A Sick Life: TLC 'n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage

by Tionne Watkins

Hailed by Rolling Stone as "the most effervescent and soulful girl group anyone has seen since the Supremes," five-time Grammy Award winning supergroup TLC has seen phenomenal fame and success. But backstage, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins has lived a dual life. In addition to the balancing act of juggling an all-consuming music career and her family, Tionne has struggled with sickle-cell anemia since she was a young girl--a debilitating and incurable disease that can render her unable to perform, walk, or even breathe.

A Sick Life chronicles Tionne's journey from a childhood spent in and out of the hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, and was told she wouldn't live to see 30 to the superstar musician who is still living out her life's dream of performing. For the first time, Tionne will tell her full life story--the diagnosis, the tumultuous rise to fame, the life in the spotlight, and the hard-fought advocacy work. Through Tionne's tough, funny, tell-it-like-it-is voice, you'll see how the extraordinary singer and advocate found the inner strength, grit, and determination to live her dream--despite her often unpredictable and demanding health issues. She dives deep into never-before-told TLC stories, including accounts of her friendship with Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez and the tragedy of her death. Tionne's unvarnished discussion of her disease, unending strength, and ability to power through the odds is a story like no other.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Music, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

Audiobook

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Tionne Watkins, better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer, songwriter, model, dancer, actress, author, and executive producer. Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as the lead singer of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC. Watkins went public with her struggle with sickle cell anemia in 1996 and later became one of the spokespersons for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had "Waterfalls" stuck in my head all day.

TLC is the highest selling group in history and Tionne "T-Boz"Watkins is (I believe) the heart and soul of the group. This book had me rolling with laughter at times and feeling sad at other times. Man, I really miss Left Eye. I still remember where I was when I heard Left Eye was gone. It felt so awful. We had just lost Aaliyah 8 months before not to mention 9/11was 7 months earlier. It was a rough time.

T-Boz is blunt and real. She is the truth. She tells it like it is and is not afraid to name names(Aretha!). I could here her voice so strong that at times it felt like I was listening to an audiobook and not actually reading it. T-Boz is so strong, stronger than I could ever be. T-Boz is not only a mother of two/ singer/songwriter/ dancer but she is also battling a life long battle with Sickle-Cell disease. Sickle-Cell is a debilitating and incurable blood disorder, that mostly effects African Americans. It can render you unable to walk or even breathe. T-Boz managed to become a music superstar anyway. Most people with Sickle-Cell don't live past 40. This disease took one of my favorite cousins when he was only 29. T-Boz has spent the last 20 years bringing awareness to this disease and even if TLC never makes another song or album I think T-Boz has left an important legacy.

A Sick Life isn't just a celebrity memoir its a deeply important medical memoir.

Why am I only giving this 4 stars?

Because I'm shallow and love gossip. T-Boz didn't write a dishy tell all. She barely even mentions Chilli(???) and I would have liked to hear more about her marriage and divorce from Mack 10. The streets have been talking for years and I've heard some juicy stories but she skips right past it.

I recommend A Sick Life to of course TLC fans, 90's R&B lovers, and people who want to learn more about Sickle- Cell.

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for real behind the scenes information, you will surely be disappointed. This book was a carefully crafted PR move to control the narrative of her celebrity. She was tired of being defined by TLC and the gossip rags, so this book was to tell you want she wants to know about her.
Except Tionne didn’t reveal anything worth hearing other than how Left Eye got her mark where she wore the black paint like a football player.

This audiobook was so boring and lacking anything I haven’t heard from magazines and reading.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir. I listened to this book on my library hoopla account. The book, narrated by T-Boz herself included music from TLC as well as solo music from the artist herself. The book reads like a street lit bestseller. To read more of this review and to see an exclusive video of T-Boz talking about her book on KTLA 5 click here.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in the minority when I say that I did not grow up listening to TLC. Granted that I am familiar with the majority of their songs, not many songs I am familiar with. There are only some songs that I know such as No Scrubs, Waterfalls,Unpretty and many of their hit songs. However, I know that there are one of the best selling female groups of all time, having sold over 10 million or more copies in the United states and twice or more overseas. My expectations reading this book was to know more about Tionne, and her battle with sickle cell.

Honestly even after she described what it was, I am still unaware what that all means. Besides her describing the symptoms, I still have to know more about it as it relates to her health. This book was mainly about her life growing up, her life with TLC and how she does not allow her sickness to deter her path in life.

It was a very satisfying read, one of the better memoirs I read in awhile.

[Angela M. Artis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm SO GLAD I didn't base my decision to read A Sick Life: TLC 'n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage by reviews I read. I highly recommend listening and/or reading Tionne Watkins book. I knew she battled sickle-cell, but never knew the depths of her struggles. During the course of her sharing, she most definitely knows how to entertain, inspire, uplift, and will wow you with her story

[Leslyn Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love It. I can relate to being in the hospital. It was touching.

I love it. I can relate to being in the hospital. I have Scoliosis and Raynauds' syndrome and pain knows pain. It was touching

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine. I'd probably have liked it more if I read it to learn more about TLC and her general life, but I was hoping for more about her struggles with her chronic illness, sickle cell disease. It's there, but she really focuses on the major health crises she had and not how she had to manage it. I was hoping for a more relatable story. While she says that she is sharing her story so that other people can see that they can overcome illness, really, she just feeds that narrative of pushing through as a solution. She even claims that a cousin who had it believed he was a sick person and implies, this is what caused his sickle cell anemia to kill him. I get that we all cope with our chronic illnesses differently, I had just hoped for a more nuanced picture of her life with chronic illness. I suspect it was more challenging than a few days of hiding in bed to not let others see her pain.

I listened to the audiobook, which she reads, and there's two songs in it - something that might be of note for those who really liked TLC and T-Boz's music.

[Rhina M. Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is a warrior! The fact that she performed with Sickle Cell and has battled so many challenges is just amazing. She was so brutally honest in her reflections. Although this was her bio she gave so much insight into other artists she encountered over her life including Suge Knight, Aretha Franklin, Pebbles, Puff Daddy, and of course Left Eye. She talked about her beginnings, personal relationships, grief, motherhood, and a different career path. She never gave up.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always loved TLC since I was a child getting my big brother to call and request their videos to play on The Box channel (I’m showing my age 😂, anybody else remember The Music Box/The Box?). Their first album was the first cassette tape I owned and I still remember the Fanmail tour stop in MSG as one of my favorite concerts. I even bought T-Boz’s book of poetry when it came out. “Unpretty” helped get me through high school and build my self-confidence. I say all of this to say that reading this book was inevitable.

There was a lot of information and stories I already knew given my familiarity with TLC and their music over the years. Yet, I enjoyed the funny and gut-wrenching stories I wasn’t aware of. It was great to get more background information behind songs and albums and also into Tionne’s life battling sickle cell and a hot temper. However, I wish certain aspects of the book were flushed out more. She shared a lot of intricate details as far as TLC was concerned but when it came to her personal life outside of her sickness I felt like a lot of it was superficial rather than meaty. I wish she shared more of her story and focused a bit less on TLC and Left Eye’s stories. Overall, I still really liked the book, especially as an audiobook where I could hear her read it. I also liked the audiobook’s musical elements. This book definitely made me want to rock out to some of my favorite TLC songs.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the audiobook version, read by T-Boz herself. A very honest and entertaining memoir.

[K2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be bias......She my fav....lol

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the personal memoir of Tionne Watkins, also known as T-Boz, and one third of the band TLC. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1970. This book details her entrance into the music industry and her rise to fame. Obviously, there are details about her music career, which were really entertaining. She got into quite a bit of shenanagins, which she didn't really seem to have consequences about...at least not any consequences like I would have imagined. She really went through a lot of stuff in the course of this book.

This book is currently available on Audible Plus to listen to for free. The book was about five hours to listen to. It was entertaining enough, and I enjoyed it. I learned a great deal about sickle cell, which the author suffers from. The stuff that I knew about this illness was next to nothing, so this book was an amazing educational tool for me. I liked the inside look at the music career. I liked a lot of TLC songs, and was shocked when Lisa died. It was neat to learn more about the band. If you are a TLC fan, you should check this book out.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first parental advisory CD I was ever allowed to purchase was TLC's "Fanmail" and that album was FIRE. "No Scrubs" was my jam and even though I came late to loving TLC, I was definitely a fan. I was even excited to see them open for New Kids on the Block a few years ago. That being said, I never knew much about the pop group, I knew that one of them died and one of them sometimes got sick but that was about it. "A Sick Life" goes into T-Boz's story about her childhood, her battle with Sickle Cell, the formation of TLC, and her children. It was all pretty inspiring and fascinating and it helped that the audiobook was narrated by T-Boz herself. I definitely gained a new appreciation for TLC's music, this was a nice blast to the past and a must read (or listen) for all 90's kids.

[Orsayor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of TLC but not a big fan of this book. Tionne has survived the odds and has overcome some major hurdles in her life, but I still wasn't able to fully connect to this book.

I even tried listening to the audiobook but that ended up boring me to tears. Tionne's monotone voice made the story drag so much that I had to continue reading the book on my Kindle.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational book by the member of one of my favorite groups... TLC monikers of Waterfalls, Scrubs ,Unpretty. Watkins writes of her struggle with sickle cell anemia and how she did things that were impossible. It was a very comforting and inspirational book to read.

[Toyin Oshinowo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me life!! As someone who has Sickle Cell I love the fact that T-Boz was totally blunt and honest about her experience with the disorder. I also appreciated the fact that that was only part of her story which was and is colourful and full of determination and humour.

Well done!!

[Cheryl Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved TLC and in particular, loved the voice of Watkins. I felt as if I knew her personally and I would not learn anything new. Yes, I knew of her early diagnosis of Sickle Cell but boy she took me as a reader and a fan on a journey. It was wonderful learning more about someone who I thought I already knew and loved.

I can know better understand her statement that “she ain’t got time to die…she wants to live.” The early diagnosis of sickle cell and arthritis left her and her mother with a grim future. Hospitalization after hospitalization in Iowa with no definitive diagnosis. Blown veins and special treats upon discharge and after visits. Medical personnel being fired for mistreating a child. A physician shared, after years of not knowing what she had, that she wouldn’t live past 30, would never be a mom and some other “nots.” Her mother stated to her that “God would have the last say.” How refreshing was that for a seven year old child with a dream to be a star!

With many hospitalizations, others giving up and her keeping her faith, she’s not just alive, but thriving, living a life past 30 and has had the pleasure to experience motherhood.

This memoir took me back to the many instances when African Americans have attempted to trust the medical establishment only to have their hearts broken (I.e. Tuskegee airmen, Henrietta Lacks, etc). I worked with a youth in Dallas, Texas who suffered with sickle cell anemia. He often talked about feeling like a pin cushion from the probing and injections while at the same time mother receiving mail from the school about truancy. I ached for him….I ached for Watkins but held her and her mom in high esteem.

Thank you to her mom for knowing the importance for encouraging Watkins to dream. Thank you to her mom for saying “God has the last say!”

Thank you Watkins for pulling back the curtains and letting the reader see you…your vulnerability, the up and down of the industry and your can do and will do nature. What a tribute and testimony that all sickness is not unto death.

What a tribute and testimony to her children when answers don’t come quickly. What a testament to the continued existence of medical research, a commitment to caring and to never giving up and looking to that North Star. I am forever impressed with the professional and personal relationship of TLC and their commitment to one another. I loved her reminding me of the individuality of each member of the group, the sharks that prey and the music icons that stay. She has been known to say that money is not the most important thing…time is what it’s all about. She got that right. Give me the baggy pants, Chasing Waterfalls and the exemplifying the positive self-worth. TLC’s influence is a mainstay. This memoir was palatable. Watkins illustrates so beautifully that fame comes with a heavy cost. It was so inspirational in nature.

[Shadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tionne has poured out her soul and put it all down in both print and audio for the world to get a glimpse of what it’s like to deal with both her meteoric rise to stardom while also trying to maintain herself and her family.



What I appreciate about her telling her story is that she really lays it all down for the reader to know what it means to have sickle cell. She makes it well known that there are varying types and a wide array of symptoms and things that can occur with sickle cell. I never knew how she was able to do what she did on stage all those years. I can see now and also relate to many of the things she’s had to go through.

What I enjoyed most about her story is that you get a real sense of how the people in her life played an integral role in supporting her, shaping her, and even growing her into the strong woman that she would eventually become. I also loved that she released this book during Sickle Cell Awareness month because that draws even more attention to this often widely neglected disease that affects so many people worldwide.

Some have criticized Tionne for the title of her book, but anyone who understands T-boz and music will understand that “A Sick Life” is not a negative view of Sickle Cell Disease but a play on words. As an artist in the industry, “sick” denotes something that is cool. T-boz didn’t have to say this but does, so that those she can have full clarity for those people. If you read the book, it won’t take long for you to figure this out. As a musician, I didn’t need the explanation, but can understand why it had to be made.

I think more than anything, I have a greater appreciation for her sharing her thoughts and feelings about the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, her children Chase and Chance, and even her mother. Sometimes you wonder how much of what you see and hear is real. Even when they developed the biopic, you never really know how much is the real story and how much is done for the sake of telling a story. Tionne Watkins gives you her perspective and lets you know what she was thinking, how each situation impacted her and what things pushed her buttons and what those things were that caused her to grow up and mature.

There may be a few surprises in the story that you do not know about her life that I won’t give away by writing about it here. You’ll just have to read it for yourself. However, I will say this. If you happen to get the audible version of this book, you’ll be able to hear her tell her story in her own voice, not an unknown narrator. It also comes with a couple of noteworthy tracks to emphasize some key moments in her life. So, if you haven’t had time to check this out yet, now’s as good a time as any to read about her “sick life”.

[LeeTravelGoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHE CONTINUES TO DEFY THE ODDS!!! This is Tionne’s story and honestly, the TLC story never gets old to me. They are legendary and I loved them in House Party 3 too!

Although I’ve seen their biopic and the Netflix show about them there were things that I did not know about T-Boz that I quite enjoyed learning in this memoir. I liked how she handled herself overall as a woman and how her illness never let her be less of a person— she wanted stardom and she received it. I love how she loved her family and how there were people in her life that protected her in various ways, I mean... it’s uncanny what she has witnessed and even been through.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I’m somewhat mad that I hadn’t read it sooner but everything has a time and place. Thanks so much T for sharing your story— I thoroughly enjoyed it 💚💚💚. It’s a Tops!

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear-cut, down-to-earth, smooth voice...like her TLC sound, and solid good pacing I really loved the fluency of Tionne telling her story. Reading about Sickle Cell was particularly eye-opening. Her view on medicine and physicians, on point. Loved her relationship with her mother, grandmother, and friends like Jessica; and actually the relationship between the R&B group TLC. More to the point, I respected the level-headedness of the telling of the overall story and the dual premise behind the title really hit it home, reigning in the many moving parts of this story. All around, well-told. Read it in a day! Highly Recommended!

[Syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if Chilli told her not to mention anything about her in this book? I feel like I learned waaaaay more about Lisa than T-boz and Chilli put together.

I liked how authentic and REAL T-boz was in the book and she didnt just show herself in a flattering light like most memoirs. We were able to see her true feelings and opinions on her career and the people around her. I also loved how she talked about the relationship she has with her Mother and Grandmother as well as her Daughter.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of TLC back in the day, so I was eager to get some behind-the-scenes scoop on the group, the music industry, and Watkins' health struggles. There were some interesting stories, but nothing really too exciting. Also, Watkins' portrays herself as a role model--someone who has dealt with many tragedies (deaths, near death experiences of her own, etc.). But there was one incident described where Watkins injures a woman so badly she is in the hospital for 2 months. It was hard for me to have any kind of respect for her after I read this. People will enjoy this if they like any kind of celeb memoir, but I was disappointed to hear some of the hurtful behavior she has perpetuated on others.

[HoneyButterfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a huge fan of TLC. This book brought back so many memories. It was very interesting and exciting to hear things first hand. I've been listening to TLC music for weeks since I started this book. T-Boz incorporated information about her disease, personal life and group. It was funny and sad, but really good.

[Tiffany Spencer]

A Sick Life: TLC N Me
The book starts out talking about something that’s all to familiar to relate to “a life long disease that you have to manage every single day.” T-Boz describes it as a “learning process” and asks what can your body handle and what’s the breaking point. “You figure out what works and what doesn’t, and then you move forward from there. And you’re always trying to figure out more because your body changes over time. You’d think I’d have it all figured out by now. But, if I’m telling the truth, its INCREDIBLY HARD to live with this disease. (1).

While, I don’t have sickle cell, I have had Stage 1 diabetes since I was 12 years old. And not just *any* diabetes where you can just take insulin or the pills and it stays stable. No, I was given the hardest form to manage-brittle diabetes-. That’s the kind were the numbers constantly fluxuate from extremely low to ridiculously high no matter what you do or don’t eat or drink. So, you constantly have to experiment with how much insulin you take daily. It might change monthly. It’s TIRING! In the morning you might not have had anything to eat for HOURS and it’ll be in the 200’s when you check it in the morning. In the afternoon it might be in the normal range and then by dinner it’ll be in the 300’s (for no reason without you having put a single sweet tasting or carb rich thing in your body). It’s almost damn near impossible to control.

T-Boz talked about how a crisis can happen. “A crisis can happen without any warning. Just, bam! You’re in the hospital again. If you go swimming, get on a plane, get caught in the rain, or experience a change in climate, you could fall ill. Even if I get really emotional or stressed out, a crisis can come on (1). It kinda reminded me of how quick a “high” can come on and “highs” can also be brought on from stress and anxiety. (And there are so many things around me that trigger this on a daily basis).

I’ve also spent a fair amount of time in a hospital with a condition that doctors just didn’t know what do with and experimented. “It can be especially scary because, as I’ve learned, a lot of doctors don’t know much about it. That’s true about most doctors when it comes to a lot of things, but they don’t want to admit it because it’s their job to know. Medicine is technically a science, but I’ve found much of it is actually just guesswork. They’ll stick a needle in you or give you a drug even if they’re not sure what it’s going to do. They treat the symptoms, not the cause (1)”
The condition I had -associated with the diabetes- was called “Gastro Peresis”. I’ve talked about it in another review (Shrink to Fit) and what it is simply is your body tends to not digest foods properly and your body gets full. So, if the food doesn’t go down. Yep, you guessed. I remember a doctor even suggesting I get put on a feeding tube-that’s how bad it was-. Thankfully like T-Boz I did find a doctor that actually knew of a pill that might just help me at a “compound shop”.

I had a doctor that I went to with an intense pain-that still happens occasially- that will happen when I bend to tie my shoe and it will be in my abdomen and cause the sensation of nausea and dizziness. Thankfully it only last a few second but I remember telling one of my doctors about it and he gave me something that had me so out of it. I thought so this is how people feel when they get high. I never took that medicine again. It was the same with a kidney medicine I took that made me sick. So, YES I can REALLY testify to doctor’s just experimenting and treating the symptoms.

“I was turned from a patient into a guinea pig, especially when I was young. Doctors gave me all sorts of conflicting drugs, and I’ve been given drugs that constipate me and then drugs that act as a laxative. They’ve given me drugs that have made me break out, throw up, scratch my skin uncontrollably, and hallucinate; some almost stopped my heart. They loaded me with really powerful painkillers, which has been a nightmare. It’s put my body through so much. Sometimes I feel like the medication has done more harm than good.” (1).

I could also relate to having “burnt out veins” from being poked and prodded so much they just don’t want to give blood anymore or accept IV’s. Fortunately, I haven’t had to go in my neck or my foot. (Although I do think one time I did have to go through the neck), But the spot I have to go to now is an extremely tender one. It’s in my knuckle. But you do what you have to do sometimes. I’d rather it hurt a few seconds than them having to stick me over and over when trying to get blood (and this monthly).

In a lot of ways after reading this tho I felt like even tho being diabetic has at times felt like HELL, that it can always be worse. T-Boz is a lot stronger than I could EVER be having to deal with crisis’s all the time, had brain surgery, tore her meniscus, got the Norwalk virus, and had an ear infection that required surgery.

As for TLC, this gave just a little more than we got in “CrazySexyCool” (the movie). It went more into the pranks they pulled while on the “Hammer Tour”. At first, I thought it was all just a lil immature for 20 year olds to knock on the door and throw water on people and run down the hall mooning people at random, but then when I thought about it (just a little bit) I thought I wish someone would be that bold to let my neighbors know how rude they can be sometimes with all the hoise. So, I gave them a pass.

It went into the issues with Pebbles. What you see in “CrazySexyCool” is pretty much what you get in “A Sick Life”. But we did get some extra information not included in the movie. We got that she was very jealous when it came to LA (which I already knew from reading somewhere else-I forgot where-) Then that she always wanted to have “girl talk sessions” and she always tried to “motivate” them by making them feel like they weren’t doing enough. But she told T-Boz she needed to go solo (3).

It gave us a slight bit more about her and Mr. Dalvin. I’ll say a very small percent like 5. Their relationship was kind of glossed through in the movie. Interestingly, it goes more into the craziness around past women in Dalvin’s life. One of which T-Boz beat so bad she damaged the ladies face and she had to be hospitalized (as well as cracked the bones in her hand). Then there was another one that started up some mess that almost lead to a shoot out between the TLC crew and Bobby Brown’s background dancers (3).
All very interesting to read but like the movie, I feel like it just barely scratched the surface. And once again, I GET IT. These are PEOPLE who have a right to what they do and don’t want to disclose to us. But I feel like I read more about Lisa and Andre’s relationship in Sister 2 Sister than T-Boz gives us about her and Dalvin in her own memoir. I wanna says there was one magazine dedicated to her as well. I’ll have to see if she does go more in depth. But sometimes I wish if celebrities do decide to tell their stories they wouldn’t hold anything back. If your gonna put it out there, put it out there. If you don’t want to just don’t even include it in the book.

It also goes into the night she realized he wasn’t a good fit for her. After she gets out of the hospital, he goes out. That night a tornado hits and she asks herself why she’s with someone she’s not happy with and calls it off with him (7), I notice she didn’t talk about the “Love U 4 Life” video but she talked about a video she did with D mon with a “Bonnie and Clyde” theme. I guess Bey and Jay weren’t the first.

What we also saw (in the book) but didn’t get to see (in the movie) was the added details of how Lisa liked to get butt naked (well guess they couldn’t really show us *that* in the movie) and how T-Boz tended to like to wild out (8). There were also some little things that were interesting to know like why Lisa wore the dark mark under her eye (Started off as a band-aide after one of Bobby Brown’s dangers popped her in her left eye), how Creep started out as a solo-song about one of T-Boz’s ex boyfriends (5), and how the Waterfall routine was created minutes before the filming (5)

There was one thing in this book that I tried to find out more about but there was just nothing online. “I tried to stay positive. It was a crazy week, but maybe it could get better. I had done a job with Disney, and one morning I walked into the lobby of the Four Seasons to find a massive box of every single stuffed-animal dog from 101 Dalmatians. It was as long as a car. It came up to my head. It was sitting there waiting for me, the two parents and all their puppies in a box, which was printed with black and white spots and tied with a red bow. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. It was definitely the biggest gift I’d ever been given. I thought, “Things are looking up (5) I really wanted to know what she did for Disney but there was no reference of it.

Then I was also interested in reading “Thoughts”. This is the book that inspired the song “Unpretty”. I thought about all the women who feel like they aren’t good enough. All the women who feel too skinny or too fat, too tall or too short, or who feel unattractive in any way. I thought about how we all have something in common. We’ve all felt unpretty and not good enough to fit into society at some point. It’s not only women, but men, too. It can be about our clothes or our appearance. We get bullied or teased in school, and everyone has some kind of complex about their looks. (7) Even tho it’s a book of poems and I don’t read too many of thoughts it struck my interest. If I can’t get it in (to read) in these last days of the year, ill try to get to it next year.

The most touching part by far was the last chapter and the adoption of Chance. ““Remember the baby you were going to adopt?” she said. “His mother is pregnant again and wants you to have this baby.” Although I thought it was kind of messed up that the birth parents kept the first baby and gave the second one away to be adopted. Now even tho he’ll have a good mother a part of him is gonna wonder when he’s older why they kept his sibling but gave him away. Like why wasn’t I good enough to keep. But I think this touched me because if life was different for me I might have adopted. I’ve always had this thought about giving to someone something I was rarely given and its just been my head a lot over the past few years.

Rating: 8 So, I enjoyed “A Sick Life”. It was relatable and interesting.

[Book Reviews by Tara aka Queen of Memoirs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about the legendary girl group TLC, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins delivers this satisfying memoir that adds even more dimension to their already well known story.

In A Sick Life TLC ‘n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage, Tionne walks the reader carefully through some the most memorable moments of her life. Page after page she produces personal, emotional and sometimes funny, behind the scene stories that are sure to keep your interest from the first page to the last.

In this memoir Tionne’s vulnerability and candor are very inviting. Especially in key moments such as when she describes the highs and lows of the relationship she shared with her beloved friend and sister in music, the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.

Holding nothing back, Tionne reveals which music mogul she almost came to blows with over the song, “If I Was Your Girlfriend”. She also exposes the living legend that demanded to have her podium moved to the other side of the room so that the legend would not have to stand next to T-Boz at an awards ceremony. Tionne tells the story behind why Left Eye started wearing the black line under her left eye, (and you wouldn’t believe which R & B singer played a major role in that story). Some other stories includes, her time on Celebrity Apprentice, the making of the movie ATL, and many others.

As for her romantic relationships, Tionne does touch on the relationship she shared with Dalvin from Jodice. She also, writes about her marriage to Mack 10. However, there was hardly any discussion of their divorce. When she got to that portion of her story Tionne simply states, “Things got really messy. I think what happened between the two of us should remain behind close doors.” Now, while the woman in me totally respects this statement, the avid reader in me was left unsatisfied.

A Sick Life is not just a book about behind the scene stories of TLC. It is also a touching story that shows the powerful bond between mothers and daughters. Throughout the book Tionne continuously credits both her mother and her daughter for giving her the motivation and strength to fight through each sickle cell crisis.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Each story moved at a fast pace. What I enjoyed most was reading stories that I had never heard before. If you like TLC, you may wanna check this book out.

[Z'Andrea Va'Shonti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved hearing her story from her point of view! TLC is a timeless classic

[david basnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, but it was really depressing- her struggle and her strength is what gets you through this book, but I found myself saying I’m not going to cry, I had a girlfriend who had sickle cell and was carrying our child they both died of complications and this story just bought back all the memories I thought I suppressed 😔

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tionne is an amazingly strong woman, and I admire her courage in sharing this story. It’s apparent throughout these pages that she’s a very private person though and she doesn’t divulge as much as readers might be hoping for.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fangirled TLC for more than 20 years, and I'm not a 90s music proponent. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Rfozonda "Chilli" Thomas and the late Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez brought visual as well as musical trends to the party; with their fashion pops of color; contrasting flow of loose/casual comfort and body-conscious streamlining. Furthermore, they each stood out as individuals; anyone who was anyone back in the day knows exactly to which respective members *CrazySexyCool* (the title of their smash second album) refers.

But it was the ladies' faces that always grabbed my attention; Left-Eye's poetic defiance; Chilli's sensual warmth tinged with the verge of laughter; and T-Boz' cool mystery. Especially after *CrazySexyCool* dropped, with its iconic "Waterfalls" (Left-Eye's favorite cut of all time, and probably not far from same with her bandmates), I imagined what a sit-down with the ladies of TLC would be like. What would they say outside the realm of song and hip-hop, and how would they say it? Now, with T-Boz' memoir, we have a poundcake slice's worth of answer. And you can't make this stuff up.

The highs, lows, heartaches and physical hardships are all underscored by T-Boz' lifelong companion: sickle cell disease. We learn a great deal about living with and battling this condition. It's unpredictable (though there are stressors to avoid in order to mitigate its attacks somewhat), excruciatingly painful, and somehow also shows T-Boz how blessed life can be. She shows us the same in turn.

T-Boz' "cool" rep is not for nothing. She takes the reader along the mountains and valleys of the performer (salad days and growth; business negotiations; creative processes and artistry; professional and personal battles) yet lets you know where she will draw the curtain at times. Her life is fueled by faith, family, friends and a rich desire to help develop ways and means to fund sickle cell care. If T-Boz is in your corner, you're way good; if not, trust me, you did something to deserve that. All along the way she is true to her heart; protective of loved ones; and consistent in her strength of heart.

She has faced many internal battles because of her illness. She has waged quite a few external battles as well but the strongest battles are the ones she chooses to put aside and evaluate, such as her public diss by Aretha Franklin on national television. Would I still like to sit down with her and Chilli over dinner? You bet. I'm just going to shut up and let them do the talking.