For nearly half a century Joan Crawford was the essence of glamorous Hollywood. Having a family of her own, if only for publicity purposes, became for Joan one important measure of success. Unmarried at the time, and living in a twenty-two-room house, she first adopted Christina, then a son, and eventually two more daughters.
Christina was presented to the world as the perfect child of the famous film star, but she could not remain a baby forever, and when the reporters and the fans departed, Christina grew up with the reality of child abuse and of alcoholism, and sometimes a nightmare of sheer terror.
Mommie Dearest is the story of the relationship between a child trying to stay alive and a ruthless, cunnung, lonely woman who knew every trick of survival. Christina loved Joan and searched for her mother's love in return throughout the years they shared.
It is a book for all those people who have lived with a terrible secret and have had to hide the truth because they were afraid or because no one would believe them. It is for everyone who knows what it is like to grow up with a parent determined to thwart every efort to achieve independence. In Mommie Dearest, Christina offers hope that it is possible to live through a terrifying personal struggle and to create a productive life out of chaos.
