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Life with My Sister Madonna | 
 enlarge | Authors: Christopher Ciccone, Wendy Leigh
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy Used: $5.97
You Save: $20.03 (77%)
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Rating:  203 reviews
Sales Rank: 29198
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 1416587624
Dewey Decimal Number: 921
EAN: 9781416587620
ASIN: 1416587624
Publication Date: July 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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Product Description
Ciccone's extraordinary memoir is based on his life and forty-seven years of growing up with and working with his sister - the most famous woman in the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 198 more reviews...
 A Touching, Shocking and Gripping Tale by Christopher Ciccone. January 6, 2009
This book is one of the best I have read in recent years and is THE best Madonna book I have ever come in contact with. I have read them all, so that is a big statement!
As a Madonna fan, I should be disgruntled and angry with Christopher for painting this narcissistic star in such a bad light. However, the book is balance, fair and optimistic leaving me feeling refreshed and inspired. This confirmed everything that has already been said about Madonna but also gives a depth and insight into the life of a huge star more than any other book could do. This is perhaps ever more insightful than an autobiography as it covers all content, bitter and sweet, as well as showing an onlookers perspective to such a diverse character.
I read this book in 2 days flat and could not put it down. Even if you are not interested in Madonna (despite 80% having Madonna based stories) the book is still appealing as it describes the breakdown of a relationship, the behavior of a intriguing artists (both Christopher and Madonna), family life in a conservative Catholic household, coming-of-age homosexuality and friendship.
I felt so touched by this book and wish I hadn't read it...just so I could re-experience the story from a fresh perspective!
Thank you Christopher.
 Very Interesting & Informative Book January 4, 2009
Let me begin by saying I have never been a Madonna fan. I am almost old enough to be her mom, so that may be the problem. Had her mother lived, I sincerely doubt Madonna would have chosen the route to stardom she did, out of respect for her. This is a very well-written book by someone who knows the truth. He is obviously very talented in his own right. Unfortunately, he had to suffer enormously along the way to find his own niche in the world. It was no great surprise to read in the book that Madonna is a control freak. Really? Gee, I never would have known. Right. She evidently is not a happy camper and probably never will be if the book is accurate. Her children will grow up and leave the nest (If they're able to) and she will be old and alone. I do not feel sorry for her. I am not sure why he wrote the book but it probably saved his sanity. One of the sad moments in the book is when he becomes very devoted to Kabbalah and goes to the meetings out in LA and befriends people who attend. And when he and Madonna have a falling out, he is dis-invited to their homes and Kabbalah meetings. That doesn't sound like a caring group of people. Consider the source. I am sure the new paperback edition will have a section in it that talks about what has happened since the hardback came out. I'd be interested to read that. After I finished the book I had a better picture of his life, her life, their life through the years. I really like Christopher, and I hope his life continues to be happy and productive. He ends the book by saying he is sure her marriage to Guy will survive because they love each other. Sadly, no, it doesn't. I did not think much of Madonna before I read the book and think even less of her now. The other brothers and sisters in the family apparently live normal lives far out of the spotlight. I am sure there are times when Christopher wishes he had taken that route, too. I really enjoyed his book. I'd like to see him write other books in another genre. Maybe murder mysteries? He definitely has a talent for writing.
 I finished it, but December 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I vowed that I would never read this book as I have been a fan of Madonna's from the start, but there I was, picking it up. The book was full of information, but it was if this book was rushed to publication. The information read like that of a gossip column. For someone who lived this life, it seemed very surface. It seems that Mr. Ciccone has an axe to grind. I never thought that Madonna was not self-absorbed or greedy, but her brother seems a little bitchy and jealous of her from childhood until now. Make a drinking game of the words spelled wrong! Rush job from start to finish. If he is anything like he is in the book, Mr. Ciccone needed the money and the book was his best bet. Shame on you, Christopher. If you are a true fan, you will probably just laugh it off. It is an okay read...just okay.
 whose ego is bigger? December 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Fashioned after the writing style of Rupert Everett's biography,
"Red carpets and other Banana Skins" this account of brother Ciccone's so-called life with his sister Madonna includes generous portions of empty celebrity name dropping without much purpose whilst lacking Rupert's ascerbic wit and charm. It reads as a desperate attempt to cash in on his
famous sister's fans' desire to read some fresh new dirt on Madonna's private life.
However,it comes as no revelation that Madonna has a huge ego and is obsessed with the Kabbala. We have all read this in a dozen interviews. What I found irritating and upsetting is that a sibling whose only client and employer most of his life, as if he was forced at gunpoint to work for her, has been Madonna whom he regards with a huge sense of entitlement .Therefore,it seems rather rich that when he finds himself constantly broke WITHOUT her employ, he reacts as if shocked by her distrust, disrespect and so called miserliness. His views are erratic throughout the book which leads to skepticism on the part of the reader. For example,one minute he criticises the Kabbalah movement for favoring Madonna at meetings and having her sit next to the Bergs and the next he joins the Kabbalah himself and follows their doctrine!
There are many grammatical errors and typos, it is clumsily written and he
writes "my SISTER Madonna" lest you forget that Madge is his sister, about as many times as Oprah has said "My BEST FRIEND Gail" on her show. Read the book by all means if you are a Madonna fan looking for juicy insights into her earlier childhood but be aware that most of it is a hissing " hello pot, this is kettle" account of his famous sister's ego which is not much bigger than his own without her achievement and success to go with it.
Interesting December 21, 2008
This book held my interest. It paints an unflattering picture of Madonna. Self-centered, low-self esteem, cheap, cruel. Someone who doesn't live in the real world, and doesn't want to. An aging pop star. I believe the book is accurate.
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