The Mommie Dearest Collection: Two Memoirs of Survival

by Christina Crawford

Together in one volume for the first The harrowing #1 New York Times bestseller with a new preface, and its triumphant sequel.
 
This volume includes two memoirs by Christina Crawford, recounting the abuse she endured as a child and her journey to recovery as an adult.
 
Mommie Dearest : An unprecedented memoir of child abuse, Mommie Dearest also chipped away at the façade of Christina Crawford’s alcoholic her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford. What transpired between a seemingly fortunate child of Hollywood and a controlling and desperate woman was an escalating nightmare and, for Christina, a fierce struggle for independence. This ebook features an exclusive new preface by the author, plus rare photographs from her personal collection and a revealing one hundred pages of material not found in the original manuscript.
 
“A horror story that goes beyond showbiz scandal-mongering . . . Delivers an unexpected charge.” — The New York Times
 
“Probably the most chilling account of a mother-daughter relationship ever to be put on paper.” — Los Angeles Times
 
Survivor : Mommie Dearest cast a spotlight on the unspoken horrors of family violence, but the years following its publication tested Christina Crawford’s resilience in unexpected a backlash intended to shame her, a film adaptation that compounded the trauma, alcoholism, divorce, and a stroke that left her paralyzed. Staying true to her fighting spirit, the author made a remarkable comeback. Survivor is more than a memoir of triumph over tragedy. For anyone who has suffered challenging despair, it is a spiritual roadmap to recovery, finding peace, and celebrating a fulfilling life.
 
“One closes this fine, moving read with great respect for Christina Crawford.” — Kirkus Reviews
 

858 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2017

About the author

Christina Crawford (born June 11, 1939) is an American writer and actress, best known as the author of Mommie Dearest, an autobiographical account of alleged child abuse by her adoptive mother, famous Hollywood actress Joan Crawford. She is also known for small roles in various television and film projects, such as Joan Borman Kane in the soap opera The Secret Storm and Monica George in the Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

I remember as a young girl seeing the classic “Mommie Dearest” movie—the infamous “Wire Hangers” scene became a running joke between myself and my mother (she didn’t like wire hangers either).

But… something about this story stayed with me. Deep underneath it was the scene right after where Christina needed to clean the bathroom because it was so awful that haunted me. So one random evening while visiting my favorite weird city of Baltimore, I stopped in a little shop, and found this book staring at me. I needed something to read, and of the stack of books in that corner of the store, this just seemed like something I wanted to sit on the inner harbor reading while enjoying the happy weirdness of Baltimore…

Most of the early parts of this book are well covered in the movie, but with a lot more details. Like anything the book has so much more depth than the movie, and I found myself as I was reading it, wanting to simply give Christina a hug.

This book is honest in that it is told deeply entrenched in the memories and moments that these incidents occurred. For instance the infamous wire hanger incident is told in the voice of a young Christina, but somehow also excellently and subtly shaded with the adult realizations that only come with looking back on it much later. The movie, I feel, didn’t quite get that quite right.

Though, it’s also worth saying, the book took a negative turn for me once Christina found herself on her own. It almost feels like this entire period is just chapter after chapter of whining. But I’ll add honestly that this is my adult self looking back at early adulthood when one is between that parent-dependent and self-independent stages. But the whole period just made me want to scream into the book “yeah, that’s how it is for EVERYONE…” while also thinking “don’t trust your Mom, don’t you know that?”

However, part of what roused that anger is the excellent story-telling in the book. Without it I wouldn’t have felt as I did.

In the end if you’re a memoir lover, if you like stories of working to overcome and/or conquering one’s childhood demons, or even tales about what hides behind the smiles and flashbulbs of ‘perfect family’ this is totally worth the investment to read.

[Glamma]

Survival

I found the second book in the collection to be a slow read. I’ve been wanting to see the Mommie Dearest movie for sometime, but I can honestly say I am no longer interested in the movie. Thank you for sharing your story Christina, and for being a voice for children when the can not speak for themselves

[Tina Cefaratti]

Riveting !

Amazeing memory Christina has. Very fast reading, hard to put this book down. I wouldn't trade places with her for a second second !

[Traceylee]

Why

I read both these books before I just wanted to get the box set of this. I thought it would be nice.