy, however, masks a lifelong struggle with Substance Use Disorder ("SUD," which Liza inherited from her mother's branch of her family), boundless love to give and an equal need to receive it, broken marriages, multiple miscarriages, and hospitalizations—the highs and lows of unparalleled artistic success and lifelong friendships, as well as chronic anxiety and the threat of financial ruin.
Despite every challenge, Liza’s is a life wrapped in laughter and her tremendous capacity to give and receive love. Today at nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. Liza’s book celebrates supreme artistry and, more importantly, her human rights activism.
“It’s time to tell the truth," Liza says, “and help people heal, as I have, one day at a time.”
442 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2026
877 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
March 14, 2026
I feel at least four times more gay after completing LIza Minnelli's long-awaited memoir, Kids, Wait Till you Hear This!. And I was pretty gay before. Not because I spent several days steeped in Liza's world of the musical theater, as costumed by Halston and scored by Kander and Ebb, though I did come away with a slight case of Fosse neck. Not because Liza has seemingly slept with more gay men than I ever could. No, it was because Liza's memoir was a hypodermic of high camp, plunged straight into my grateful little heart.
Pianist Michael Feinstein, Liza's most persistent friend of Dorothy (and yes, one of her past lovers), sets the book's tone by spending his introduction crabbing about Kristen Wiig's SNL sketch, "Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp." He doesn't care what you or anyone else thinks. It's not funny. Wiig isn't funny. And SNL or anyone else who's imitated Liza over the years should owe her royalties, dammit. Liza joins his disgruntlement world tour before page ten, damning Lady Gaga as a malignant saboteur and promising an autobiography full of truth telling, error correcting, and score settling. Boy, does she deliver, especially on the last front.
Kids is the kind of memoir with passages that read along the lines of "I heard the screams the night my chum Cheryl Turner daughter of Lana murdered her stepfather, but that is not my story to tell,” then later call back to these lurid words when infant Liza accidentally kicks Mama (that would be renowned actress Judy Garland, to the likes of you) in the head and describes Judy's outrage as, "but it wasn’t as bad as the screams from Lana Turner’s house.” Ouch. That's a literary choice. It's the kind of memoir in which Liza, fresh from her Oscar-winning performance in Cabaret, joins the cast of Lucky Lady and encounters nothing but rudeness and abuse from co-star Gene Hackman—then more or less concludes with (I'm paraphrasing, but not by much) "He was horrible to me! Horrible! I was really really really sad years later when he starved to death after his wife passed away, though, winky-face emoji, crossed-fingers emoji, face with halo emoji."
Savage!
It's also the kind of book in which Liza's feud with Lady Gaga at the 2022 Oscars occupies more real estate than the making and reception of all her post-Cabaret movies combined. And that's kind of a pity, because although I thrilled every time Liza sharpened her nails to take out someone who wronged her (the section about final husband David Gest is brutal), I mostly was hoping for her lively take on the art she created in the wake of sequins and heavy perfume she left through the last six decades.
The books earliest chapters, particularly those that delve into her often fraught relationship with Garland, are the most satisfying. By the time Liza's independent enough to be having a streetside brawl with her lover Martin Scorsese about having slept with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Liza: "Who wouldn't?!"), while Liza's current husband was right there watching, the messiness was beginning to make me check out, a little.
But along the way are hundreds of camp little moments, such as the glamorous weekly Monday-night Hollywood parties Liza would throw that simply everybody attended— Whoopi, Anjelica, Janet, Rosie, Roddy, Mizrahi, Quentin, Madonna—to enjoy the buffet that she served from elegant Elsa Peretti-designed sterling silver bowls piled high with…KFC. Or the time she invented the moonwalk and taught it to Michael Jackson. Or the time she, and I quote, "crunked it up" to a Mary J. Blige song. More than once she gets the details wrong: Donna Summer smash single wasn't "Hot Love." It was "Hot Stuff," Liza.
But Liza's determination to appear omnipresent in over a half-century of popular culture and to remain ever-current and hip (she is such a fan of Chappell Roan, y'all) lends this enjoyable, gossipy memoir an edge of unreality as artificial and exaggerated as Ms. Minnelli's eyelashes.
Pianist Michael Feinstein, Liza's most persistent friend of Dorothy (and yes, one of her past lovers), sets the book's tone by spending his introduction crabbing about Kristen Wiig's SNL sketch, "Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp." He doesn't care what you or anyone else thinks. It's not funny. Wiig isn't funny. And SNL or anyone else who's imitated Liza over the years should owe her royalties, dammit. Liza joins his disgruntlement world tour before page ten, damning Lady Gaga as a malignant saboteur and promising an autobiography full of truth telling, error correcting, and score settling. Boy, does she deliver, especially on the last front.
Kids is the kind of memoir with passages that read along the lines of "I heard the screams the night my chum Cheryl Turner daughter of Lana murdered her stepfather, but that is not my story to tell,” then later call back to these lurid words when infant Liza accidentally kicks Mama (that would be renowned actress Judy Garland, to the likes of you) in the head and describes Judy's outrage as, "but it wasn’t as bad as the screams from Lana Turner’s house.” Ouch. That's a literary choice. It's the kind of memoir in which Liza, fresh from her Oscar-winning performance in Cabaret, joins the cast of Lucky Lady and encounters nothing but rudeness and abuse from co-star Gene Hackman—then more or less concludes with (I'm paraphrasing, but not by much) "He was horrible to me! Horrible! I was really really really sad years later when he starved to death after his wife passed away, though, winky-face emoji, crossed-fingers emoji, face with halo emoji."
Savage!
It's also the kind of book in which Liza's feud with Lady Gaga at the 2022 Oscars occupies more real estate than the making and reception of all her post-Cabaret movies combined. And that's kind of a pity, because although I thrilled every time Liza sharpened her nails to take out someone who wronged her (the section about final husband David Gest is brutal), I mostly was hoping for her lively take on the art she created in the wake of sequins and heavy perfume she left through the last six decades.
The books earliest chapters, particularly those that delve into her often fraught relationship with Garland, are the most satisfying. By the time Liza's independent enough to be having a streetside brawl with her lover Martin Scorsese about having slept with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Liza: "Who wouldn't?!"), while Liza's current husband was right there watching, the messiness was beginning to make me check out, a little.
But along the way are hundreds of camp little moments, such as the glamorous weekly Monday-night Hollywood parties Liza would throw that simply everybody attended— Whoopi, Anjelica, Janet, Rosie, Roddy, Mizrahi, Quentin, Madonna—to enjoy the buffet that she served from elegant Elsa Peretti-designed sterling silver bowls piled high with…KFC. Or the time she invented the moonwalk and taught it to Michael Jackson. Or the time she, and I quote, "crunked it up" to a Mary J. Blige song. More than once she gets the details wrong: Donna Summer smash single wasn't "Hot Love." It was "Hot Stuff," Liza.
But Liza's determination to appear omnipresent in over a half-century of popular culture and to remain ever-current and hip (she is such a fan of Chappell Roan, y'all) lends this enjoyable, gossipy memoir an edge of unreality as artificial and exaggerated as Ms. Minnelli's eyelashes.
March 16, 2026
I first came across Liza Minnelli when I was about fifteen years old. My English teacher (incidentally, we later became colleagues and we now mutually follow one another on Goodreads—she knows who she is!) was surprised to discover that Liza Minnelli’s mother was Judy Garland, another late-teen discovery of mine.
It was perhaps surprising that I hadn’t made the connection earlier, because my parents were great admirers of the Golden Age of Hollywood and its larger-than-life personalities — figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, and even the global pop phenomenon Michael Jackson — and, of course, Liza Minnelli herself.
Believe it or not, my parents intensely disapproved of almost all teenage shows, but Turner Classic Movies was a firm household favourite and definitely on what I jokingly referred to as the “Mugabe and Bush approved watch list.”
Neither of us (i.e., Lucy and I) could quite understand the fuss about Liza Minnelli at the time, even though I had feverishly read The Andy Warhol Diaries when I was in Sixth Form.
As everyone now knows, I was more of a Barbra Streisand fan. Still, it's worth noting that Barbra Streisand is referenced quite a lot in Liza's memoir which probably shouldn't come as a surprise as Liza and Barbra both began their careers in the early 1960s, both appeared on The Judy Garland Show in 1963, are both recipients of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) so one has to give credit where it is deservedly due!
However, an eager viewing of Cabaret—a copy of which I was grateful to find in my school library (I was fortunate to have remarkable librarians who nourished and nurtured my cultural curiosities)—proved fundamental in shaping my fascination with Germany’s Weimar era, the works of Christopher Isherwood, and the exploration of political and social questions through film and literature more broadly.
Fun fact: the role of Sally Bowles was originally created on Broadway by the great theatre legend Julie Harris in I Am a Camera. Harris later spent seven years playing the wonderfully eccentric country singer Liliemae Clements on Knots Landing, a spin-off of Dallas, which I have very much enjoyed watching over the last few years.
So the years went by, and I continued to maintain a rather cursory interest in the world of Liza Minnelli until, on a cool Thursday evening last week (12 March—coincidentally Liza’s 80th birthday), I decided it was finally time to cast aside my fifteen-year-old judgement. I picked up a copy of Minnelli’s memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, and began reading it that same evening.
What can I say? It has been an absolute corker of a memoir.
Raw, emotional, circumspect, and gossipy in equal measure, it is a very true, no-holds-barred account of the complexities of childhood trauma and tragedy, the legacy of substance misuse and a narcissistic mother, and an equally loving father.
It also offers wonderful insight into the creative process behind so many of her films and roles, and the resilience that has allowed Minnelli—despite profound health challenges—to survive and endure.
Above all, the memoir reveals her magnetic personality and the enduring truth that kindness can still shine through, no matter what you may be going through.
Even though Barbra Streisand’s legendary 1,100-page magnum opus, My Name Is Barbra, will likely remain the gold standard of show-business memoirs, Minnelli’s captivating and often moving book (in which she references Barbra quite a lot!) comes remarkably close.
Indeed, in its raw emotional honesty and courage, Minnelli’s memoir may even surpass it.
For that reason, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! is, without question, my memoir of the year.
In the meantime, I think I might go back and watch Cabaret and New York, New York with a fresh pair of eyes to see what all the fuss was about!
It was perhaps surprising that I hadn’t made the connection earlier, because my parents were great admirers of the Golden Age of Hollywood and its larger-than-life personalities — figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, and even the global pop phenomenon Michael Jackson — and, of course, Liza Minnelli herself.
Believe it or not, my parents intensely disapproved of almost all teenage shows, but Turner Classic Movies was a firm household favourite and definitely on what I jokingly referred to as the “Mugabe and Bush approved watch list.”
Neither of us (i.e., Lucy and I) could quite understand the fuss about Liza Minnelli at the time, even though I had feverishly read The Andy Warhol Diaries when I was in Sixth Form.
As everyone now knows, I was more of a Barbra Streisand fan. Still, it's worth noting that Barbra Streisand is referenced quite a lot in Liza's memoir which probably shouldn't come as a surprise as Liza and Barbra both began their careers in the early 1960s, both appeared on The Judy Garland Show in 1963, are both recipients of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) so one has to give credit where it is deservedly due!
However, an eager viewing of Cabaret—a copy of which I was grateful to find in my school library (I was fortunate to have remarkable librarians who nourished and nurtured my cultural curiosities)—proved fundamental in shaping my fascination with Germany’s Weimar era, the works of Christopher Isherwood, and the exploration of political and social questions through film and literature more broadly.
Fun fact: the role of Sally Bowles was originally created on Broadway by the great theatre legend Julie Harris in I Am a Camera. Harris later spent seven years playing the wonderfully eccentric country singer Liliemae Clements on Knots Landing, a spin-off of Dallas, which I have very much enjoyed watching over the last few years.
So the years went by, and I continued to maintain a rather cursory interest in the world of Liza Minnelli until, on a cool Thursday evening last week (12 March—coincidentally Liza’s 80th birthday), I decided it was finally time to cast aside my fifteen-year-old judgement. I picked up a copy of Minnelli’s memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, and began reading it that same evening.
What can I say? It has been an absolute corker of a memoir.
Raw, emotional, circumspect, and gossipy in equal measure, it is a very true, no-holds-barred account of the complexities of childhood trauma and tragedy, the legacy of substance misuse and a narcissistic mother, and an equally loving father.
It also offers wonderful insight into the creative process behind so many of her films and roles, and the resilience that has allowed Minnelli—despite profound health challenges—to survive and endure.
Above all, the memoir reveals her magnetic personality and the enduring truth that kindness can still shine through, no matter what you may be going through.
Even though Barbra Streisand’s legendary 1,100-page magnum opus, My Name Is Barbra, will likely remain the gold standard of show-business memoirs, Minnelli’s captivating and often moving book (in which she references Barbra quite a lot!) comes remarkably close.
Indeed, in its raw emotional honesty and courage, Minnelli’s memoir may even surpass it.
For that reason, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! is, without question, my memoir of the year.
In the meantime, I think I might go back and watch Cabaret and New York, New York with a fresh pair of eyes to see what all the fuss was about!
March 13, 2026
Finished 5⭐️. Loved this book. Written in a warm, conversational voice, it moves through her childhood as the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, her early steps into show business, and the meteoric rise that followed with stage performances, films, and her unforgettable role in Cabaret.
What comes through most strongly is her resilience. The book is a no-holds-barred look at her stratospheric highs and very low lows. She writes openly about her health issues , some caused by aging, some by substance abuse. All of it was new to me, so this book led me down so many rabbit holes — heading off to YouTube to watch performances and interviews that expand on segments from the book. Loved them all.
Toward the end of the book, Minnelli also reflects on some of her later appearances, including her brief but memorable role in Arrested Development. Her performance was wonderfully eccentric and, arguably, even funnier than her scene-stealing turn in Arthur, showing that her comic timing remained as sharp as ever.
Overall, the autobiography is an engaging portrait of a performer who has lived through triumph, hardship, reinvention, and enduring fame. Minnelli’s voice on the page feels authentic—funny, emotional, and unmistakably her own
What comes through most strongly is her resilience. The book is a no-holds-barred look at her stratospheric highs and very low lows. She writes openly about her health issues , some caused by aging, some by substance abuse. All of it was new to me, so this book led me down so many rabbit holes — heading off to YouTube to watch performances and interviews that expand on segments from the book. Loved them all.
Toward the end of the book, Minnelli also reflects on some of her later appearances, including her brief but memorable role in Arrested Development. Her performance was wonderfully eccentric and, arguably, even funnier than her scene-stealing turn in Arthur, showing that her comic timing remained as sharp as ever.
Overall, the autobiography is an engaging portrait of a performer who has lived through triumph, hardship, reinvention, and enduring fame. Minnelli’s voice on the page feels authentic—funny, emotional, and unmistakably her own
March 17, 2026
Extremely disappointed to discover the audiobook was recorded with AI (among other issues with the book itself).
March 22, 2026
4.25⭐️ great memoir with tons of good stories. 100% favoured towards her and her memories because 85% of the people mentioned have passed on so unsure how authentic and true everything is.
March 19, 2026
Oh Liza! What a mixed up bag of highs and lows. To rate it as a memoir - I'd give it five stars. She's forthcoming, as brutally honest as she's capable of being (in terms of memory, drug use, and generally impervious delulu), funny, charming, and oh so Liza. I read via audio, but it took me until about three-quarters of the way through to question whether it was AI... which it so clearly is. The AI reader has a way of breaking up the syntax of a sentence that's like jamming on the brakes suddenly.
Beyond its success as a memoir, the book left me with an overall bittersweet feeling. Sure, she's an icon, indelible, instantly recognizable physically and vocally, from a renowned pedigree (the original nepo baby, but not a dig when applied to her). Sure, she's been a survivor and comeback kid more times than you can keep track of. But I couldn't help but feel sad for her by the end. She's kind of the ultimately Pieces (both complimentary and derogatory). Call me naive, but I had no idea so much of her life was so consumed by booze, pills, and cocaine. I mean, yeah, I thought she indulged like all of her cohort in the 70s and 80s... but she continued into the 90s and 2000s and on and on, with revolving door stays at rehabs and some very low points. This is ultimately a sad tale of addiction and how it can derail even the brightest of talented stars.
I also couldn't help but feel it was the cautionary tale of a star constantly sabotaging her own career. She wasn't really a successful recording artist, her movie career was a bust besides Cabaret, and Broadway was really her saving grace (although she apparently had her fair share of flops there too). Her main success - the "meat and potatoes" of her career and income - was always her live shows. You'd think she'd have a lot more classic work to show for her 80 years; but she kind of doesn't, and that made me sad for her (and us!). Funny that Judy lived half as long as her but had a much more important movie and recording career.
The best parts were her detailed retellings of shooting Cabaret and New York, New York, working on Broadway shows like Flora the Red Menace, Chicago and The Rink, recording with the Pet Shop Boys, and touring with Frank Sinatra (who sounded like a full blown nightmare to have to work with). And oof does she hate Lady Gaga lol.
I felt like she didn't really grapple with - or isn't capable of grappling with - her multiple failed marriages. Maybe that's some of the blanked out memory from drugs and alcohol but she kept being like, yeah we ended up great friends with big blank spots in the middle of these failed relationships, particularly her third marriage. Her retelling of her relationship with David Gest was shocking, even having lived through all those tabloid tales of their weird, messy relationship. She couldn't really express how or why she ended up with him, besides being on a ton of pills and "Michael Jackson made her do it."
Also, I couldn't help but eventually laugh at the insane amount of times she references "accidentally kicking mama in the head" when she was 6 years old. What must that scene have been to have so traumatized lil Liza. I was generally surprised at how unflinching some of her portrayal of Judy Garland was; she must've been a real piece of work to have as a mother. Talk about a parent parentifying their child way too young. I gasped at some of Judy's many suicide attempts; grisly stuff. When Judy forced Liza to do a show with her in London, and then, when Liza was inadvertently upstaging her, Judy stage whispered "get her the f off my stage"... that tells you everything you need to know about her and their relationship.
Ultimately, this will be a classic celebrity memoir, and I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves Liza or just a star telling the juiciest parts of their life story.
Beyond its success as a memoir, the book left me with an overall bittersweet feeling. Sure, she's an icon, indelible, instantly recognizable physically and vocally, from a renowned pedigree (the original nepo baby, but not a dig when applied to her). Sure, she's been a survivor and comeback kid more times than you can keep track of. But I couldn't help but feel sad for her by the end. She's kind of the ultimately Pieces (both complimentary and derogatory). Call me naive, but I had no idea so much of her life was so consumed by booze, pills, and cocaine. I mean, yeah, I thought she indulged like all of her cohort in the 70s and 80s... but she continued into the 90s and 2000s and on and on, with revolving door stays at rehabs and some very low points. This is ultimately a sad tale of addiction and how it can derail even the brightest of talented stars.
I also couldn't help but feel it was the cautionary tale of a star constantly sabotaging her own career. She wasn't really a successful recording artist, her movie career was a bust besides Cabaret, and Broadway was really her saving grace (although she apparently had her fair share of flops there too). Her main success - the "meat and potatoes" of her career and income - was always her live shows. You'd think she'd have a lot more classic work to show for her 80 years; but she kind of doesn't, and that made me sad for her (and us!). Funny that Judy lived half as long as her but had a much more important movie and recording career.
The best parts were her detailed retellings of shooting Cabaret and New York, New York, working on Broadway shows like Flora the Red Menace, Chicago and The Rink, recording with the Pet Shop Boys, and touring with Frank Sinatra (who sounded like a full blown nightmare to have to work with). And oof does she hate Lady Gaga lol.
I felt like she didn't really grapple with - or isn't capable of grappling with - her multiple failed marriages. Maybe that's some of the blanked out memory from drugs and alcohol but she kept being like, yeah we ended up great friends with big blank spots in the middle of these failed relationships, particularly her third marriage. Her retelling of her relationship with David Gest was shocking, even having lived through all those tabloid tales of their weird, messy relationship. She couldn't really express how or why she ended up with him, besides being on a ton of pills and "Michael Jackson made her do it."
Also, I couldn't help but eventually laugh at the insane amount of times she references "accidentally kicking mama in the head" when she was 6 years old. What must that scene have been to have so traumatized lil Liza. I was generally surprised at how unflinching some of her portrayal of Judy Garland was; she must've been a real piece of work to have as a mother. Talk about a parent parentifying their child way too young. I gasped at some of Judy's many suicide attempts; grisly stuff. When Judy forced Liza to do a show with her in London, and then, when Liza was inadvertently upstaging her, Judy stage whispered "get her the f off my stage"... that tells you everything you need to know about her and their relationship.
Ultimately, this will be a classic celebrity memoir, and I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves Liza or just a star telling the juiciest parts of their life story.
March 22, 2026
What a roller coaster of joy and despair Liza lived and this is a heartbreakingly honest book about her rocky journey to super stardom as one of the original nepo babies. Her tales are hilarious, entertaining and poignant. I read Vincente Minnelli's memoir decades ago and he was a constant and stable influence in Liza's life which helped her fight her demons. Shockingly, there is a glaring show biz error in this memoir! Liza mentions the film Roman Holiday starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Wrong! Cary and Audrey did star in Charade but Gregory Peck was Audrey's co star in Roman Holiday. I am surprised an editor or proof reader didn't catch this error before the book went to print. Show biz error aside, this was a fascinating memoir and I devoured it quickly. This is a must read for old school show biz aficionados. 4.5 stars.
Did not finish
March 20, 2026I DNF at 30% or so. There were a few inaccuracies, which is to be expected in a memoir as it's told from a very specific point of view. However looking more into the writing of this book, I am dubious of Liza's actual involvement.
I am also pretty sure the audiobook narration is AI. There were some obvious inconsistencies that I don't believe Liza would make (including not knowing who was in Roman Holiday and mispronouncing lyrics to a song written FOR her). I was enjoying it, but scratching the surface raises too many questions...
I am also pretty sure the audiobook narration is AI. There were some obvious inconsistencies that I don't believe Liza would make (including not knowing who was in Roman Holiday and mispronouncing lyrics to a song written FOR her). I was enjoying it, but scratching the surface raises too many questions...
March 13, 2026
A very readable account of her life and career.
growing ups as the daughter of two Hollywood greats Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli.
She speaks candidly of what life was like and her own addictions
which could have killed her.
The Oscar and the Tony's she won.
Well worth a read.
growing ups as the daughter of two Hollywood greats Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli.
She speaks candidly of what life was like and her own addictions
which could have killed her.
The Oscar and the Tony's she won.
Well worth a read.
March 18, 2026
Thank you, Liza for sharing your life story with the world. We are blessed to have you. May you live another 80 years so we can have a volume 2.
March 12, 2026
A memoir that hits all the points you would expect but perhaps with a little more juice and drama than other stars have been willing to give in the past. That chapter on Lady Gaga and the Oscars, WOW... 👀
March 12, 2026
Liza Minnelli’s music has been a part of my life since I was very little, I have loved her presence and her beautiful voice since the first day I heard it and saw her on screen.
I listened to the audio whilst reading along to the book. I can truly say, it was wonderful to listen to Liza tell her story with so much passion and gratitude, She is a beautiful person and I will hold this book very dear to my heart.
Thank you Liza for finally telling your story, you are a brave, talented, compassionate and beautiful woman one of the very best this world has ever seen.
I listened to the audio whilst reading along to the book. I can truly say, it was wonderful to listen to Liza tell her story with so much passion and gratitude, She is a beautiful person and I will hold this book very dear to my heart.
Thank you Liza for finally telling your story, you are a brave, talented, compassionate and beautiful woman one of the very best this world has ever seen.
March 13, 2026
This was a complete and exhausting memoir.
March 14, 2026
What a lady, and what a life!
I could not wait to read this as I've been a Liza fan for as long as I can remember. She's the last of the true old-school show business types, and as far as I am concerned, an American treasure.
Anyone who knows anything about Liza knows she has, to put it mildly, been THROUGH IT. And this book brings us just that: just enough details about her career highlights, career mishaps, multiple marriages , addiction, health issues...all of it. And oh yeah: the whole being the daughter of an ICON and a Hollywood director thing!
Chapter 10: "My Marriage From Hell" had me HOWLING. If you remember her whole bizarre marriage to David Gest in 2002, it's hilarious to read about it again, and fortunately for us, Liza is extra sassy in this chapter and isn't afraid to laugh about the whole debacle now.
I devoured this book, not at all surprised by anything I read in it. My admiration for her perhaps did grow somewhat: I've always thought of her as a real tough, no-nonsense survivor (yep, her story confirms that!). But, what stands out is her ability to be real. Not just about herself, but everyone she chose to speak about. A deep love and appreciation for her mother? Absolutely. But Liza was not afraid to speak of Judy's flaws, and how they shaped her and continue to do so.
Glad she finally got around to tell her story, her way. Because it's a very very interesting one!
I could not wait to read this as I've been a Liza fan for as long as I can remember. She's the last of the true old-school show business types, and as far as I am concerned, an American treasure.
Anyone who knows anything about Liza knows she has, to put it mildly, been THROUGH IT. And this book brings us just that: just enough details about her career highlights, career mishaps, multiple marriages , addiction, health issues...all of it. And oh yeah: the whole being the daughter of an ICON and a Hollywood director thing!
Chapter 10: "My Marriage From Hell" had me HOWLING. If you remember her whole bizarre marriage to David Gest in 2002, it's hilarious to read about it again, and fortunately for us, Liza is extra sassy in this chapter and isn't afraid to laugh about the whole debacle now.
I devoured this book, not at all surprised by anything I read in it. My admiration for her perhaps did grow somewhat: I've always thought of her as a real tough, no-nonsense survivor (yep, her story confirms that!). But, what stands out is her ability to be real. Not just about herself, but everyone she chose to speak about. A deep love and appreciation for her mother? Absolutely. But Liza was not afraid to speak of Judy's flaws, and how they shaped her and continue to do so.
Glad she finally got around to tell her story, her way. Because it's a very very interesting one!
March 23, 2026
A moving, raw, open look at her life and struggles, from having divorced parents, growing up in the spotlight of Hollywood, being the daughte of Judy Garland who battled substance abuse/addictions and her own ups and downs with substance abuse, rehab, mental health, anxiety, and four failed marriages.
She shares some of her very low lows and some of the great highs (she is one of the few EGOT winners). I confess I mainly knew of her through her Cabaret fame, the movie Stepping up (about a 90s amateur tap dancing group), her failed marriages and her stints on Arrested development (which I always thought were ridiculous, I was not a fan of that show's brand of humor).
That said I did enjoy listening to this weighty memoir (18 hours on audio!) and she does a great job reading and singing it herself, with clips of conversations she had with her dear friend Michael included at the end. If you're a Liza fan, this one is worth reading (or listening to).
She shares some of her very low lows and some of the great highs (she is one of the few EGOT winners). I confess I mainly knew of her through her Cabaret fame, the movie Stepping up (about a 90s amateur tap dancing group), her failed marriages and her stints on Arrested development (which I always thought were ridiculous, I was not a fan of that show's brand of humor).
That said I did enjoy listening to this weighty memoir (18 hours on audio!) and she does a great job reading and singing it herself, with clips of conversations she had with her dear friend Michael included at the end. If you're a Liza fan, this one is worth reading (or listening to).
March 11, 2026
Hats off to Liza for sharing her story. There is kiss-and-tell (good and bad), celebrity friend stories(Uncle Frank, substitute mom Liz, Princess Diana, babysitting Ronnie and many more), marriage details (bad David Gest), and backstage insight to her greatest performances for the youngest EGOT winner.
Sad learning about how she had to take care of her mom at a young age, and how Liza struggled and overcame her same addictions.
Best were the stories of her performances. How lucky are the individuals who have seen her live. Liza was born to entertain!
Sad learning about how she had to take care of her mom at a young age, and how Liza struggled and overcame her same addictions.
Best were the stories of her performances. How lucky are the individuals who have seen her live. Liza was born to entertain!
March 12, 2026
I love this book
Liza Minnelli is a force, in the best way. She is fearlessly honest, funny, smart and very real. I enjoyed getting to know her better. This is a great memoir. Thanks to Michael Feinstein, too, for being such a great friend to Liza.
Liza Minnelli is a force, in the best way. She is fearlessly honest, funny, smart and very real. I enjoyed getting to know her better. This is a great memoir. Thanks to Michael Feinstein, too, for being such a great friend to Liza.
March 19, 2026
maybe the campest book I've ever read -- even if the diva vs diva allegations against Gaga tore my heart in twain.
March 21, 2026
She is one of the great entertainers of our time.
March 15, 2026
insane read. she’s a genius
March 17, 2026
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! fits nicely within the soapy, campy genre of celebrity memoir. It’s designed in part to showcase Minnelli’s deceptively busy career on stage, scene, concert halls, etc., and redefine her personal life from the perceived diva on a bender image (SUD as a condition is referenced many, many times) to sober diva still likes to party with a Diet Coke. Like anyone keen to maintain and curate their image, Liza (and bestie, Michael) talk smack about any possible Liza interpretations (They DON’T WANT ANYONE TO PLAY HER because, you know, a) they might get it wrong, b) Liza doesn’t get a dime and c) once an actress who played Liza had a ‘fat ass.’ It’s also worth mentioning that Michael Feinstein, in his kiss-assin’ intro, mentions that he saw no humour in the caricature performance of Kristen Wiig in an SNL sketch, ‘Liza Minnelli turns off a lamp’. Michael, it’s SNL, it’s meant to be absurd! - Liza should not get royalties every time she’s referenced in any medium. Akin to this, Liza wastes not page space in disparaging others/settling scores with as much venom as an 80-year-old Liza can emote (I heard the talking book; she practically grinds her teeth when she converses with the reader about feeling slighted).
So, how to summarise. It’s perhaps best to say that Liza got off the starting blocks early, sleepin’ on park benches in Central Park when she’s kicked out of a hostel at 17/18. She’s studied in France, she’s studied in New York, she’s worked at several concerts, including one in which Judy Garland (heard of ol’ Ethel Gumm’s stage name?) unsure whether to be the stage mom her awful-sounding mother was or the stage mom from Gypsy asked for Liza for an 11-year old Liza to sing these songs, unreheresed to a couple of thousand folk intrigued by the travelling Garland-Minnelli-Luft bandwagon rolling into town.
Minnelli manages to largely lose her ‘nepo baby’ before-there-was-a-tag in no time at all, getting a Tony at 19, followed by an Oscar, Emmy almost before she was 26, which reminds me of that line from Evita - A shame you did it all at twenty-six (twenty seven in her case).
Unlike other memoirs where chapters are a couple of pages, these are hour-long chapters that merge an riches-to-rags-childhood, a messy adolescence and a career that goes stratospheric pretty darn quick. She acknowledges that luck plays a part, but I guess Minnelli was always going to be famous. These chapters are taut and wonderfully written to feel the heat and the enthusiasm of those early years. During this book, she does battle with anyone with a ‘G’ name and Garland is the first in this rule. As she and Minnelli do battle on the London stage, as Garland says loudly, “Harold, get her off my effing stage!”, but Minnelli does NOT get off the stage.
Someone mentions that they didn’t read it as everything happened before she was born. In many ways, Minnelli probably could have written this book earlier. Still, age encourages wisdom and we get her logical reasons for staying married to her first husband, whom she caught in bed with another man. By the time we get to her second husband, whom she did not respect at all, Liza explains that it was more like brother and sister. Perhaps the easiest way to explain why she cheated on him with Martin Scorsese, followed by cheating on Scorsese with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, only for Scorsese to confront Minnelli in front of her husband about her cheating on him with the dancer. Umm, hello!!
Along the way, Minnelli is outfitted in Halston, sippin’ and snortin’ at Studio 54, working regularly with Kander and Ebb, kicking up her heels and Fosse’ing here and there in film and theatre. I mean she stepped into Roxie Hart’s shoes with a week’s notice. That’s like the equivalent of a theatrical damehood there and then.
As the book weaves on, she smooches with countless names quoting Michael Jackson (who she supposedly gifted the moonwalk to), The Pet Shop Boys (who started her pop career) and makes sure to let us know that Sondheim was a miser control freak but, hey, she still recorded at least one of his songs her way. She also seemingly spent the ‘80s and ‘90s watching people die/going to funeral/going to/performing at funerals.
As Minnelli’s body starts breaking into bits, we get to a delicious bile-filled chapter for her fourth husband, David Gest. True 5-star reading. Her barbs zing with simmering rage. She does the same thing with Gene Hackman in an earlier chapter (by the way, most people in this book are now dead - go figure) in which she explains that he wasn’t kind to her behind her back, but makes sure to add a sympathetic note that she was sad he died in tragic circumstances last year. Why add this? Because Minnelli’s revenge is Sicilian.
For Gest, she repeats the age old, you should only say good things about the dead, so it’s good that Gest’s dead kind of line. Continuing with her distrust of the Gs, Gaga or Germanotta gets a particularly savage ‘reading at the library’ as Gaga asks Liza if she’s gone cuckoo just before they present an award (What film are we celebrating? Where are we? etc) and Liza makes sure to forgive but never to forget. It’s very important to Liza that people ‘get’ her, i.e., that she’s a real and true person.
While I do think Lorna Luft’s Me and My Shadows book was slightly tauter, it’s fair to say that Minnelli can really go the distance, away from the dysfunctional family ties that nurture, bind and terrify in equal measure.
Some have noted the errors - Roman Holiday starring Cary Grant, Donna Summer singing Hot Love, but why proof check when it’s more or less in the ballpark? Clearly, Liza was not ready for another take. This extend People have also noted that Liza with a Z sounds AI-generated in this version. I don’t know, I think it was Minnelli’s voice 90% of the time, although the random chat at the end (pointless) where she’s talking a mile a minute with Michael did gave me pause. It’s worth listening to for when she expresses consternation, as she’s particularly funny. Also, I chuckled at various details that felt superfluous. When she explains how she spoke to Michelle and Kelly, the other members of Destiny’s Child, how one of her best friend’s partner was a hairdresser and the various lists where she makes sure to let you know that she a) knows people for her L.A. parties (where she needed a valet service), b) people know her and c) she’s as big a deal as the next big deal person.
Quotes from the Liza Minnelli David Gest chapter: The Marriage from Hell.
“His name was David Gest. What in God’s name was I thinking? I clearly wasn’t sober when I married this clown. I’m going to invoke the title of my book now and say, kids, wait till you hear this! Don’t ever do what I did.
"David Gest wore more mascara than I did."
"The man cooed all over me. Ick."
“The man lived off gossip and headlines.”
“You have to remember, I hate kiss-ups and sycophants, but this conman was so over the top I had to believe him (!).”
“He was coming for my Warhols!!”
“When Gest tried to sell them (the art) while I was out of town, he learned he only had access to copies. LOSER.”
“I was disgusted with him... He was hideous. He wore ridiculous sunglasses day or night.”
“Michael Jackson introduced us. The man didn’t waste time. He came on to me like a mad bull, a used car salesman who wouldn’t take no for an answer. I felt like Sid Luft’s Cadillac.”
“I let my financial desperation and vulnerability overpower my brain.”
“The man I agreed to marry wasn’t an Adonis. He was a slight, pasty-faced jerk with weird hair who wore weird sunglasses day or night.”
“I was playing an East Coast version of Norma Desmond.”
“Most reporters wrote leads or cliches. Only one got it right. Cindy Adams cracked, “The marriage will last as long as the wedding ceremony.” “
"Gest plunged his tongue deep into my mouth like a shark mangling a piece of meat. Eurgh, that appalling kiss went on forever. I was bent over in his arms and we looked absurd in a video flashed around the world. Actually, Gest kissed me too soon, before he was supposed to, so I had to endure two long kisses. I was shocked and felt degraded. This marriage was over before it had even begun. For one simple reason - by manhandling me, Gest put on a limp display of masculinity and testosterone. It was grotesque. He never kissed me like this in our private life - nor would I let him. This was a cheap photo opp.”
"Gest tossed out the beautiful furniture in my magnificent apartment (the very apartment featured in Architecture Digest), he brought in shlock decorators whom made my home of many years look like a bargain basement crashpad."
"This guy was a freak with a mean streak."
Gold standard stuff.
So, how to summarise. It’s perhaps best to say that Liza got off the starting blocks early, sleepin’ on park benches in Central Park when she’s kicked out of a hostel at 17/18. She’s studied in France, she’s studied in New York, she’s worked at several concerts, including one in which Judy Garland (heard of ol’ Ethel Gumm’s stage name?) unsure whether to be the stage mom her awful-sounding mother was or the stage mom from Gypsy asked for Liza for an 11-year old Liza to sing these songs, unreheresed to a couple of thousand folk intrigued by the travelling Garland-Minnelli-Luft bandwagon rolling into town.
Minnelli manages to largely lose her ‘nepo baby’ before-there-was-a-tag in no time at all, getting a Tony at 19, followed by an Oscar, Emmy almost before she was 26, which reminds me of that line from Evita - A shame you did it all at twenty-six (twenty seven in her case).
Unlike other memoirs where chapters are a couple of pages, these are hour-long chapters that merge an riches-to-rags-childhood, a messy adolescence and a career that goes stratospheric pretty darn quick. She acknowledges that luck plays a part, but I guess Minnelli was always going to be famous. These chapters are taut and wonderfully written to feel the heat and the enthusiasm of those early years. During this book, she does battle with anyone with a ‘G’ name and Garland is the first in this rule. As she and Minnelli do battle on the London stage, as Garland says loudly, “Harold, get her off my effing stage!”, but Minnelli does NOT get off the stage.
Someone mentions that they didn’t read it as everything happened before she was born. In many ways, Minnelli probably could have written this book earlier. Still, age encourages wisdom and we get her logical reasons for staying married to her first husband, whom she caught in bed with another man. By the time we get to her second husband, whom she did not respect at all, Liza explains that it was more like brother and sister. Perhaps the easiest way to explain why she cheated on him with Martin Scorsese, followed by cheating on Scorsese with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, only for Scorsese to confront Minnelli in front of her husband about her cheating on him with the dancer. Umm, hello!!
Along the way, Minnelli is outfitted in Halston, sippin’ and snortin’ at Studio 54, working regularly with Kander and Ebb, kicking up her heels and Fosse’ing here and there in film and theatre. I mean she stepped into Roxie Hart’s shoes with a week’s notice. That’s like the equivalent of a theatrical damehood there and then.
As the book weaves on, she smooches with countless names quoting Michael Jackson (who she supposedly gifted the moonwalk to), The Pet Shop Boys (who started her pop career) and makes sure to let us know that Sondheim was a miser control freak but, hey, she still recorded at least one of his songs her way. She also seemingly spent the ‘80s and ‘90s watching people die/going to funeral/going to/performing at funerals.
As Minnelli’s body starts breaking into bits, we get to a delicious bile-filled chapter for her fourth husband, David Gest. True 5-star reading. Her barbs zing with simmering rage. She does the same thing with Gene Hackman in an earlier chapter (by the way, most people in this book are now dead - go figure) in which she explains that he wasn’t kind to her behind her back, but makes sure to add a sympathetic note that she was sad he died in tragic circumstances last year. Why add this? Because Minnelli’s revenge is Sicilian.
For Gest, she repeats the age old, you should only say good things about the dead, so it’s good that Gest’s dead kind of line. Continuing with her distrust of the Gs, Gaga or Germanotta gets a particularly savage ‘reading at the library’ as Gaga asks Liza if she’s gone cuckoo just before they present an award (What film are we celebrating? Where are we? etc) and Liza makes sure to forgive but never to forget. It’s very important to Liza that people ‘get’ her, i.e., that she’s a real and true person.
While I do think Lorna Luft’s Me and My Shadows book was slightly tauter, it’s fair to say that Minnelli can really go the distance, away from the dysfunctional family ties that nurture, bind and terrify in equal measure.
Some have noted the errors - Roman Holiday starring Cary Grant, Donna Summer singing Hot Love, but why proof check when it’s more or less in the ballpark? Clearly, Liza was not ready for another take. This extend People have also noted that Liza with a Z sounds AI-generated in this version. I don’t know, I think it was Minnelli’s voice 90% of the time, although the random chat at the end (pointless) where she’s talking a mile a minute with Michael did gave me pause. It’s worth listening to for when she expresses consternation, as she’s particularly funny. Also, I chuckled at various details that felt superfluous. When she explains how she spoke to Michelle and Kelly, the other members of Destiny’s Child, how one of her best friend’s partner was a hairdresser and the various lists where she makes sure to let you know that she a) knows people for her L.A. parties (where she needed a valet service), b) people know her and c) she’s as big a deal as the next big deal person.
Quotes from the Liza Minnelli David Gest chapter: The Marriage from Hell.
“His name was David Gest. What in God’s name was I thinking? I clearly wasn’t sober when I married this clown. I’m going to invoke the title of my book now and say, kids, wait till you hear this! Don’t ever do what I did.
"David Gest wore more mascara than I did."
"The man cooed all over me. Ick."
“The man lived off gossip and headlines.”
“You have to remember, I hate kiss-ups and sycophants, but this conman was so over the top I had to believe him (!).”
“He was coming for my Warhols!!”
“When Gest tried to sell them (the art) while I was out of town, he learned he only had access to copies. LOSER.”
“I was disgusted with him... He was hideous. He wore ridiculous sunglasses day or night.”
“Michael Jackson introduced us. The man didn’t waste time. He came on to me like a mad bull, a used car salesman who wouldn’t take no for an answer. I felt like Sid Luft’s Cadillac.”
“I let my financial desperation and vulnerability overpower my brain.”
“The man I agreed to marry wasn’t an Adonis. He was a slight, pasty-faced jerk with weird hair who wore weird sunglasses day or night.”
“I was playing an East Coast version of Norma Desmond.”
“Most reporters wrote leads or cliches. Only one got it right. Cindy Adams cracked, “The marriage will last as long as the wedding ceremony.” “
"Gest plunged his tongue deep into my mouth like a shark mangling a piece of meat. Eurgh, that appalling kiss went on forever. I was bent over in his arms and we looked absurd in a video flashed around the world. Actually, Gest kissed me too soon, before he was supposed to, so I had to endure two long kisses. I was shocked and felt degraded. This marriage was over before it had even begun. For one simple reason - by manhandling me, Gest put on a limp display of masculinity and testosterone. It was grotesque. He never kissed me like this in our private life - nor would I let him. This was a cheap photo opp.”
"Gest tossed out the beautiful furniture in my magnificent apartment (the very apartment featured in Architecture Digest), he brought in shlock decorators whom made my home of many years look like a bargain basement crashpad."
"This guy was a freak with a mean streak."
Gold standard stuff.
March 22, 2026
“It’s been a lifetime of high notes and low notes, baby. And I want you to know, with more days behind me than ahead, it’s been a life very well lived. I have no regrets. None. The only thing I’m truly sorry about is the pain of anyone I’ve ever hurt. However accidentally, or thoughtlessly. To all of you, I am truly sorry.
“These are my innermost thoughts and feelings as I begin this memoir. So fasten your seatbelts and hang onto your hair --- it’s been one helluva ride. Today, whenever I look back at that night as a nineteen-year-old Tony winner, the same question runs through my mind as it did then: How in God’s name did I get here?”
KIDS, WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS! opens with these sentiments from one of the greatest performers of all time, who came from one of the most productive and influential families in the arts. Liza Minnelli, the daughter of famed director Vincente Minnelli and the even more infamous icon Judy Garland, has waited 80 years (well, she just turned 80) to give readers this very significant, no-holds-barred look at every love, every show, every husband, every drink, every surgery she has ever had. She lets us turn each corner with her so that we feel as close to the action as possible.
Liza is both the ultimate nepo baby and the best kind of nepo baby. She has gratitude for her parents’ substantial artistic gifts and knows that she took those inherent qualities and turned them into something totally new and totally hers. Liza with a Z!
Growing up, my family and I watched The Wizard of Oz once a year (usually around Easter time). The movie thrilled us all and scared my little sister a lot. Every year, we were able to see the start of Judy Garland’s illustrious and tumultuous career in our living room. Even as kids, we knew she was what they called a real Hollywood star. But Liza Minnelli, whom we also came to know through movies and Broadway shows, was a new breed of Hollywood star, mixing old moxie and hard work with newfound hippie coolness and disco fever.
Liza became Judy’s guardian starting at the age of 12, weathering the ups and downs of her mother’s substance abuse issues and their money woes. She performed with her early on and learned so much about acting from her and an extensive collection of friendly uncles and aunts: Uncle Ira Gershwin, Uncle Frank Sinatra, Aunt Lucille Ball, and Aunt Kay Thompson (who modeled her irascible Eloise character on Liza as a child).
There are so many names in this book that, if you are under 50, you will have to Google a lot of these folks to see how famous they were in their time. Some, like Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Martin Scorsese, and Liza’s confidante, Michael Feinstein, will be familiar to musical theater kids and film buffs. Others, like some of her lovers (Peter Sellers, Charles Aznavour, Desi Arnaz Jr.) or co-stars (Dudley Moore, Ben Vereen), may not be as well-known to younger generations. Liza’s career and her social life hike through all the major entertainment industries (she was one of the first women to become an EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony --- and several times over at that).
Liza and her “Papa” truly understood each other; their love was unconditional and not transactional. Her relationship with Judy was more dramatic, and it is remarkable to think of all that Liza went through with her before the age of 15. Once Liza announced that she wanted to be a performer, Judy wafted between teacher and competitor, which taught her a lot about how to get along in show business. It is both a moving tribute to Judy and a cautionary tale, one that Liza didn’t take to heart until much later in life.
Liza’s marriages and love affairs get a lot of coverage, but her relationships with Kander and Ebb (the team who brought Cabaret and Chicago to the annals of great theater), Michael Feinstein, Marvin Hamlisch, Elizabeth Taylor and the night denizens of New York City in the disco era are also heavily featured. I need to download the audiobook, which Liza narrated. How could you not want to sit at her feet as she holds court on her incredible life?
KIDS, WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS! is unputdownable. Every page holds some gem of a story about Liza and her philosophy on love, work and friendship, as well as the dreams and desires of one of the most versatile stars around. It is exactly the singular tour-de-force that only Liza Minnelli could create. I dare you not to read it in one sitting. Bravo, Liza, on another hit!
Reviewed by Jana Siciliano
“These are my innermost thoughts and feelings as I begin this memoir. So fasten your seatbelts and hang onto your hair --- it’s been one helluva ride. Today, whenever I look back at that night as a nineteen-year-old Tony winner, the same question runs through my mind as it did then: How in God’s name did I get here?”
KIDS, WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS! opens with these sentiments from one of the greatest performers of all time, who came from one of the most productive and influential families in the arts. Liza Minnelli, the daughter of famed director Vincente Minnelli and the even more infamous icon Judy Garland, has waited 80 years (well, she just turned 80) to give readers this very significant, no-holds-barred look at every love, every show, every husband, every drink, every surgery she has ever had. She lets us turn each corner with her so that we feel as close to the action as possible.
Liza is both the ultimate nepo baby and the best kind of nepo baby. She has gratitude for her parents’ substantial artistic gifts and knows that she took those inherent qualities and turned them into something totally new and totally hers. Liza with a Z!
Growing up, my family and I watched The Wizard of Oz once a year (usually around Easter time). The movie thrilled us all and scared my little sister a lot. Every year, we were able to see the start of Judy Garland’s illustrious and tumultuous career in our living room. Even as kids, we knew she was what they called a real Hollywood star. But Liza Minnelli, whom we also came to know through movies and Broadway shows, was a new breed of Hollywood star, mixing old moxie and hard work with newfound hippie coolness and disco fever.
Liza became Judy’s guardian starting at the age of 12, weathering the ups and downs of her mother’s substance abuse issues and their money woes. She performed with her early on and learned so much about acting from her and an extensive collection of friendly uncles and aunts: Uncle Ira Gershwin, Uncle Frank Sinatra, Aunt Lucille Ball, and Aunt Kay Thompson (who modeled her irascible Eloise character on Liza as a child).
There are so many names in this book that, if you are under 50, you will have to Google a lot of these folks to see how famous they were in their time. Some, like Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Martin Scorsese, and Liza’s confidante, Michael Feinstein, will be familiar to musical theater kids and film buffs. Others, like some of her lovers (Peter Sellers, Charles Aznavour, Desi Arnaz Jr.) or co-stars (Dudley Moore, Ben Vereen), may not be as well-known to younger generations. Liza’s career and her social life hike through all the major entertainment industries (she was one of the first women to become an EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony --- and several times over at that).
Liza and her “Papa” truly understood each other; their love was unconditional and not transactional. Her relationship with Judy was more dramatic, and it is remarkable to think of all that Liza went through with her before the age of 15. Once Liza announced that she wanted to be a performer, Judy wafted between teacher and competitor, which taught her a lot about how to get along in show business. It is both a moving tribute to Judy and a cautionary tale, one that Liza didn’t take to heart until much later in life.
Liza’s marriages and love affairs get a lot of coverage, but her relationships with Kander and Ebb (the team who brought Cabaret and Chicago to the annals of great theater), Michael Feinstein, Marvin Hamlisch, Elizabeth Taylor and the night denizens of New York City in the disco era are also heavily featured. I need to download the audiobook, which Liza narrated. How could you not want to sit at her feet as she holds court on her incredible life?
KIDS, WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS! is unputdownable. Every page holds some gem of a story about Liza and her philosophy on love, work and friendship, as well as the dreams and desires of one of the most versatile stars around. It is exactly the singular tour-de-force that only Liza Minnelli could create. I dare you not to read it in one sitting. Bravo, Liza, on another hit!
Reviewed by Jana Siciliano
March 21, 2026
This is quite the tell-all book, sometimes like a revenge tour, sometimes a nostalgia trip through old Hollywood, sometimes a love letter to stalwart friends and supporters (like Elizabeth Taylor, Kay Thompson, Mia Farrow, and Michael Feinstein) and, throughout, a tale of decades of Liza’s abuse of drugs and alcohol.
I’d always heard plenty about Judy Garland’s fragile mental and sad descent into an early death, but Liza reveals all here, including Garland’s manipulation of her as her own career began when she was just a teenager. Liza never has a bad word to say about her father, Vincent Minnelli, though, and lavishes him with praise for both his directorial art and his loving parenting.
Yes, we get the curtains drawn back on all of Liza’s marriages and liaisons, surprisingly often with gay men. She remained on good terms with all her husbands except the last, David Gest, and her chapter on him is a doozy.
She doesn’t hold back in her descriptions of how bad her addiction problems were and the awful results it led to until she finally got lastingly sober at age 69. There is a lot, and I mean a lot, in the book about substance use disorder. It can become tiresome. I would have loved to have a bit less of that and a lot more about the making of Cabaret. I was surprised at how relatively little time she spends talking about the movie. She talks quite a bit about the director, Bob Fosse, but only a little about her co-stars, even though she apparently liked and admired them, and says Marisa Berenson has remained a friend for the 50+ years since.
If you’ve read reviews of the book, you’ve probably heard there are surprising stories about her cocaine-fueled affair with Martin Scorsese while she was married—and also having a fling with Mikhail Baryshnikov. There are surprises, though, like her revelation of her time with Peter Sellers and how awful he could be. You might not have heard about her slam of Lady Gaga and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over her appearance at the 2022 ceremony, where she is insistent she was sabotaged, and her version is supported by Michael Feinstein. I don’t know what the real story is, but it makes me wonder about Gaga, and her relationship with Tony Bennett when he had Alzheimer’s.
I opted to listen to the audiobook, which is my preference with memoirs of famous people. It’s a bumpy experience. Liza’s voice at 80 isn’t strong, and she speaks so slowly and haltingly, with emphases often on the wrong words in sentences, that I felt she must not have rehearsed much, if at all, before she narrated. By speeding up the narration to 1.5x, I could make the voice sound closer to the younger Liza.
There are a few errors here and there, which makes me wonder whether the publisher used fact checkers at all. The name of a Donna Summer song is wrong, and Liza says the classic movie Roman Holiday’s male lead was Cary Grant, when it was actually Gary Cooper.
If you’re a Minnelli fan, or you just enjoy showbiz bios, this is worth reading.
I’d always heard plenty about Judy Garland’s fragile mental and sad descent into an early death, but Liza reveals all here, including Garland’s manipulation of her as her own career began when she was just a teenager. Liza never has a bad word to say about her father, Vincent Minnelli, though, and lavishes him with praise for both his directorial art and his loving parenting.
Yes, we get the curtains drawn back on all of Liza’s marriages and liaisons, surprisingly often with gay men. She remained on good terms with all her husbands except the last, David Gest, and her chapter on him is a doozy.
She doesn’t hold back in her descriptions of how bad her addiction problems were and the awful results it led to until she finally got lastingly sober at age 69. There is a lot, and I mean a lot, in the book about substance use disorder. It can become tiresome. I would have loved to have a bit less of that and a lot more about the making of Cabaret. I was surprised at how relatively little time she spends talking about the movie. She talks quite a bit about the director, Bob Fosse, but only a little about her co-stars, even though she apparently liked and admired them, and says Marisa Berenson has remained a friend for the 50+ years since.
If you’ve read reviews of the book, you’ve probably heard there are surprising stories about her cocaine-fueled affair with Martin Scorsese while she was married—and also having a fling with Mikhail Baryshnikov. There are surprises, though, like her revelation of her time with Peter Sellers and how awful he could be. You might not have heard about her slam of Lady Gaga and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over her appearance at the 2022 ceremony, where she is insistent she was sabotaged, and her version is supported by Michael Feinstein. I don’t know what the real story is, but it makes me wonder about Gaga, and her relationship with Tony Bennett when he had Alzheimer’s.
I opted to listen to the audiobook, which is my preference with memoirs of famous people. It’s a bumpy experience. Liza’s voice at 80 isn’t strong, and she speaks so slowly and haltingly, with emphases often on the wrong words in sentences, that I felt she must not have rehearsed much, if at all, before she narrated. By speeding up the narration to 1.5x, I could make the voice sound closer to the younger Liza.
There are a few errors here and there, which makes me wonder whether the publisher used fact checkers at all. The name of a Donna Summer song is wrong, and Liza says the classic movie Roman Holiday’s male lead was Cary Grant, when it was actually Gary Cooper.
If you’re a Minnelli fan, or you just enjoy showbiz bios, this is worth reading.
March 21, 2026
LOVED this compelling audiobook - warts and slams and Liza’s AI voice and all.
You can skip Michael Feinstein’s fawning introduction to Liza - then Liza’s fawning introduction to Michael - without missing a bit. Liza gives so much over-the-top praise to Michael in the book that you’ll get more than your fill later.
He does deserve much credit for making this a reality, though, as the wonderful end-of-book material shows.
Liza (the “z” apparently stands for “zingers”) clearly ADORES her father, director Vincent Minnelli, and is careful about describing her iconic mother, Judy Garland. She inherited extraordinary talent and used it to extraordinary effect - starring in “Cabaret,” for example (seeing her singing/dancing numbers again on YouTube reminds me even more of her talent).
Liza’s candid about her addictions and trying to overcome them - many times. A mantra is “If you don’t want to slip, stay out of places that are slippery” - so - try having lunch with a drinking friend instead of dinner, for example. Later in the book, though, she talks about hosting boozy parties - clearly finding her own advice hard to follow.
The number of her affairs - often with married men - is stunning. So are her marriages, including the last awful one to David Guest. She throws in a line about taking responsibility for it, but she dumps on him so much that it’s hard to believe. This should be a good learning experience about blazing red flags, including - if someone says they have tons of money and will take care of you, CHECK IT OUT! A little research on the front end saves a lot of financial and emotional pain.
But for all that - even though it’s a long book - I couldn’t wait to keep listening to it and recommend this for quite a romp through Liza’s life.
You can skip Michael Feinstein’s fawning introduction to Liza - then Liza’s fawning introduction to Michael - without missing a bit. Liza gives so much over-the-top praise to Michael in the book that you’ll get more than your fill later.
He does deserve much credit for making this a reality, though, as the wonderful end-of-book material shows.
Liza (the “z” apparently stands for “zingers”) clearly ADORES her father, director Vincent Minnelli, and is careful about describing her iconic mother, Judy Garland. She inherited extraordinary talent and used it to extraordinary effect - starring in “Cabaret,” for example (seeing her singing/dancing numbers again on YouTube reminds me even more of her talent).
Liza’s candid about her addictions and trying to overcome them - many times. A mantra is “If you don’t want to slip, stay out of places that are slippery” - so - try having lunch with a drinking friend instead of dinner, for example. Later in the book, though, she talks about hosting boozy parties - clearly finding her own advice hard to follow.
The number of her affairs - often with married men - is stunning. So are her marriages, including the last awful one to David Guest. She throws in a line about taking responsibility for it, but she dumps on him so much that it’s hard to believe. This should be a good learning experience about blazing red flags, including - if someone says they have tons of money and will take care of you, CHECK IT OUT! A little research on the front end saves a lot of financial and emotional pain.
But for all that - even though it’s a long book - I couldn’t wait to keep listening to it and recommend this for quite a romp through Liza’s life.
March 17, 2026
Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!! Four years I thought we would never get this book because for years and decades Liza has always said she would never write it. Over the last five days I have been absolutely stunned in what Liza reveals in this book. It is unlike anything we have heard from her. She really not only peels back the curtain but bust the door down in so many ways. She has never been this candidate, blunt, self accountable and absolutely honest about herself, to herself and many facets of our life. There are so many never before told stories in this memoir. She reveals so much emotion and so many true feelings about a lot of things that she’s brushed over in interviews over the years or understandably so, gave a very Hollywood answer to or glossy answer to in interviews on various talk shows, and press things.
But not here! Liza lets you in giving full access to every facet of her very very private personal life. This book is a gift and it is a privilege and I am very grateful to not only have assigned copy, but to have this book in my library and I’m beyond grateful that it’s out in the universe for many people and generations to pick up and read forever. This book doesn’t disappoint at all. Maybe you’re not a fan of Liza Minnelli and that’s just fine, maybe you have no idea who she is. Pick up this book it is absolutely worth every single second of reading.
But not here! Liza lets you in giving full access to every facet of her very very private personal life. This book is a gift and it is a privilege and I am very grateful to not only have assigned copy, but to have this book in my library and I’m beyond grateful that it’s out in the universe for many people and generations to pick up and read forever. This book doesn’t disappoint at all. Maybe you’re not a fan of Liza Minnelli and that’s just fine, maybe you have no idea who she is. Pick up this book it is absolutely worth every single second of reading.
March 20, 2026
I really wanted to like this, especially because Liza Minnelli has lived such an interesting life—but this just didn’t work for me.
It felt very scattered and all over the place. Stories jumped around with no real structure, and I kept waiting for something deeper that never really came. It was more like random memories than a cohesive memoir.
What stood out the most was how it felt like she was almost acting as a sounding board for her mother’s innocence, constantly defending or softening things when it came to Judy Garland—but at the same time telling stories that showed just how difficult and, at times, horrible that upbringing really was. That push and pull felt confusing and never fully explored.
There are moments that should have been really powerful, especially around her childhood, but they didn’t land the way I expected. I just never felt fully connected.
Overall, it felt lackluster and unfocused. A few interesting stories, but not enough depth to really make it worth it for me.
It felt very scattered and all over the place. Stories jumped around with no real structure, and I kept waiting for something deeper that never really came. It was more like random memories than a cohesive memoir.
What stood out the most was how it felt like she was almost acting as a sounding board for her mother’s innocence, constantly defending or softening things when it came to Judy Garland—but at the same time telling stories that showed just how difficult and, at times, horrible that upbringing really was. That push and pull felt confusing and never fully explored.
There are moments that should have been really powerful, especially around her childhood, but they didn’t land the way I expected. I just never felt fully connected.
Overall, it felt lackluster and unfocused. A few interesting stories, but not enough depth to really make it worth it for me.
March 18, 2026
Her story is unique and fascinating.But i found the telling of her story be a little inconsistent and, at times, repetitive. Her early days, starting in the business, are filled with good stories and having Hollywood royalty for parents and caring for her famous, challenging and extraordinary mother certainly shaped her as a performer and a person. She is very candid about her drug and alcohol use.
If you have ever seen her live, you know there is no one like Liza Minnelli. When she was at the top of her game, no one could touch her; she was astounding. Her Oscar for Cabaret is richly deserved; it's a stunning performance. And she is hilarious and touching in Arthur, one of the funniest movies ever.
The book is a ride. It was apparently dictated and told to Michale Feinstein so the voice of the book is not consistent. And having worked closely with one of her most treasured collaborators, I had heard some of these stories differently.
If you have ever seen her live, you know there is no one like Liza Minnelli. When she was at the top of her game, no one could touch her; she was astounding. Her Oscar for Cabaret is richly deserved; it's a stunning performance. And she is hilarious and touching in Arthur, one of the funniest movies ever.
The book is a ride. It was apparently dictated and told to Michale Feinstein so the voice of the book is not consistent. And having worked closely with one of her most treasured collaborators, I had heard some of these stories differently.
March 22, 2026
If someone who was married to a bisexual man, AND engaged to a younger man, AND having an affair with another man, all AT THE SAME TIME, doesn’t make you think they’ve had a wild life, hang on. There’s plenty more.
Countless affairs, multiple marriages, love/hate sort of competitive relationship with her mom, short childhood, drugs, booze, visits to rehab, friends who became lovers, lovers who became friends or sometimes enemies, you name it. It makes you wonder how she had time to be such a fabulous performer.
I saw her perform live in the 1970s, and would have never guessed this woman in her prime was leading, and would go on to continually lead, such a complicated life, but still be around in her 80s with so much spirit.
Countless affairs, multiple marriages, love/hate sort of competitive relationship with her mom, short childhood, drugs, booze, visits to rehab, friends who became lovers, lovers who became friends or sometimes enemies, you name it. It makes you wonder how she had time to be such a fabulous performer.
I saw her perform live in the 1970s, and would have never guessed this woman in her prime was leading, and would go on to continually lead, such a complicated life, but still be around in her 80s with so much spirit.
March 16, 2026
WOW just WOW
I am knocked out by this brutally honest, poignant, heartbreaking, laugh/cry vignettes that have made up the life of one of show business's most enduring performers. Almost everyone is a fan of Lisa Minnelli who has won the ultimate race! Lifetime addictions, love affairs and marriages that defy description ( but she tells us anyway), awards and abuses that define her courage and strength make up her life story that boggles the mind.
She is blessed with more than talent, she has courage and that keeps her in the game as a winner.
No "maybe" about it, this time Liza, you got lucky. Thank you for sharing your amazing life story.
I am knocked out by this brutally honest, poignant, heartbreaking, laugh/cry vignettes that have made up the life of one of show business's most enduring performers. Almost everyone is a fan of Lisa Minnelli who has won the ultimate race! Lifetime addictions, love affairs and marriages that defy description ( but she tells us anyway), awards and abuses that define her courage and strength make up her life story that boggles the mind.
She is blessed with more than talent, she has courage and that keeps her in the game as a winner.
No "maybe" about it, this time Liza, you got lucky. Thank you for sharing your amazing life story.
March 22, 2026
Liza's been working on this for 10+ years and it was worth the wait in spades.
In less than 500 pages she tells her entire 80 year history from birth all the way to the 2022 Oscars incident. (Even I can admit Gaga was wrong in this arena).
It's really really good. It's Liza unfiltered on everything: Judy, her career, her husbands, her fight with SUD (Substance Use Disorder). It's refreshing, it's inspiring and because it's Liza, so funny and witty.
Liza Minnelli is an icon for a reason, and this is just another one of them.
In less than 500 pages she tells her entire 80 year history from birth all the way to the 2022 Oscars incident. (Even I can admit Gaga was wrong in this arena).
It's really really good. It's Liza unfiltered on everything: Judy, her career, her husbands, her fight with SUD (Substance Use Disorder). It's refreshing, it's inspiring and because it's Liza, so funny and witty.
Liza Minnelli is an icon for a reason, and this is just another one of them.
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