Review (PDF) Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography
As the daughter of notorious rock manager Don Arden, Sharon Osbournes childhood was an unruly mix of glamour and violence. In her late 20s, Sharon finally made the painful decision to break with her family. Always irrepressible, Sharon flourished, creating a loving family of her own while becoming a legendary manager and rockband promoter. In rock star Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon found her soul mate, yet Ozzys drug and drink-fuelled excesseswhich culminated in his attempt to strangle hermade their marriage a whiteknuckle ride from the start; only her devotion to their three children gave her the will to survive. From the tremendous highs of the hit show The Osbournes to the lows of Ozzys near-fatal quad-bike accident and her own bout with colon cancer, Sharons tenacity, honesty, and humour have triumphed again and again.
Hardcover: 365 pages
Publisher: Springboard Press; First Edition edition (October 11, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0821280147
ISBN-13: 978-0821280140
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #920,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #821 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Shows #1548 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Popular #2391 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Biographies > Rock
I didn't really know much Sharon or her family before they came into the limelight, the ultimate dysfunctional family. This book chronicles her life, from her own troublesome family (she consistently refers to her dad throughout as "Don Arden" - never Dad), and how her brother & mother shunned her. She was the little fat girl (a tugboat as she calls herself), who you didn't want to sit next to on the plane. She recalls meeting Ozzy, having children (and some miscarriages, even one that her mother indirectly caused) and plastic surgery.I looked for some sign of having a ghost writer work with her on this book, but what exactly do you look for? There was nothing in the copyright section that's at the front of every book, no indication. It was also very personal, very crude, which is exactly Sharon. It also alternates between the past & present, with an almost diary entry of the present day at the end of each chapter. It's very interestingly written, but what was missing, I thought, was Kelly & Jack's troubles. Aimee is mentioned (she had a lump removed from her breast), but neither Jack or Kelly get mentioned much, despite both of them having troubles with drink & drugs. (Although I did notice in my local book shop today that Jack has his own biography out - but not sure whether's it's official or not.)Sharon's book is very crude, so I will warn you now, she talks about every part of herself - in detail. It's not pretty. It's an amazing book & definitely a keeper.
I really enjoyed this book. Sharon has a fascinating life with both the sweets and sours of success. While some people might not be as open about their misfortunes, Sharon doesn't sugar coat anything. She tells it all. The book was well written and very personal. The reality show just doesn't paint a real picture of who Sharon is as a person, nor does it really do justice to what she went through with cancer.I've read Ordinary People (excellent as well), and the stories of Ozzy's drug induced behavior never cease to amaze me. I'm glad to have read this book because it shows that people are people no matter how much fame and fortune they have. It's easy to forget that when you see them on television.
While I realize it may not be a universal sentiment, I love Sharon Osbourne. I have since she first appeared on reality TV (MTV), reigning over home, children, pets, and her aging, somewhat-befuddled, rock star husband, Ozzy. She is a role model of a strong, smart, outspoken, funny, unconventional, feisty redhead -- all that, with a great haircut and a snappy English accent, too.The audio version of EXTREME is entertaining, compelling and controversial; fascinating, at the same time, disturbing. This is a woman who has really come into her own, beyond the success and privilege of her husband's fame. She is a woman deserving of good fortune and peace in her life, after suffering and surviving years of abuse by her father and her husband. However, she is no angel, maybe not even a completely sympathetic victim: This is a woman, when she gets angry, who tends to seek revenge and lash out. She cheerfully admits to urinating in someone's drink on more than one occasion, and expressing her dissatisfaction, on numerous occasions, with human excrement.She is unapologetic, but forgiving, of herself and those around her, including her father and her husband. Her story is fascinating, from her hard scrabble childhood in England, through the ups and downs (always to the extreme) as the daughter of a very controlling, powerful man in the music industry and later as the wife of an abusive, self-destructive rock legend. This is the story behind the stories played out on reality TV and in the tabloids.The truth according to Sharon Osbourne.I still love her -- I certainly would never want to piss her off!!-- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer at [...]Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!
I used to watch The Osbournes when they had their reality show on MTV. I didn't particularly like or dislike Sharon then, although the show was interesting. Also, there were some things she did that made me go really?, that's the kind of example she wants to set for her kids? (Throwing food into her neighbor's yard, etc.)If I was on the fence before I am definitely on the can't stand her side of it now after reading her memoir. Yuck, she comes off as such a gross, crude, self-important person and it is a huge turn off. Getting involved with Ozzy while he was still married, and talking about his then wife as if she were just some insignificant gnat that didn't matter. Afterall, Ozzy only really loved Sharon right? I guess even when he was cheating on her and constantly doing drugs and drinking, oh and hitting her too. Come on, Sharon sounds like every other battered woman out there that makes excuses for their men's bad behavior,-"but I know he really loves me", blah, blah, blah. What kind of message is this sending to women reading the book let alone her own daughters!?And although Sharon tries to come off like she's all about family, it seems to me she's all about $. I can buy this, I can buy that, I'm driving in my Bentley, my housekeeper so and so. Nauseating. People know who you are, we know you're wealthy, why does insignificant drivel about $ have to be included in one's memoir? Tacky. Well, I guess her stories about defecating on letters to people she was mad at proves $ most certainly does not make a classy person. As soon as I finished reading this I deleted it off my Kindle, it just felt too dirty having her gross book on there.
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