What do you think?
Rate this book
Ordinary Girl: The Journey
Ordinary Girl is legendary singer-songwriter Donna Summer’s delightfully candid memoir about her journey from singing in a Boston church to her unexpected reign as the Queen of Disco—and the tragedy and spiritual rebirth that followed.
Donna Summer was born on New Year’s Eve in Boston. Her childhood was filled with music. Inspired by Mahalia Jackson, she began singing in church choirs at the age of ten. A few years later she joined a Boston rock group, and by the end of the 1960s she was living the life of an artist in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Soon after, Donna left the United States to join the German cast of Hair. She was still in her teens, a shy, ordinary girl who was suddenly feeling the jolt of the sexual revolution. She lived in Germany for seven and a half years, modeling, acting, falling in love, getting married, and giving birth to a daughter. She met a producer named Giorgio Moroder, and together they created a song called “Love to Love You Baby.” It became one of the world’s premier disco hits.
Donna Summer returned to America as a star, a “sex goddess” who bore little resemblance to her own sense of who she was. She describes what that personal transformation felt like from the white-hot center of the disco era, and how, over the next two decades, it contributed to a sometimes harrowing spiritual journey.
With heart and humor, Donna Summer relives the decadent days of disco and shows how she transcended them. This is the inspiring tale of an “ordinary girl” on an extraordinary journey.
Donna Summer was born on New Year’s Eve in Boston. Her childhood was filled with music. Inspired by Mahalia Jackson, she began singing in church choirs at the age of ten. A few years later she joined a Boston rock group, and by the end of the 1960s she was living the life of an artist in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Soon after, Donna left the United States to join the German cast of Hair. She was still in her teens, a shy, ordinary girl who was suddenly feeling the jolt of the sexual revolution. She lived in Germany for seven and a half years, modeling, acting, falling in love, getting married, and giving birth to a daughter. She met a producer named Giorgio Moroder, and together they created a song called “Love to Love You Baby.” It became one of the world’s premier disco hits.
Donna Summer returned to America as a star, a “sex goddess” who bore little resemblance to her own sense of who she was. She describes what that personal transformation felt like from the white-hot center of the disco era, and how, over the next two decades, it contributed to a sometimes harrowing spiritual journey.
With heart and humor, Donna Summer relives the decadent days of disco and shows how she transcended them. This is the inspiring tale of an “ordinary girl” on an extraordinary journey.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
4 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 12, 2012
I am a HUGE, addicted fan & I found this auto-b to be both interesting & boring at the same time. There are so many artistic moments that D S skipped and /or skimmed over & I felt cheated as it related to her creative process(es). I did find it amusing that her first Grammy award win was incorrectly noted in the book, which showed just how much awards mattered to her...not at all & that's a good thing! Ultimately I gleaned no more information about the Diva that I didn't know from the "press" & I respect her for working so hard at self preservation & protecting her privacy. A breezy, controlled pamphlet on an amazing career that may stay unrevealed for years...
October 12, 2018
Remember Donna Summer? She sang hits like "Love to Love You Baby," "Last Dance," "Bad Girls," and "She Works Hard for the Money." She was the personification of 70s disco glamour.
About 15 years ago, I heard an interview and was very impressed with her. She sounded smart, competent, and a little tough. I specifically recall the interviewer, probably Terri Gross, commenting on the fashions of the disco era--the shimmery dresses and flowing fabrics. In a business-like tone, Donna replied, "I had modeled in Europe. I knew clothes." (Interestingly, in the book, she refers to "costumes," not "clothes.")
To remember this interview for 15 years, I must have been very intrigued by the contrast between her image as a party/dance/pop star and the savvy, show-biz professional in the interview. Either that or else not much has happened to me in the last 15 years.
There are a few interesting tidbits here: As a young woman, she left the United States to act in a German production of the play "Hair." In part, this was an escape. She had witnessed and given evidence in a gang-related crime and had received death threats.
Her 17 minute version of "Love to Love You Baby" scandalized the recording industry with its prolonged moaning and heavy breathing. According to Donna, the record company wanted the song to take up the whole side on an LP, but it didn't have enough words, so she filled in the empty spaces.
But in general, the book was a disappointment. Most of it is a self-absorbed chronicle of her serial infatuations with controlling men, a recital of her hits and tours, her health problems, her deeply-felt Christianity, and vague references to a party-hearty lifestyle.
I think there was--she died in 2012--an interesting person inside Donna Summer, but it doesn't show up in this book.
About 15 years ago, I heard an interview and was very impressed with her. She sounded smart, competent, and a little tough. I specifically recall the interviewer, probably Terri Gross, commenting on the fashions of the disco era--the shimmery dresses and flowing fabrics. In a business-like tone, Donna replied, "I had modeled in Europe. I knew clothes." (Interestingly, in the book, she refers to "costumes," not "clothes.")
To remember this interview for 15 years, I must have been very intrigued by the contrast between her image as a party/dance/pop star and the savvy, show-biz professional in the interview. Either that or else not much has happened to me in the last 15 years.
There are a few interesting tidbits here: As a young woman, she left the United States to act in a German production of the play "Hair." In part, this was an escape. She had witnessed and given evidence in a gang-related crime and had received death threats.
Her 17 minute version of "Love to Love You Baby" scandalized the recording industry with its prolonged moaning and heavy breathing. According to Donna, the record company wanted the song to take up the whole side on an LP, but it didn't have enough words, so she filled in the empty spaces.
But in general, the book was a disappointment. Most of it is a self-absorbed chronicle of her serial infatuations with controlling men, a recital of her hits and tours, her health problems, her deeply-felt Christianity, and vague references to a party-hearty lifestyle.
I think there was--she died in 2012--an interesting person inside Donna Summer, but it doesn't show up in this book.
March 6, 2024
I feel like this could have been very good if she'd collaborated with a less hacky ghostwriter. There are heartbreaking and captivating stories, hints of great depths, but many holes and omissions. Also, don't read this if you hate God
March 29, 2014
I was disappointed in this. So many things were glossed over or not mentioned at all. This almost seems like an autobiography was being worked on and then abandoned but published anyway. It's never a good sign when you're reading an autobiography and you come across the sentence (I'm paraphrasing), "Several years passed." Really? Nothing happened of any import? To be clear, I am not upset about the lack of personal detail, but, rather, the lack of detail on the recording and creative process behind many of Donna's classic records. I remain a fan of Donna's, but this book was not nearly what I had hoped it would be.
August 14, 2012
Bland autobiography missing the full-throated gusto evident in her singing.
July 7, 2012
"Ordinary Girl is legendary singer-songwriter Donna Summer’s delightfully candid memoir about her journey from singing in a Boston church to her unexpected reign as the Queen of Disco—and the tragedy and spiritual rebirth that followed.
Donna Summer was born on New Year’s Eve in Boston. Her childhood was filled with music. Inspired by Mahalia Jackson, she began singing in church choirs at the age of ten. A few years later she joined a Boston rock group, and by the end of the 1960s she was living the life of an artist in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Soon after, Donna left the United States to join the German cast of Hair. She was still in her teens, a shy, ordinary girl who was suddenly feeling the jolt of the sexual revolution. She lived in Germany for seven and a half years, modeling, acting, falling in love, getting married, and giving birth to a daughter. She met a producer named Giorgio Moroder, and together they created a song called “Love to Love You Baby.” It became one of the world’s premier disco hits.
Donna Summer returned to America as a star, a “sex goddess” who bore little resemblance to her own sense of who she was. She describes what that personal transformation felt like from the white-hot center of the disco era, and how, over the next two decades, it contributed to a sometimes harrowing spiritual journey.
With heart and humor, Donna Summer relives the decadent days of disco and shows how she transcended them. This is the inspiring tale of an “ordinary girl” on an extraordinary journey."
Rate: 4/5 Stars
Donna Summer lived quite an interesting life and had a talent for music and the arts that I will always remember.
Donna Summer was born on New Year’s Eve in Boston. Her childhood was filled with music. Inspired by Mahalia Jackson, she began singing in church choirs at the age of ten. A few years later she joined a Boston rock group, and by the end of the 1960s she was living the life of an artist in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Soon after, Donna left the United States to join the German cast of Hair. She was still in her teens, a shy, ordinary girl who was suddenly feeling the jolt of the sexual revolution. She lived in Germany for seven and a half years, modeling, acting, falling in love, getting married, and giving birth to a daughter. She met a producer named Giorgio Moroder, and together they created a song called “Love to Love You Baby.” It became one of the world’s premier disco hits.
Donna Summer returned to America as a star, a “sex goddess” who bore little resemblance to her own sense of who she was. She describes what that personal transformation felt like from the white-hot center of the disco era, and how, over the next two decades, it contributed to a sometimes harrowing spiritual journey.
With heart and humor, Donna Summer relives the decadent days of disco and shows how she transcended them. This is the inspiring tale of an “ordinary girl” on an extraordinary journey."
Rate: 4/5 Stars
Donna Summer lived quite an interesting life and had a talent for music and the arts that I will always remember.
May 27, 2012
It was interesting to find out about the "woman behind the music" as I have always loved Donna Summer's music. Ms. Summer led quite an interesting life and I think any one who is a fan would probably enjoy this book. I am truly saddened over her demise. What a contribution Ms. Summer made to the music world; she will truly be missed!
January 6, 2019
I truly enjoyed experiencing Donna's journey through her recollection. It was immediately after seeing the Broadway show on her life that I desired to read her story. Making time to read books outside of those used for work or school can be a challenge; however, once I picked it up I had to finish it.
January 8, 2023
One does not usually read a celebrity memoir for the sparking prose. The sentences here are similar in length, declarative and without lyricism. I was interested in Summer's early life and career, however, and for that this book was very good. A lot of the narrative is spent on her early career in Germany, which was interesting. I would have liked more details about her subsequent reign as the "Queen of Disco," especially some insight into the writing of her groundbreaking hits. Noticeably absent is an account of "I Feel Love," the song that basically invented the EDM genre, and whose influence is still felt today. "She Works Hard for the Money," gets only a passing mention, despite it being responsible for reviving Summer's post-disco career, as well as being one of the biggest MTV hits of all time. Summer is candid about her romantic relationships and personal life without being salacious or dramatic – she is, as the title suggests, an ordinary person, albeit one with an extraordinary impact on popular music. Reading this book was also bittersweet, as it was written nine years before her untimely death, when she had so many plans and aspirations ahead of her.
Read
March 23, 2023This was a reread for me. I forgot about her personal struggles that were enhanced by her fame and career. On the surface, she was the stoic Queen of Disco. Donna Summer was candid about her depression, messy love life, and suicide attempt. She also shares funny stories about her recording sessions. For a quick read, it has a lot of heart with Summer's great sense of humor at the right moments.
November 23, 2019
I was always a Donna Summer fan! Her biography was definitely an eye opener. I learned so much about her through her words.
January 2, 2020
She was my favorite artist & first concert, but I knew nothing about her personal life. Now I know a little more.
August 29, 2020
This Book Is So Awesome now I’m a Donna summer fan I keep 1 downstairs and the other one upstairs
March 18, 2024
I Like reading about places I have been being from Boston this book interest me. A lot of good stories in Boston, not sure about the rest.
March 21, 2024
Good read about the life of a really decent person who was also a superstar!
May 15, 2025
Love Donna, her early life was really cool to read about.
July 29, 2025
3.5 rounded up
February 28, 2023
At times interesting but ultimately very disappointing autobiography of one of my favorite singers. The book starts out promisingly with good detail about Summer's early days in Germany. However, after she achieves stardom, there is very little discussion about her career or stories behind her famous songs. Indeed, many songs are not even mentioned. The book is very light and superficial. Most readers can get through it in one sitting. Way too much time discussing her inner turmoils about finding god. However, at times there are some fun details (who knew she was good friends with Sophia Loren?).
May 4, 2011
This is my girl! I love Donna Summer. She is the Queen of Disco for a reason! What a classy lady, and this book was awesome. I always respected her craft, and after reading this book, I love her even more. She's a great person! No wonder her music is still just as alive today as it was in my favorite era, the 70s. Donna Rocks!
June 22, 2012
I was always a fan of Donna Summer, and after reading her book, I am even more so! She was such an incredible woman and artist.
She is a role model for any woman to look up to. She always knew what she wanted, and sometimes it just took her a while to get it. But she never lost her focus and always trusted God to guide her to the correct path.
Good read!
She is a role model for any woman to look up to. She always knew what she wanted, and sometimes it just took her a while to get it. But she never lost her focus and always trusted God to guide her to the correct path.
Good read!
November 10, 2013
I loved this book. Donna Summer did a great job of telling her life story without being too glossy or too personal. She's very good at making you feel like you were there with her. I'm sad she didn't get to updated this before she passed but am definitely glad she decided to do it.
May 4, 2010
excellent book!
October 20, 2013
Love Donna Summer. Frankly written.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews