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Life with My Sister Madonna |  | Authors: Christopher Ciccone, Wendy Leigh
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $3.84
as of 2/9/2010 18:48 EST details
You Save: $11.16 (74%)
New (39) Used (23) from $2.25
Seller: whypaymorebooks
Rating:  221 reviews
Sales Rank: 48951
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 1416587632
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42166092
EAN: 9781416587637
ASIN: 1416587632
Publication Date: March 3, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Madonna up close, by the brother who knows her better than anyone. Christopher Ciccone's extraordinary memoir is based on his forty-seven years of growing up with, working with, and understanding the most famous woman of our time, who has intrigued, scandalized, and entertained millions for half a century. Through most of the iconic star's kaleidoscopic career, Christopher played an important role in her life: as her backup dancer, her personal assistant, her dresser, her decorator, her art director, her tour director. If you think you know everything there is to know about Madonna, you are wrong. Only Christopher can tell the full scale, riveting untold story behind Madonna's carefully constructed mythology, and the real woman behind the glittering façade. From their shared Michigan childhood, which Madonna transcended, then whisked Christopher to Manhattan with her in the early eighties, where he slepton her roach-infested floor and danced with her in clubs all over town -- Christopher was with her every step of the way, experiencing her first hand in all her incarnations. The spoiled daddy's girl, the punk drummer, the raunchy Boy Toy, Material Girl, Mrs. Sean Penn, Warren Beatty's glamorous Hollywood paramour, loving mother, Mrs. Guy Ritchie, English grande dame -- Christopher witnessed and understood all of them, as his own life was inexorably entwined with that of his chameleon sister. He tangled with a cast of characters from artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, to Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, Demi Moore, and, of course, Guy Ritchie, whose advent in Madonna's life splintered the loving relationship Christopher once had with her. The mirror image of his legendary sister, with his acid Ciccone tongue, Christopher pulls no punches as he tells his astonishing story. Life with My Sister Madonna is the juicy, can't-put-it-down story you've always wanted to hear, as told by Madonna's younger brother.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 221
 Christopher Ciccone is whiner! January 30, 2010
Rachel McElhany (http://chaosisafriendofmine.typepad.com)
God, Christopher Ciccone is whiny. And catty. There is really no new information about Madonna in this book, it's just Christopher whining about how she's mistreated him all these years. Basically, every time he works for her, she rips him off (doesn't pay him fairly, replaces him at the last minute, etc.) You know what - then quit working for her! Christopher can't do that though because he has no formal training to do ANYTHING. Madonna lets him dance in her videos, design her houses, dress her for her tours, art direct her tours and gets her friends to give him gallery shows, even though he's never formally trained do any of that (except dance). And all he does is bitch about how horrible it is to work for her. I'm not a huge Madonna fan; I just read this book because I like reading about the entertainment business and stars in general. But there was nothing new here - almost nothing about Madonna's childhood, no insights into her personality. I really don't think Madonna and Christopher were ever that close, even though they spent a lot of time together, because he relates virtual nothing about Madonna's personal life. Or else he was never paying attention what was going on in it because he's just as self-absorbed as she is.
 Loved it! But It Made Me Mad! January 23, 2010
L. McLauchlin (WA)
I asked for this book for Christmas (everybody laughed at me) and started it last week. I couldn't put the damn thing down. Although my husband hates biographies, and anything to do with celebrity drama... HE couldn't put the damn thing down. This whole book was very intriguing, but very infuriating at the same time - from both sides. I never could have imagined that Madonna, the icon I grew up with the 80's was such a self-centered ass. Nor can I understand how Christopher could have allowed her to continue treating him so badly for almost three decades! It was like witnessing self-flagellation. I wanted to reach inside the book and throttle both of them.
I believe the details of the events described in the book are probably closer to the truth than they are to fiction. Christopher exposes Madonna on several of her half-truths just to make the point that celebrities take creative license on just about everything. But the fact that their own father and stepmother have read the book and are prepared to back him up - this should tell us something.
Big deal Christopher was doing recreational drugs in the 80's and 90's. I'm sure if Madonna were that judgemental about drugs with everyone else, she would have been shunned in the entertainment industry. We all have our issues with siblings, but extortion and blackmail shouldn't even be on the radar.
I loved the book. But I leave with disappointment. I loved it because it was something NEW that has never been written before about Madonna. Any other biography about her is going to contain the mythological half-truths that have been circulated for years, such as the 'story' that she arrived in the middle of Times Square with little more than $35 in her pocket. I'm sure Madonna would rather those biographies stay in circulation. I typically don't read autobiographies as they usually end up being self-serving, but this is kind of a hybrid of the two - it is Christopher's autobiography but offers an unbiased, insider look into the world of Madonna that even a renowned biographer would simply not be privy to.
I leave disappointed because growing up and even into adulthood, I've always admired Madonna for her gusto, her musical and dancing talent, as well as what I thought was a savvy business sense. After reading Christopher's book, I learned that all is not as it seems and I've certainly learned a lesson about idol worship.
 Not so pretty portrayal of a great American icon December 29, 2009
A. Gift For You (Gilbert, AZ)
I am a huge Madonna fan since the early 80s when I was a child and I have followed her career intensely and still buy her music. I have never considered Madonna to be extremely friendly and likeable-in fact, she has spent most of her career being a show off and keeping us on our toes, but that's why we love her, right? Some would call her brother Christopher jealous, vindictive and pathetic for writing this book and trying to make some money on his own, but others would say, they don't blame him for writing it. I dont think anything in this book really shocked me.. she is bossy, egotistical, demanding, powerful and goes after what she wants, regardless. It did bother me a bit as to the emotional abuse she aimed at her brother and she seemed to get pleasure out of it. Christopher worshipped Madonna in the beginning, and wanted to be a part of her life for so long, and he was for a while. He designed a couple of her tours, dressed her, decorated her NYC apt, decorated some of her homes, but the turbulence and stress working for an un-appreciative woman just got to be too much for him. It was fun to read about her early days when she recorded her first album, "Madonna" and her starting out in NYC, being booed by the audience, breaking down somewhere in Africa, and being picked up by a couple of workers who had no idea who she was. And of course, he soon realizes his sister is becoming one of the most famous women in the world. He gives his feelings about Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie, both of Madonna's ex-husbands. He went on to say what he thinks are the reasons she is so involved with Malawi and the diarreah of the mouth she's known to have.He also wrote of the 5 day snob fest her wedding to Guy Ritchie in Scotland was, and how Nazi Madonna made her sister Paula buy her own ticket to it, even though she flew her maid and other servants over. She seemed a little too enraptured in Guy Ritchie to really care about his gay bashing, and her maternal instict was also questioned alot in this book. Madonna, who has never been around children other than her own, is now an author of children's books too,, Christopher pokes some fun at this. Maybe I'm a little disappointed that Madonna seems to be even a bigger Bit** than I thought, or maybe she's just misunderstood and that Christopher exagerrated alot of this. Regardless, I'm obsessed!!
 Madonna & Christoper December 22, 2009
K. saba
Madonna & Christoper, December 22, 2009
I enjoyed learning about the childhood of Madonna and Christopher Ciccone. Christopher, along with his co-author, is able to write colorful and detail stories, particularly about their childhood. Madonna was five years old when her mother died. Madonna's father married Joan, who according to Christopher tried to raise the kids properly. Madonna's parents instilled a foundation in childhood that encouraged hard work, discipline and honesty. This contributes to Madonna and Christopher's success.
Madonna and Christopher's relationship is like a roller coaster and they are moths drawn to each other's flame. Since Madonna has a bigger flame Christopher gets third degree burns. They give each other warnings and limits, but they ignore their boundaries with each other. In one instance, Madonna's tells Christopher, who is works for her at different times as an interior decorator, producer, and dresser for her, that he needs to be available to her 24 hours a day. In the next paragraph, he sends his assistant to Madonna instead of coming himself.
Christopher feels humiliated being Madonna's dresser and since he is the producer he wants her to hire someone else to dress her. However, Madonna does not want to hire someone else, so Christopher does two jobs at the same time for Madonna.
When they were children, they encouraged each other and brought the best out in each other, as they grow and mature, they started to bring out the worst in each other. They both are talented and intelligent, but they became jealous and petty towards each other.
Christopher develops a drug problem while Madonna's fame makes her unwilling to comprise. Their relationship falls apart out of jealously and spitefulness; instead of helping each other, they become competitors and suspicious with each other.
The book became repetitious and did not give a basic overview of the Kabbalah, although he writes about it in the book. If they were able to use the Kabbalah with each other, they would have been able to forgive each other. The teachings of the Kabbalah can help to balance emotions with intellect, and to balance judgment with mercy. The Kabbalah could have helped them resolve their differences by encouraging different states of consciousness and by building on wisdom and understanding.
I enjoyed the book, but unfortunately, this book may have ended their relationship for good.
In spite of the trauma caused by the death of their mother, Madonna and Christopher are able to overcome their grief though hard work, and because of the support of their parents, who encouraged success. I wish them lots of success in their future endeavors, and am certain that their mother would be proud of them.
 Puh- LEEZEEE December 15, 2009
Laurie Thompson (Detroit Michigan)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
For one, This book is a tell all of the most famous female pop star in the world. Who sold her out? Her own BROTHER. You do not have to be a fan of her's to see this book was written by a scorned baby out for revenge. At first riding the coat tails of his "big" sister, then becoming bitter airing the family laundry out for the world to read. Tasteless, poorly written and a utter disappointment. The facts of this book are even wrong. Simply laughable. The pages of this book line the bottom of my bird's cage. The ONLY reason I gave it one star was because she was on the cover.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 221
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