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Love or hate her, Cher has lived quite a life. So big, it takes two volumes. Part one is out now.

I found the book light and breezy, although Cher’s early life was anything but easy, and her adult life has been spread across many tabloid covers in the supermarket. The writing style is welcoming and unpretentious. My wife asked if I heard Cher’s voice as I read the words. I hadn’t thought about it, but I probably did.

“I did everything from memory,” she told an interviewer with Yahoo Entertainment. “We would just sit there. Julia [Leatham] would write everything. Mostly she let it be in my words. I have a distinct way of talking. … Sometimes I pause where you might not expect to pause or think it belonged, but that’s just who I am.”

Several ghostwriters were used and she said it was written three times until she was happy with it, during a seven-year writing process. Part Two will follow next year, and will pick up around 1980 when Cher shifts her career towards acting.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One (Dey Street Books, 2024) covers the years of her mother’s various marriages and relationships, moving all over the country, and eventually settling in L.A. Cher moved quickly from child to adult, and entered a relationship with Sonny at age 16. A large section of the book centers on the Sonny & Cher years. Cher emerges from that partnership, not at a loss for boyfriends, but unraveling her finances and seeking to generate a living for her family.

Are there surprises in the book? Sure. Ultimately, Cher’s fans will eat up this book. Cher is right, the attraction, and expectation, are in the stories. People grew up with Sonny & Cher, Cher the actress, Cher the singer, Cher the fashion icon, Cher the flamboyant, but relatable in a way who could be a member of our extended families. Yes, relatable. Her bluntness, grassroots beginning, man-trouble, etc.

Sonny doesn’t come off very well, Gregg Allman doesn’t either. David Geffen and Gene Simmons do. Go figure.

3/5