Barbra Streisand’s Massive New Memoir Is Here!
I’m very excited to read this, as I am a big fan of so many aspects of her career….and when I say massive, I mean MASSIVE!
She clearly isn’t holding anything back, as the book is NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO pages!
And what about this:
The audiobook takes 48 HOURS to listen to!
WOW! As the Hollywood legend herself said this week:
“I wanted two volumes. Who wants to hold a heavy book like that in their hands?”
Well, reviews have already started sharing some of the more delicious details in the memoir – like that time she cloned her dog!
If you are a longtime reader of my blog, you know I posted about this!
Click here for more details!
Here are some more juicy bits from eh books – like this one about “A Star Is Born” Director Frank Pierson!
Vulture.com has a great list of the stories int he book – here are a few:
According to the memoir, Pierson came aboard the project as a screenwriter, Streisand writes, and she was shocked when he “blackmailed” the production.
“After giving me a first draft that still hadn’t captured the love story, he said, ‘By the way, I also want to direct this. And I’m not going to do another draft unless I get to direct it as well,’” Streisand recalls. “I didn’t want him to direct . . . he had only directed one unsuccessful film and didn’t know anything about musicals . . . but I was under tremendous pressure.”
Although the two agreed that they would co-direct, with Streisand forgoing a credit, she writes that it didn’t take long before Pierson reneged on that agreement and became a nightmare collaborator. He even went so far as to write a “deliberately cruel” article disparaging her, Peters, and her co-star Kris Kristofferson. When Pierson claimed that the article was not for publication, Streisand writes that she “made the mistake of believing him” because she “still didn’t realize that I was dealing with a pathological liar. And as I’ve said, I cannot deal with people who lie.”
When the article ultimately came out, Streisand writes that it “sent me straight to the doctor. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was having a heart attack.” Regarding Pierson, she writes, “All I know is that his behavior was unethical, unprofessional, and immoral.”
WOW! I shared this story of a possible re-cut version of the film, click here to see that story:
I’ve also shared stories about some of the lesser-known Streisand films like this one:
From the Vulture article:
The studio cut an interracial kiss from Up the Sandbox
Looking back on the 1972 drama, Streisand writes that she would do a few things differently.
“I would fight harder to keep the moment where Margaret and her Black revolutionary boyfriend kiss,” the actress writes. “That was in a fantasy sequence where they’re blowing up the Statue of Liberty. (In Margaret’s mind it was a false symbol, since she felt there was no liberty for her, as a woman.) The studio made us cut the kiss but they kept the explosion, which says a lot about our world.”
I’ve shared more of this film – on met list of “movies with a U!” Click here to see more:
There have also been stories shared about how Robert Redford didn’t want to be in “The Way We Were” and how she says that “Yenta” co-star Mandy Patinkin wanted to sleep with her….lost of honest stuff!
I am about to dive into this massive memoir and can’t wait to see where she takes me!
I’ve shared some other Hollywood memoirs as well, like this terrific book from the Writer of the novel “In The Cut”:
Susanna Moore tells the story of life in Hollywood in the 70’s and she still writes terrific novels as well – click here for her story:
I love stories of empowered women – and how they navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood. Here is another great memoir of that era in entertainment:
This is a great story, as we follow 70’s Actress Fiona Lewis through her wildly entertaining film career, working with people like The Who’s Roger Daltry in “Litzomania” – and Fiona tells her story candidly, while also taking us to the south of France, where she bought a house and renovated it – her version of “A Year In Provence!”
Lewis wrote a compelling, fascinating memoir about her life – and her misadventures in France called “Mistakes Were Made (Some In French)”!
Click here to see more about his great book!
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Categories: 70's Cinema, 70's Music, Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Hollywood, Memoirs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
I’ve always loved Babs. I like tough ladies, and she IS TOUGH! She has a reputation for being difficult, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Bette Davis once said, “you are nobody in this business until you are called difficult.”
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Great point…men are tough as nails but women are difficult and demanding…thanks for sharing that quote!
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Let us know how long it takes you to read the book, or will you do the audio?
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I bought the book – I never listen to audiobooks as I prefer to read!
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Me, too!!
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I’ve never read a book this long before, but I would consider this one. She’s had such a fascinating life.
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Yes, I am diving into it and it’s terrific…I will no doubt be spending a lot of time with Babe over the next month! Thanks for commenting, always great to hear from you!
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I always think about how she was always called things like ‘ a controlling bitch’ because she had power and control over her own shows down to the smallest detail and she said that no one would ever say that about orson Welles doing that with his films.
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992 pages is a lot!! I may listen to it though.
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Hi John, that is a whopper of a book. I don’t think I would commit to a 992 page book but I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
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I listened to her interview about the book. It was a good “appetizer” that has made the book even more desirable to read.
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My copy of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ had 1440 pages. Barbra almost made that! This looks like both Hollywood and the music industry will be really exposed. She has nothing to lose, after all.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, while she had said she didn’t want a “dishy” memoir, she is clearly settling a few scores as she recounts her trip through the industry – there are many female Artists who tell of incredibly abusive and sexist people in the music industry especially Executives.
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