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Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World | 
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| Authors: Lynne Spears, Lorilee Craker
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $11.75
You Save: $13.24 (53%)
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Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 2342
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 1595551565
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.099
EAN: 9781595551566
ASIN: 1595551565
Publication Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
We all want our children to succeed. What happens when they do? Britney Spears wanted to sing ever since she was a little girl. But the years of sacrifices, auditions, performances, albums, fame, and paparazzi left the little Louisiana family swept up and spun around, and nothing turned out the way anyone ever imagined or wanted. Now Lynne shares the inside story of the Spears family as only a mother can. Through the Storm takes readers outside the narrow orbit of the Hollywood glitterati. Lynne shares how fame forever changed their family; her regrets letting managers, agents, and record companies direct the lives of her children; the challenges that shaped Lynne and Jamie's failed marriage and how they affected Bryan, Britney, and Jamie Lynn; the startling events that led to Britney's breakdown; the aftermath of Jamie Lynn's pregnancy; and how the family has tried pulling together to recapture a sense of hope and purpose. Through the Storm, says Lynne, is "the story of one simple Southern woman whose family got caught in a tornado called fame, and who is still trying to sort through the debris scattered all over her life in the aftermath. It's who I am, warts and all, with some true confessions that took a long time to get up the nerve to discuss."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
 Through the Storm December 1, 2008
I'm guilty of reading the headlines of the tabloids when I stand in line at the grocery store check out. Lynne Spears says that defending herself on behalf of the lies and cruelty regarding her parenting choices is a waste of ink. So what is the purpose behind her biographical work, Through the Storm: The Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World? The back cover copy says "We all want our children to succeed. What happens when they do?"
Spears writes an update on her exploited family which includes actress/singers Britney and Jamie Lynn. She tells her story compellingly - it's about her and her choices, not about the children. She questions her choices and challenges to do what she thought best to share her children's gifts in public performance. Yet it's not a parenting story, Spears readily admits. She writes to honor the memory of her sister and a special friend. Spears's timeline comes out in fits and chunks - an event, and then a backtrack to how the event came about. There are a number of missing pieces in the story, as well. For instance, who ran the fitness center the Spears' built and why was the husband out of town so much on business that failed constantly? She used journals to make certain of dates and experiences. Her poems to her children were beautiful.
Would picking up this book mean contributing to the exploitation of a famous family? Who's really guilty of exploiting the family? Those who think they own public figures or those who continue to publicize their own issues? There are many issues that are good for parents to consider when confronted with a truly gifted child. Parents should decide for themselves what success means, whether it's happiness at home or whether it means being a household name. How far do you push or hold back, and at what age? Perhaps in the end, Spears wants to make sure that other parents avoid some of the heartache she's gone through.
Britney has a good mom--A Must Read! December 1, 2008
I just finished reading Through the Storm by Lynne Spears, Britney Spears mom. Wow, what an amazing book. In this book she shares about her life from before Britney's fame, to during it, to where she is now. Lynne shares openly and honestly about her life, and what I really noticed was how highly she spoke of all her kids as well as her good friends. She even spoke well of Jamie, her ex-husband. Despite the big struggles she faced in their marriage due to Jamie's alcoholism, she still spoke of all his good qualities. That's character right there. She went through so much, and gives God all the credit and glory for his faithfulness in her life. It opened my eyes to the fact that famous or not, people are people. Even famous people have stories just like all of us do. Here are several big things I took away from this book:
#1 Fame is not all that it's cracked up to be.
#2 People are quick to judge celebrities, unfairly.
#3 Britney has a good mom.
I would like to expound upon that last point. Britney's mom is amazing. She certainly has gone through many storms in her life, and the way life goes I'm sure more will come. But she's so strong. You guys read the book, and you'll see. She's so strong. And she's prayed and gone to God and He has delivered her and her children from many different trying situations. I think more than anything it has given me a heart for the Spears family and an even greater disappointment with the tabloids and paparazzi. It reminds me that as a Christian, celebrities and their families need our prayer and support. Thank you, Lynne, for sharing your story.
 2.5 out of a possible 5 November 30, 2008
I know, I know. You're asking yourself the same thing I am - what's a hip-hop loving, boy band hating guy like myself doing reading a book by the mom of one of the biggest pop stars we've ever known? Shouldn't I be reviewing "Whatever you say I am" or "Rhyming and Stealing..." or even "Hey Ya!"?
Well - truth be told - the publisher of the book, Thomas Nelson Publishing, invited bloggers who like to read to get some free books and review them.
There ya have it - bloggers who like to read - that's all me.
And I'd be lying if I said the pop culture hollywood gossip-seeking voyeur in me (come on - it's in all of us - you know it is...) wasn't interested in a peek inside the world of Britney Spears. I was also intrigued by her rise to fame, how she dealt with it and the subsuquent crumbling in the limelight and how the public seemed to enjoy and almost encourage all of it. Not to mention that her mom is a Christian and the CEO of like the biggest Christian publisher found her manuscript very compelling.
So there - that's why the book is in my hands. It showed up free in my mailbox. Now - for the review.
"Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World" is a tell-all of sorts from Lynne Spears - mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears. She kicks it off with some background on herself, her parents and her upbringing and takes you right up to and through her kids' births and their rise to stardom.
The whole thing actually reads like a bad blog. It's a little random - kind of jumps around and seems to lack a focus or straight path. But listen - don't take that the wrong way. I have plenty of blogs in my Google reader that aren't going to win any awards for writing style - but that doesn't make them any less interesting. Sometimes the rawness of that approach can make them even more appealing.
The author gains some extra points for her willingness to be as open and transparent as anyone could be. She doesn't ALWAYS blame the media and papparazzi (though she does her fair share of that) and she owns up to problems time and again. Towards the end of the book - which coincides with the absolute downward spiral of the "Britney Spears Show" culminating in the very public crash and burn of aforementioned pop star - Lynne appears to either be struggling with the writing or the media or life as a whole. The last 30 pages may have been the hardest to read - simply because she seemd to fall off track and to be honest - some things read like excuses and were at times hard to believe (for example - who takes a call from someone they've never met or heard of offering them a job selling cubic zirconias - and accepts it??).
Overall - I would agree with Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt - a very compelling read that does lend some insight to some of the things we saw happen in the media and may have perceived differently than they actually were.
Meron gives her 2.5 books out of a possible 5.
 Uninteresting and Poorly Written November 29, 2008
I'm glad Lynne Spears did not write a tell-all book about her famous daughters. But what she did write is incredibly uninteresting. A whole chapter on who her girlfriends are? I don't care; do you? Skillful writers have written compelling memoirs about their families without violating privacy. Unfortunately, Lynne Spears is not a skillful writer, nor does she claim to be, and she didn't have a skillful co-author. The book is poorly organized and disjointed. The numerous grammatical mistakes are so glaring as to be distracting. Thomas Nelson publishers did a real disservice to Spears by releasing such a sloppy product.
Apart from the construction mistakes, Spears stated purpose for writing this book--to show her children how much she loves them--doesn't ring true. It seems the book was written to justify her parenting style and the mistakes she's made. It would have been refreshing had she just said so. I can completely understand why she would want to defend herself in print. She's taken a lot of hits in the press and on TV. I think a much more interesting book would have been Through the Storm: A Misunderstood Mother Speaks Out.
Not a tell all and not a parenting book November 29, 2008
What drew me to this controversial book was my curiosity.
Who hasn't heard about the recent turmoil in the Spears family and passed judgement?
If ever there was a family under attack it would be the Spears family.
I was curious to read what Lynn's take on her own family would be. Would she see (and confirm) what the general public has seen?
I admit I had also heard the rumor that this was a parenting book.
It most certainly is not a parenting book, nor was it ever supposed to be one according to Lynn.
It's also not a tell-all book.
You won't find any juicy details about any celebrity in this book and Lynn has only the kindest thing to say about her ex son-in-law Kevin Federline.
If you are looking for any new details about Britney's breakdown, you won't find it. While she mentions Britney going "in and out of a British accent" during on account of a harrowing evening with Britney, she doesn't elaborate. Does Britney have bipolar disorder? Did she ever ask Britney why she was speaking like that?
There also won't be any new revelations concerning Jamie Lynn's pregnancy although her account of the day Jamie Lynn told her that she was pregnant was heartfelt and emotional. I felt like I was there in her living room. As a Christian I admire her daughter's firm decision, despite people on her team encouraging her to have an abortion, to choose life. I'm just a little surprised that the reason why was not elaborated upon. Did Jamie Lynn choose to keep her baby because of her Christian faith? Because she wanted a baby? Because she wanted to marry her boyfriend? It's unclear.
While there are many things you won't read in the book, If you've ever been curious about the woman in the photographs with Britney & Jamie Lynn, then this is the book for you.
Lynn chronicles her life and speaks in detail about her childhood, early marriage (and eventual divorce) to Jamie Spears, her relationship with her sister and her regrets about not holding on to her teaching career. Towards the middle of the book she discusses her naive attitude towards the entertainment industry and a few of the regrets she has had along the way. Throughout the book she does speak briefly about her faith, but this is not really a book about her Christian faith, although she identifies herself as having a strong one.
Although I found the first half the book to be an interesting read I felt the last few chapters of the book were disjointed. In these chapters Lynn discusses Britney's breakdown and the birth of her third grandchild. There is nothing in these chapters that hasn't already been revealed in People magazine. It is obvious Lynn is hesitant to discuss her children's personal life and you have to admire that. This book is not an attempt to sell off any remaining bits of privacy the family has. But what is it an attempt to do? After reading the book I'm a little unsure, as I'm sure Lynn was when she wrote it. While I cannot say that I feel I know Lynn Spears anymore after reading her book, I can say that I have more empathy for her. And perhaps that is the point of reading any autobiography?
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