AUTHOR: Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
PUBLISHER: Rodale Books
PUBLISHING DATE: September 12, 2017
ISBN: 9781623368609
PAGES: 256
I enjoyed this memoir. I listened to this book on my library hoopla account. The book, narrated by T-Boz herself included music from TLC as well as solo music from the artist herself. The book reads like a street lit bestseller.
For years, T-Boz has been open about her struggles with Sickle Cell anemia and how it has affected her life, relationships, friendships, and her high powered music career. She describes her strong and loving mother, pathological liar father, being a dance prodigy and the discovery of TLC by Pebbles when she was a teenager. In the audiobook she chuckles a lot and "humphs" a lot, and I found it kind of endearing. She's the around-the-way girl who grew up to be a member of one of the most iconic girl groups in music history. Though she has sang on classic songs like Waterfalls, Creep, and No Scrubs, the behind the scenes story of her life and that of legendary TLC reads better than your fav street lit author.
A significant portion of the book focuses on Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez and the chaos she created within the group. T-Box really gives the impression that she and Left-Eye were the creative forces in the group. Unfortunately, Left-Eye's erratic behavior and quick temper caused a lot of dysfunction both on and off stage. Just as Left-Eye was about to leave the group to embark on a solo career, her life was cut short in a car accident. T-Boz describes Left-Eye's funeral and the nosedive of TLC as a complete circus. Celebrity antics, an invasive media, and uncaring music executives really took a toll on T-Boz and TLC.
I really learned a lot about T-Boz, her resilience as a business woman - I didn't know she had her own high end children's boutique and subscription service. I also learned about an extremely violent encounter T-Boz had with her husband's lover - you always kind of see T-Boz as the laid back member of TLC. To hear she shattered someone's jaw is shocking.
All in all this was an engrossing autobiography.
Recommendation: Fans of TLC will really enjoy this book. It's fast paced, easy to read, and a peak into the world of one of the best girl groups in history.