Survivor: A Memoir

Mommie Dearest #2

by Christina Crawford

Beyond Mommie Dearest—the inspiring and shattering sequel to the groundbreaking #1 New York Times bestseller.At publication the world as I knew it blew up in my face.   Christina Crawford’s Mommie Dearest cast a spotlight on the unspoken horrors of family violence and exorcised the demons of her childhood. But in the years following the controversial bestseller’s publication, the author’s resilience was tested in ways she never expected.   Crawford was forced to brave a stunning backlash intended to shame her, a film adaptation that bastardized her story and compounded the trauma, a descent into alcoholism, a divorce that ruined her financially, and a massive stroke that left her paralyzed. Staying true to her fighting spirit, she made a remarkable comeback.  More than a personal memoir of triumph over tragedy, Survivor—now with a new preface for its 30th anniversary—is an enlightening spiritual roadmap to recovery for anyone who has suffered the ordeals of physical and emotional abuse, devastating illness, or seemingly insurmountable despair. Crawford’s story is not just about the will to survive; it is about the unparalleled joy of coming out on the other side, finding calm, and celebrating a fulfilling life.   “The author of Mommie Dearest . . . hits her stride with this strong account of her simultaneous tragedies. . . . One closes this fine, moving read with great respect for Christina Crawford.” —Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Memoir

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 1988

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

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite long sections committed to stroke recovery (some of which might be helpful to someone who's undergoing that and which may be the only good to have come of the book), this cannot be recommended. Crawford is a perpetual victim here, continuously assigning blame to the entire free world for her multitudinous problems, most of which are probably karmic. She says it herself: Her mother died in May, she quit her job in May and started writing the reputation-smashing Mommie Dearest within several more weeks. Her mother wasn't cold a month and a half before she set out to crush her legend forever. (This is only if you believe, which I do not, that she wrote the book after Joan's death. Joan knew in 1976, a year before her own death, that Christina was writing the book. When Tina was cut out of the will, she went back and embellished it with more and more horror stories.) Anyway, this book is all about pinning the blame for her stroke, her financial woes, the movie version of the book and countless other travails onto anyone and everyone she can think of. She NEVER DOES ANY WRONG. The entitled, spoiled, insensitive (except when it comes to herself) child that Joan made the mistake of adopting & raising lives on in adult form, continually moaning about things that she mostly brought on herself. Then there's the finale... an bunch of mystic, shaman-esque gobbledegook that adds just another layer to her annoyingness. Do yourself a favor and skip it! I wish I had.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sequel to the ground-breaking and shocking Mommie Dearest, Christina Crawford dissects her first book and the public outcry that it caused; the subsequent movie adaptation of that book; her debilitating stroke and struggle for recovery and the breakup of her marriage. Mommie Dearest was the first celebrity "tell-all" book, and garnered quite a lot of attention - both positive and negative - for Christina Crawford.

I have to say that while I truly admire Christina's fervor to bring to light the until that time unspoken horror of child abuse, I found her sequel to be somewhat self-obsessed and too wrapped up in placing blame for all her present problems at her mother's feet. I understand that many adult child abuse survivors must overcome many obstacles to become productive citizens of the world, but surely, just because a person has been horribly abused as a child doesn't mean that everything that they have ever experienced or will potentially experience during their lifetimes can always be traced back to how they were raised?

Joan Crawford quite possibly shouldn't have been a mother, both because of her personal problems or her psychological state, but is she entirely to blame for the breakup of her daughter's marriage? I just found it so sad that Joan Crawford's surviving children have a non-existent relationship with each other. I give this book a B!

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite taken with Mommie Dearest. This was disappointing. Too much of the I-I-I-I-I.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. What a life and yes she is a survivor.

[Stephanie Thoma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen the film "Mommie Dearest" years ago as a child, and will admit my memory of it centers upon the infamous line, "no more wire hangers!" and a demonic mother figure. I chalked-it-up to an account of a famous vain villain. Reading "Survivor" let me know that the intended goal of the book turned film (Mommie Dearest) was meant to shed light on, and begin a conversation about child abuse, but how the Hollywood film fell flat, missing the mark, instead focusing on sensationalized facets of the story.

What I took away from this read is a sense of empathy for Crawford. She grew up given a second chance at life, to find herself disowned by 2 mothers in her lifetime, flesh and adoptive. I can appreciate her insight into how growing up with wealth without having her fundamental needs met skewed her view of the world. She wrote about experiencing the aftermath of a stroke, and how her husband was there for her, but it ultimately derailed her marriage, needing to be fed and clothed, etc. reverting to an infantile-like state. I was surprised to read a candid account of her re-learning her sexuality, and how a one-night-stand with a previous lover after her divorce helped her to reunite with the womanly side of herself that had been distorted through recovery. The conclusion of the book is spiritually-focused, and feels like a journal entry, it's so personal and abstract. Overall, it was a unique read, to get a behind-the-scenes depiction of a life that has a very different facade upon first glance.

[Suzie Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. My heart aches for Christina and all she had to endure. It amazes me that people are quick to discredit her because she was the daughter of a famous movie star. There are others in Hollywood who saw Joan’s abuse yet people who read the book don’t want Joan’s name tarnished regardless of how cruel she was to her children. I believe every word Christina wrote. While Joan may have been a top notch actress, she definitely was not mother material. Kudos to Christina for sharing her story! It took a lot of guts! She hasn’t done it to out Joan Crawford but to help those who are suffering or have suffered abuse and even better, prevent some of it! I believe it was therapy for her too! I definitely recommend both, Mommie Dearest and Survivor!

[~*Trema*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too scattered. It is very disorganized. the timeline is all over the place and she tends to ramble on in some form of botched up poetry. Whole chapters seemed to be like listening to a drunkard talking. I did agree with a very few of her concepts on accepting and forgiving. Other than that, it wasn't my type of read.

[Josh Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christina was a real survivor.. she never had a career as an actress but she is a fine writer and an advocate for children across our nation! It was of great comfort reading her spiritual story and how she was able to fight back her stroke..

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am only giving this 2 stars because it is something I read many years ago and don't quite remember it so I am going to consider it a re-read someday.

[Jee Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I enjoyed both Mommie Dearest and this one.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This read like a first draft. It was all over the place. The metaphysical stuff was downright stream-of-consciousness.

After reading "Mommie Dearest", I was hoping for a book that went into her feelings about the movie (the book jacket hints a 're-traumatization'), and just as she gets into that - the stress, the panic attacks, feeling she has to defend herself, the PTSD, the story changes completely. We jump to her stroke.

Her stroke and recovery are nothing short of remarkable, and I hesitate to criticize the path she took to that recovery. Her descriptions of it however went from narrative form to therapeutic journalling style - it was very different stylistically.

To be honest, I found myself skimming over the last 20% of the book. The shamanistic/metaphysical stuff was a bit too much for me. Too personal, too journalesque, too stream-of-conciousness. I didn't want to go on the journey with her, I wanted to read how she survived.

This one wasn't for me, at all.

[Aglaia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was absolutely dreadful. There might’ve been one or two chapters that I completed in fall. The author just ramble on and on esoterically about her inner self and our inner child. It is so boring. I love this author so much after reading, mommy dearest, so much so that I wanted to read this book. What a mistake.I skipped through most of it, and I didn’t miss anything. It is mind numbing chatter about the publication of the book and the publicity that followed. None of it is interesting in anyway. Save your time.

[Saanvi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book is boring as hell. Did sympathize with the part where she was trying to raise awareness about child abuse but had to face so much pushback. Extremely frustrating. But after reading maybe 40% of the book I just basically skimmed the book and practically DNFed it. Do not recommend this one but do recommend her first book.

[Cassie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its not awful but know a good majority she just talks about her stroke and that healing journey and NOT her upbringing and her mother as much as Mommie Dearest did. Survivor is one you can skip in the " baby jane " books but highly recommend reading Whatever happened to baby jane first and then Mommie dearest

[Traceylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why

Great book.I always loved the movie and book mommy dearest. Its hard to imagine the life this woman had. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes.

[Trudy Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Autobiography. Christina’s stroke and her struggle back. Too much metaphysical stuff for me though.

[Bob Heist · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading With Love, Mommie Dearest, I needed to remind myself of some of the context. Crawford doesn’t disappoint.