Whitney Houston has been dead for little more than a year, but we have been flooded with remembrance CDs, DVDs and books. It seems strange that so soon after Houston’s death her own mother would write a biography, but it has raced up the bestseller charts nevertheless.
Cissy Houston herself is a grammy award winning performer, and had much to do with Whitney’s development as a young pop artist. You quickly get the sense that as Whitney got older and her star rose, her mother was trying to find the balance between being involved and encouraging her independence.
What’s interesting about Remembering Whitney is its frankness. The book feels like the diary of a woman still grieving for her child and wondering how the fairytale went so wrong. Cissy describes Whitney’s partying and the development of a drug habit which would stain her whole life. Her fiery marriage to Bobby Brown is also explored, particularly after the birth of daughter Bobbi. All the ugly details are put on paper, with no attempt to re-cast them in a glossier light.
Whitney Houston may have provided the tabloids with decades of fodder, but there is nothing salacious about this memoir. Remembering Whitney is a sad tale by a woman still wracked by grief but bravely attempting to celebrate her daughter’s life one year on. A compelling read for both mothers and daughters, regardless of whether you were a Whitney fan.
Praise: Ultimately, Remembering Whitney is a portrait of a loving, if sometimes overbearing mom who watched helplessly as a gulf opened up between Whitney and herself—and who now often asks herself, “Could I have saved her somehow?” The Daily Beast
About the author: Cissy Houston is a Grammy-winning soul and gospel singer and mother of the late superstar Whitney Houston. She gained fame as part of the Drinkards gospel quartet and later as part of the vocal group Sweet Inspirations, where she sang with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. She lives in New Jersey, USA.
Find Out More: Remembering Whitney at The Nile
Cissy Houston herself is a grammy award winning performer, and had much to do with Whitney’s development as a young pop artist. You quickly get the sense that as Whitney got older and her star rose, her mother was trying to find the balance between being involved and encouraging her independence.
What’s interesting about Remembering Whitney is its frankness. The book feels like the diary of a woman still grieving for her child and wondering how the fairytale went so wrong. Cissy describes Whitney’s partying and the development of a drug habit which would stain her whole life. Her fiery marriage to Bobby Brown is also explored, particularly after the birth of daughter Bobbi. All the ugly details are put on paper, with no attempt to re-cast them in a glossier light.
Whitney Houston may have provided the tabloids with decades of fodder, but there is nothing salacious about this memoir. Remembering Whitney is a sad tale by a woman still wracked by grief but bravely attempting to celebrate her daughter’s life one year on. A compelling read for both mothers and daughters, regardless of whether you were a Whitney fan.
Praise: Ultimately, Remembering Whitney is a portrait of a loving, if sometimes overbearing mom who watched helplessly as a gulf opened up between Whitney and herself—and who now often asks herself, “Could I have saved her somehow?” The Daily Beast
About the author: Cissy Houston is a Grammy-winning soul and gospel singer and mother of the late superstar Whitney Houston. She gained fame as part of the Drinkards gospel quartet and later as part of the vocal group Sweet Inspirations, where she sang with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. She lives in New Jersey, USA.
Find Out More: Remembering Whitney at The Nile
