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The Sportscaster's Daughter
Selected by Redbook Magazine as one of the Best Books of 2016.
Millions of people watched sportscaster George Michael each week on the Sports Machine, including his daughter Cindi. Cindi Michael appears to live a charmed life: she s happily married, has a successful career, and is a loving mom to two wonderful children. Yet she longs for a father who hasn t spoken to her in twenty years, and even secretly watches him on TV when the longing becomes unbearable. When Cindi was eleven, her father fought for sole custody of her and her siblings, raising three children on his own despite being a bachelor and rock n roll DJ in New York in the 1970s. But with his rising fame as the host of the popular show Sports Machine, his 80-hour-a-week work schedule, and his second marriage, the close relationship Cindi shared with her father began to crack; she did everything to earn his love and attention, but for perfectionist George, it was never enough and when she was eighteen and a freshman in college, in a burst of anger he told her never to come home again. As the years went on, Cindi struggled to steel her heart while still remaining hopeful that they would one day reconcile, just as her father did with his own dad, and transcend painful family patterns that span generations. Candid, moving, and ultimately hopeful, The Sportscaster s Daughter is a family story of forgiveness, faith, and strength."
Millions of people watched sportscaster George Michael each week on the Sports Machine, including his daughter Cindi. Cindi Michael appears to live a charmed life: she s happily married, has a successful career, and is a loving mom to two wonderful children. Yet she longs for a father who hasn t spoken to her in twenty years, and even secretly watches him on TV when the longing becomes unbearable. When Cindi was eleven, her father fought for sole custody of her and her siblings, raising three children on his own despite being a bachelor and rock n roll DJ in New York in the 1970s. But with his rising fame as the host of the popular show Sports Machine, his 80-hour-a-week work schedule, and his second marriage, the close relationship Cindi shared with her father began to crack; she did everything to earn his love and attention, but for perfectionist George, it was never enough and when she was eighteen and a freshman in college, in a burst of anger he told her never to come home again. As the years went on, Cindi struggled to steel her heart while still remaining hopeful that they would one day reconcile, just as her father did with his own dad, and transcend painful family patterns that span generations. Candid, moving, and ultimately hopeful, The Sportscaster s Daughter is a family story of forgiveness, faith, and strength."
- GenresMemoir
312 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2016
7 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 23, 2016
The Sportcaster's Daughter is Cindi Michael's account of her turbulent childhood growing up and her 20 year estrangement from her father, (the famed sportscaster who raised her), and most of the rest of her family.
This is a well-written, heart wrenching story--the only issue, and I guess it is an issue with all memoirs, is that it is only her account, only her viewpoint of everything that happened leading up to the estrangement with her father. Late in the book she includes a letter from her father, and, I suppose, that's his one small chance to rebut her account, as he is no longer alive. His letter suggests that there is much more to the story. Also, evident in the book is the author's antipathy towards her stepmother--it seems that she blames her stepmother for much of the situation with her father. Yet some of her attitudes towards her stepmother seem unduly harsh and no doubt also played a part.
All in all, this was a good and highly readable book. I'd just love to hear the other side of the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
This is a well-written, heart wrenching story--the only issue, and I guess it is an issue with all memoirs, is that it is only her account, only her viewpoint of everything that happened leading up to the estrangement with her father. Late in the book she includes a letter from her father, and, I suppose, that's his one small chance to rebut her account, as he is no longer alive. His letter suggests that there is much more to the story. Also, evident in the book is the author's antipathy towards her stepmother--it seems that she blames her stepmother for much of the situation with her father. Yet some of her attitudes towards her stepmother seem unduly harsh and no doubt also played a part.
All in all, this was a good and highly readable book. I'd just love to hear the other side of the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2018
Great read! With a son who's a sports nut, I watched George Michael regularly on TV in my DC area home. I couldn't put this memoir down, not to learn more about him, but to follow his bright, hard-working daughter deal with her narcissistic father, absent mother, and insensitive young stepmother. In colorful, easy-to-read language we watch her raise herself, take care of the house, and watch over a younger sibling, as her father cruelly lashes out at her. Ms. Michael lets us in on the pain of constantly wondering what was her role in the family disfunction, and it is a pleasure to see her grow into an understanding and move on.
August 20, 2017
Reviewed for readers favorite
In The Sportscaster's Daughter, a moving memoir by Cindi Michael, the daughter of legendary sportscaster George Michael.
Anyone looking at Cindi would see a person with a charmed life, a loving husband, beautiful children and a successful career.
She seems to have it all yet she still longs for the love of her estranged father, having been abruptly ousted when she began to show independence and refused to bend to his controlling demands.
Still, throughout her twenties she longs to find out how did things go so wrong? How did her father turn from the man who fought for sole custody of her and her siblings, saving them from a neglectful home to one who would become verbally and emotionally abusive gaslight her at every turn.
Despite it all Cindi still remained hopeful of a reconciliation, all the way up to George Michael's death and the shocking realization that she had been written out of his obituary.
The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael is a tale of forgiveness and self acceptance.
I'm not an avid sports listener by any means so I feel that I was able to dive into The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael without any preconceived notions of the man who for a time was such a dominant figure in her life.
While that lack of knowledge was a boon as I was able to fully grasp the scope of Michael's story and see how much the need to please and prove herself affected many decisions in the life, I also felt that a lot of the emotional impact in this memoir was predicated on knowing at least a little about George Michael himself.
Still, I found myself rooting for Cindi at every turn, hoping that she would find the stability and love she so desired, to find her own triumph despite the rejection she faced.
The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael is a great read for anyone looking to dig deeper into the legend, to find not a god, but a man with flaws like everyone else. A man whose flaws hurt the people who loved him most.
In The Sportscaster's Daughter, a moving memoir by Cindi Michael, the daughter of legendary sportscaster George Michael.
Anyone looking at Cindi would see a person with a charmed life, a loving husband, beautiful children and a successful career.
She seems to have it all yet she still longs for the love of her estranged father, having been abruptly ousted when she began to show independence and refused to bend to his controlling demands.
Still, throughout her twenties she longs to find out how did things go so wrong? How did her father turn from the man who fought for sole custody of her and her siblings, saving them from a neglectful home to one who would become verbally and emotionally abusive gaslight her at every turn.
Despite it all Cindi still remained hopeful of a reconciliation, all the way up to George Michael's death and the shocking realization that she had been written out of his obituary.
The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael is a tale of forgiveness and self acceptance.
I'm not an avid sports listener by any means so I feel that I was able to dive into The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael without any preconceived notions of the man who for a time was such a dominant figure in her life.
While that lack of knowledge was a boon as I was able to fully grasp the scope of Michael's story and see how much the need to please and prove herself affected many decisions in the life, I also felt that a lot of the emotional impact in this memoir was predicated on knowing at least a little about George Michael himself.
Still, I found myself rooting for Cindi at every turn, hoping that she would find the stability and love she so desired, to find her own triumph despite the rejection she faced.
The Sportscaster's Daughter by Cindi Michael is a great read for anyone looking to dig deeper into the legend, to find not a god, but a man with flaws like everyone else. A man whose flaws hurt the people who loved him most.
January 27, 2018
An honest, compelling memoir, Michael writes from the soul to make sense of her life as the sportscaster's daughter.
October 10, 2016
full review soon
October 28, 2016
I tore into the four books included with Part Two of the Magic of Memoir Blog Book Tour, and then came back to reading this one. The Sportscaster's Daughter is written by Cindi Michael and it's a story I never would have known about, had I not had the opportunity to join this blog tour!
As I have said on many occasions throughout life, there are always two sides to every story because peoples' perceptions of things are never the same. In The Sportscaster's Daughter, we hear Cindi Michael's sharing of her life experiences and how they affected her as it pertains to her father, George Michael, who was a sportscaster on a show called the Sports Machine. I'm not saying she's wrong or anything, I'm just saying that there are always two sides. That's all. As I read this book, I really would have liked to hear the father's version of what transpired as well, to paint a full picture of all of these events.
Cindi's father divorced her mother when Cindi was eleven, and he fought and received sole custody of Cindi and her siblings. Despite being a bachelor, and a DJ in New York in the 1970s, George was raising three children on his own. His fame began to rise as the host of the popular show Sports Machine, his work schedule ever increased, and he remarried. All of these things began to take a toll on the close relationship he shared with Cindi.
CIndi tried to do everything she could to gain back her father's love and attention, but it seemed that nothing she could do was good enough for her father. When she was 18 and a freshman at college, her father threw her out of the family home and inexplicably told her never to come home again.
The Sportscaster's Daughter is a story of Cindi's strength and faith, and it is also a story of forgiveness. In case we don't already know, Cindi reminds us that living "real life" can be hard sometimes, and it is often complicated. The "happily ever after" that fiction stories often allow doesn't always happen in the real world. Cindi's story itself was very well written, and many of us growing up in our own dysfunctional families might be able to relate to some of her story. I admire her for bringing her feelings to paper so that she could let them go and go on with her life growing and healing.
I received a complimentary paperback copy of this book from BookSpark and the publisher as part of the #MagicofMemoir Tour!
As I have said on many occasions throughout life, there are always two sides to every story because peoples' perceptions of things are never the same. In The Sportscaster's Daughter, we hear Cindi Michael's sharing of her life experiences and how they affected her as it pertains to her father, George Michael, who was a sportscaster on a show called the Sports Machine. I'm not saying she's wrong or anything, I'm just saying that there are always two sides. That's all. As I read this book, I really would have liked to hear the father's version of what transpired as well, to paint a full picture of all of these events.
Cindi's father divorced her mother when Cindi was eleven, and he fought and received sole custody of Cindi and her siblings. Despite being a bachelor, and a DJ in New York in the 1970s, George was raising three children on his own. His fame began to rise as the host of the popular show Sports Machine, his work schedule ever increased, and he remarried. All of these things began to take a toll on the close relationship he shared with Cindi.
CIndi tried to do everything she could to gain back her father's love and attention, but it seemed that nothing she could do was good enough for her father. When she was 18 and a freshman at college, her father threw her out of the family home and inexplicably told her never to come home again.
The Sportscaster's Daughter is a story of Cindi's strength and faith, and it is also a story of forgiveness. In case we don't already know, Cindi reminds us that living "real life" can be hard sometimes, and it is often complicated. The "happily ever after" that fiction stories often allow doesn't always happen in the real world. Cindi's story itself was very well written, and many of us growing up in our own dysfunctional families might be able to relate to some of her story. I admire her for bringing her feelings to paper so that she could let them go and go on with her life growing and healing.
I received a complimentary paperback copy of this book from BookSpark and the publisher as part of the #MagicofMemoir Tour!
February 14, 2017
In "The Sportscaster's Daughter," Cindi Michael, daughter of legendary DJ and sportscaster George Michael, relates the story of her troubled life. After her parents' break-up in the 1970s, George gains custody of Cindi and her siblings, balancing fatherhood with his busy career. Although Cindi views him as her protector, his temper, increasing job pressures, and a new wife conspire to alienate him from the children (or at least from Cindi). Cindi makes her way through early love affairs (including one with her high-school vice principal), college, an abusive marriage, and other calamities before her father finally cuts her out completely a few years before his death. She goes on to build her own family.
Although the writing seems earnest and George's outbursts sound plausible (and horrifying), this book raises a lot of questions that Michael either can't or doesn't answer. When someone's parents and siblings cut them off completely, you have to wonder if there's not another side to the story that you're not reading. Sometimes this book reads more like a glossing over of bad behavior than a full accounting. As a result, the reader doesn't get the sense that Cindi actually grows or learns anything along the way.
Those looking for a revealing account of George Michael will find some scandalous stories of his alleged violence and abuse, as well as a detached and cold attitude toward his daughter. But, Cindi sheds little light on why her father might have acted this way.
(Received a review copy via NetGalley.)
Although the writing seems earnest and George's outbursts sound plausible (and horrifying), this book raises a lot of questions that Michael either can't or doesn't answer. When someone's parents and siblings cut them off completely, you have to wonder if there's not another side to the story that you're not reading. Sometimes this book reads more like a glossing over of bad behavior than a full accounting. As a result, the reader doesn't get the sense that Cindi actually grows or learns anything along the way.
Those looking for a revealing account of George Michael will find some scandalous stories of his alleged violence and abuse, as well as a detached and cold attitude toward his daughter. But, Cindi sheds little light on why her father might have acted this way.
(Received a review copy via NetGalley.)
January 12, 2026
This is a very powerful and brutally honest autobiography of a daughter Cindi Michael who grew up with a famous father, sportscaster George Michael. Parts of this book were hard to read and believe.
When I hosted a book club, my friends and I had lunch with her.
When I hosted a book club, my friends and I had lunch with her.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews