The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music

I have only been a fan of Melissa Etheridge for the past 2-3 years. Prior to that, I liked her, but never made an effort to seek her music out. Since I have become a more devoted fan, I have come to rely on her music - especially the 'Breakdown' CD - to release my feelings - her music has such force, and feeling, that on occasion, seems to take my breath away. I must say, I felt the same way about this book - I got it as a birthday gift, and read it the night I got it - and, have since read it again. What I find most appealing about Ms. Etheridge's music, and book, is the fact that although she is baring her deepest emotions - anger, saddness, pain, loss - she does so with such inner strength that is flows into her words, and thus, into you. As I read this book, I found myself feeling very much like I was listening to her talk - listening to her honestly, and painfully, reveal her life. I found myself crying throughout the book, and, in the end, feeling the strongest desire to write to her - something that, as an avid reader, I have NEVER done - just to let her know how much she touched me, and to thank her for her honesty, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and everyone.

I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. This book touched me inside. Our childhood's paralleled each others. I found myself shaking my head in understanding as I read. I grew up also in a family devoid of feelings. It amazes me that she and I are the same age and yet followed two different paths. I loved her drive as she was not going to let anything stop her. She knew what she wanted and she was bound and determined to get it. At times I found myself envying Melissa's journey into self. Wishing I had had the same fortitude she had. She is a strong independent womyn. Recently I went to my first lesbian meeting. I sat in that parking lot, frozen...not able to move. Then I remembered something I had just read in Melissa's book. She wrote that when she went to Los Angeles. She knew no one, she would go to the lesbian bars alone. I used her strength to find my own. I went to that meeting and no longer felt alone. Her story affected me and that is what a good book does.

I read this book as soon as it arrived, I couldn't put it down. As a staunch fan of Melissa's gut honest, emotionally raw music I expected nothing less from her recent autobiography. I was not disappointed. The book reads as she lives her life, unafraid to tell the truth and willing to share her deepest pain and joy. Curled up in my living room with the book, I felt as though a friend, a sister, was in the other chair sharing the chronological herstory of the discovery, the joy, and saddly, the loss of her most treasured relationship. Just as the lyrics of her songs always touch and reveal my own vulnerabilities, this book brought tears to my eyes. Melissa's willingness to reveal her journey from the unphathomable darkness of her pain to the "evolution" that returned peace and brilliant light to her soul as a result of this experience is just another source of my respect and admiration for her as a person, a woman, a mother and entertainer.

"The Truth Is..." a new autobiography by rock-and-roll singer, Melissa Etheridge, is a rare, poignant look into the life of someone who has actually lived the words they sing. Delving into extremely personal, and sometimes painful, topics that most would choose to pretend never happened, Melissa charges ahead and lays bare her soul. Sharing written entries from her personal diary as a child, one gets a glimpse of an extremely sad child, desperately in need of love and nurturance, neither of which she received. Later entries take the form of songwriting, and still the sadness lingers. This written journey into her soul shows the path Melissa has taken over the past 40 years in her career, loves and relationships, births of her two children, and eventual happiness with the person she has become.Melissa takes us back to her roots in Leavenworth, Kansas, circa 1961, and her birth into an extremely dysfunctional family that never shared their emotions. Born on her older sister's birthday, that event seemed to set-off a deep-set resentment in Jennifer, culminating in manipulation, physical, and sexual abuse that lasted for many years. As do many victims of sexual abuse, Melissa escaped into a fantasy world that gave her comfort -- the world of movies, food, and later, music. For two hours in the make-believe world of Hollywood, she could escape the reality of her life, and find safety in her dreams for the future. In 1964, she heard the Beatles for the very first time, and from that moment on, music became her saving grace. With music in her life, Melissa found a sanctuary, and would daily recreate songs with the neighborhood kids, always in the lead guitarist role of their make-believe band. Eventually her father noticed, and one day came home with a real guitar, which set her on her musical journey. Although her mother was never fond of her musical talents, her father did take an interest, driving his talented daughter to practices and gigs all over Kansas and other areas. She played throughout her high school years with one goal in mind -- to be a rock-and-roll star and get the hell out of Leavenworth, which is exactly what she does. The trip to stardom didn't happen overnight, taking detours to Boston and the East Coast, before heading west to the bright lights of Los Angeles. Along the way, Melissa continued her search for love, falling into the typical lesbian "second-date/U-Haul" relationship trap. She entertained various women and relationships throughout the years that would fill her soul for the moment, yet left her empty when they simply couldn't give her enough. These heart-wrenching relationships led to passion-filled, gut-wrenching hits such as "Bring Me Some Water," "Like the Way I Do," "Don't You Need," "Similar Features," and the classic, "You Can Sleep While I Drive."A turning point in Melissa's life happened when she met Julie Cypher. At the time, Julie was married to actor, Lou Diamond Phillips. But Melissa was smitten, and evidentl

Often times in life we hide our truths to place others in a comfort zone. We hide our pain through smiles, our fears through laughter. Although we are essentially individual human beings, the feelings that we have and hide are universal, unbiased to money, fame, mediocrity, latitude and longitude...etc. I bought this book expecting another typical biography/autobiography which tells half truths...enough of a bite to keep you interested but guarded as to not offend, to not shock, to hide the essential person. I have admired Melissa Etheridge for her honesty in her sexuality and her wonderful raspy voiced, from the heart musical gift. So I bought the autobiography. Let's face it, would you expect this to be anything other than a Norman Rockwell Painting? Melissa is an open, accepted lesbian woman, she had a long-time partner(whose breakup with shocked the hell out of me), 2 beautiful children, and the career she chose(or chose her)had rocketed her to stardom. Was this going to be page after page of "don't you wish you could be me" and "isn't my life wonderful?" I read this book in a little over an evening...I could not put it down. Her book was actually...honest. From her emotionally disconnected family, her resentful older sister who abused her, her careless sexual relations, her music dreams and aspirations, and her relationships which held a lot of pain masked by smiles, to the point she is at with her children...she was honest. Brutally, at times. This book brought the lesbian mega-rock star down from Goddess to human. She shares the same emotionally draining problems that we all do. She shares of her desire for a monogamous relationship(which in the lesbian world seems to be hard to come by..at least I've found it to be). She talks skimmingly about Julie's displeasure with her weight and her clothing selection(which frankly...huh? who could belittle anything physical about her..but anyway). It is just a very candid book that will surely be appreciated by her fans...or anyone needing to feel their feelings aren't unusual. Money and fame can't buy you love, or happiness, or self-validation. Maybe this book was a form of therapy for her and because of her honesty, her frankness about herself, the book itself massages the feelings of alone and although doubtfully intended, is a form of therapy for the reader. I highly recommend this book to her fans, her admirers, and anyone just wanting to hear a saddly missed art...honesty. When Melissa came out to the world, I just wanted to run up hug her and say thank you for making me feel like I'm ok, after reading the book I want to run up and hug her and say, "you're human...and you're ok."